Hairdressing As A Career Essay, Research Paper

Discussion

Hairdressing has always been a passion for Canadians, and me. Everyday people are getting their hair done, changing their color or style and to do this hairdressers will be there to inform, perform and advise the customer about their hair. Hairdressing is the art of cutting, setting, arranging, and otherwise caring for the hair. Women and men style their hair to improve their appearance and for comfort. A different hairstyle can alter a person’s appearance more than almost any other physical change. Hairdressing can accent good features and hide bad ones, or draw attention away from undesirable characteristics. It provides attractive, easy-to-manage hairstyles that meet the needs and desires of the people who wear them.

Hair is the most easily changed physical feature of the human body. Since prehistoric times, people have cut, braided, and dyed their hair and changed it in other ways as well. Professional hairdressers first became common during the 1700’s. Today, most women and men depend on hairdressers for such services as cutting, coloring, straightening, and permanent waving. Hairdressers are also known as beauticians, beauty operators, cosmetologists, and hair stylists. Some other names that hairdressers use are: hair color technician, barber apprentice, hairdresser apprentice, wig stylist, hair stylist

A high school student who wishes to become a hairdresser should study a broad range of subjects, including the arts, biology, and psychology. Courses in the arts help develop creativity and artistic ability. Biology courses aid in understanding the structure and growth of the hair. Knowledge of psychology helps in dealing with people.

A student may attend a professional hairdressing school or serve an apprenticeship under an established hairdresser. Most European hairdressers serve an apprenticeship. In Canada, most students take a 6- or 12-month course at a licensed cosmetology school. They learn to shampoo, cut, color, style, and straighten and permanent wave hair. They also learn to give manicures, scalp and facial treatments, and advice on makeup. Many students also take courses in the treatment of disorders of the hair and scalp.

After a student completes a course in hairdressing apprenticeship is the next step. Businesses all around Alberta are willing to give a hairdressing graduate a chance to use their skills. Most courses include a placement for an apprenticeship or referrals.

Being a hairdresser allows you to experience new things and meet all kinds of people. You are constantly learning new things, when I was interviewing a hairdresser I found out that you attend many conferences and shows about new products and trends. Which means you will always be learning new things. Some set backs are that if your running your own salon you have a lot of work to do. Also the smells of dies and perming solutions can be very irritating if your sensitive to smells.

Hairdressers can start out from $7.00 and hour. to even $17.00 an hour. Some hairdressers work on commission from each hair cut or even a salary plus commission. There is always room for advancement and hairdressers are always needed. In Alberta the outlook for hairdressing is above average than most occupations. Starting a buisness in this area is a great venture. I hope to own my own salon someday.

Like any other personal service occupation, hair stylists and barbers are in growing demand as a direct result of Alberta?s growing population. Other factors also have an impact on demand for these services. Older populations can be expected to make fuller use of hair stylists and barbers. At the same time,

Many families and consumers are seeing their incomes stagnate and this could reduce spending on some personal services. Technological change is really of little importance in this type of work compared to consumer tastes and consumers’ spending power. A trend among younger and more urbanized consumers towards full-service, unisex salons will tend to favor hair stylists at the expense of the more traditional barbers.

Opening up your own salon takes some more training than just a simple hairdressing course. I looked into this on the Red Deer college web site. The best way to go is to take a business administration course which allows you to advance to and even higher course or lead you to open your own business or handle someone else?s. Opening up your own business takes a lot of hard work and some start up money. I order for you to start up your own salon you first have to get a loan from the bank or save your money for a very long time. You have to buy or rent a building, buy your equipment to start out, and if you have to hire some staff to help get things going. Taking a course in business administration will help you know how to run a business and know what to do. It?s very hard to run a salon if you have no experience in running a business and you have a smaller chance of actually making it. To find a location best for your salon takes some research. It?s not a good idea to start up a salon in Lacombe because, there are so many here all ready. Find a location that has the people to support it, advertise that your salon is coming before you start up, this will get you a few customers before you actually start out. Some salons have even started in basements and have expanded because they had so much clientele.

Conclusion

Hair stylists and barbers cut and style hair and perform related services. They are employed in hair styling or hairdressing salons, barbershops, and hair replacement clinics and studios. Hair stylists perform many duties, including suggesting a hair style compatible with the client’s physical features or determining a style from the client’s instructions and preferences. They shampoo, rinse, cut, trim, taper, curl, wave, perm and style hair. They may also apply bleach, tint, dye or rinse to color, frost or streak hair. They may also train or supervise other hair stylists, hairdressers and assistants.

People in these occupations should have good stamina and manual dexterity, a creative eye, and good listening and communication skills. They must have normal color vision and good depth perception. They should enjoy working with a wide variety of people. They must be prepared to work irregular hours, with chemicals, and be on their feet for long periods of time. Basic knowledge of computers, analytical skills, and flexibility are assets. Those considering eventual ownership of their own operation should be prepared to learn business and bookkeeping techniques, as well as entrepreneurial and managerial skills.

Introduction

Hairdressing in some ways is an art, creating and perfecting new hairstyles. There is such a beauty in knowing that a style that a person is wearing is yours. To become a hairdresser though takes hard work and determination. Years of training, and the never-ending knowledge of new styles. How do you get to be a hairdresser? What do you have to do? All these questions wander the mind of ever aspiring hairdresser.

The processes of cutting, cleaning, coloring, styling, and arranging hair are known collectively as hairdressing. When the practice of hairdressing relates specifically to men and includes the grooming of beards and mustaches, it is known as barbering. These grooming practices are not limited to humans; animals such as apes, baboons, and cats clean and smooth each other’s fur with their paws and tongues. Humans use a wide variety of tools, however, and attach much importance to hairdressing.

Opening a salon and what courses you have to take are as much a part of hairdressing as doing the hair itself. Perhaps you will have to manage your employers business as well, what courses must you takes to prepare for such a thing? What courses must you take to become a hairdresser? All these areas will be discussed.

Recommendations and References

The best way to find out if Hairdressing is for you is to take a course in high school. As for business administration, there are many secondary schools that offer such a course. They are not all the same, and some may be easier than others, your best bet is to look around at different secondary schools and find the best one for you.

Bibliography

1) Alberta Learning Information Learning Service.

www.alis.gov.ab.ca

2) Brunos Hairstyling Academy

www.brunoshair.on.ca

3) Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia

4) Encarta Interactive Encyclopedia

5) Occupational Profile ?Hairsylist?

6) Red Deer College Online

www.rdc.ab.ca