Whatever Happened to Salon Education?
I started my career in a small salon, and I'm grateful for every lesson I learned there. But later, I spent 14 years working in a corporate salon, and that's where I experienced something that would shape the way I think about our industry today.
It wasn't the haircutting.
It wasn't the color line.
It wasn't even the pace of the salon.
It was the education.
We regularly had brand educators come into the salon. They weren't there to sell us products. Our salon had already chosen the brands we carried.
They came to teach.
They showed us how products worked together, explained ingredients,
demonstrated techniques, answered our questions, and helped us become more confident behind the chair.
Looking back, I realize how much I took that for granted.
Today, our industry looks very different.
Many hairstylists are independent. We rent suites, own salons, or work in smaller spaces where we have the freedom to choose the products we use and build businesses that reflect who we are.
I love that freedom.
But with that freedom came something many of us didn't expect.
We became responsible for finding our own education.
Instead of having educators walk through our doors, we're piecing together
information from Facebook groups, Instagram Reels, YouTube videos, and whatever class we can fit into our schedules.
There's nothing wrong with learning online. In fact, I do it all the time.
But there was something special about having someone physically present who could answer questions, demonstrate techniques, and help you understand the "why" behind what you were using.
That's one of the reasons education has become so important to me.
Whether it's attending classes, joining communities, sitting around a table at Stylist Coffee, or simply having conversations with other hairstylists, I believe we become better when we learn together.
The industry has changed.
The way we learn has changed.
But I don't think our need for community and quality education has changed at all.
I'd love to hear from you.
Where do you go for education today? What's one resource that's made you a better hairstylist?
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