CHAT Skin & Hair Co.

In my last post, I talked about how our students are coming from the beauty industry and stepping into the cosmetology industry, which is the profession. Those are two different ways of operating. The beauty industry is everything, products, trends, personal routines, all of it.
The cosmetology industry is where structure, training, responsibility, and care as a professional are developed. So when they come into the classroom, they’re not starting from zero. They’re coming in already operating from what they’ve experienced in the beauty industry.

Once I really understood that, I had to change how I approached teaching. Because I can’t teach from a professional level if I don’t first see how they’re currently thinking. So I started asking questions. Just enough to understand what they’ve been exposed to, how they’ve been making decisions, and how they think about hair, skin, and nails.
I don’t ask everything at once. I usually choose about five or six questions so it stays simple, they stay engaged, and it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

What I noticed was communication got easier, I wasn’t repeating myself as much, and the flow of the room changed. I wasn’t trying to teach over their experiences anymore, I was able to work from them. I put it together into a Professional Mindset Discovery Guide that can be used at the beginning. It’s simple, but it helps you get a clear starting point so you can actually develop them as professionals before sending them back out into the beauty industry.

If you want a copy, I can share it.

THE REAL ISSUE

Most resistance in cosmetology education isn’t intentional.

Students often enter school with expectations shaped by social media and the hair industry. When those expectations meet the realities of professional training, resistance naturally shows up. Readiness starts with clear expectations.

Educators, if you're like me, aren't you ready to see a difference in the educational system. One that doesn't lawmakers, state board, or testing administrators can't touch. Are we tired of pumping out state board ready students? Or talented, skilled students?

Wouldn't it be amazing if from day one, we were talking to professional leaders, those who are ready to be more than talented, more than skilled but client ready professionals?

Most of our students start school with a hair industry mindset. Cosmetology and Hair Industry are not the same thing. Shifting their mindset is the first place we should start, not on the first day of orientation, but the day they tour the school and fill out their application. This is where we introduce them to Cosmetology and give them the opportunity to opt in. It's easier to teach skill to a prepared mind, then it is to develop leadership after habits are formed.