What You’ll Learn in Barber School
If you’re considering pursuing a career as a barber, you’ll be happy to hear that your future job prospects are looking pretty good! In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry is predicted to grow at a much faster than average rate and is projected to add almost 609,000 jobs by 2031. Since most barber training programs are much shorter than a traditional 4-year university education, you can get your training and start earning a living faster than most.
But what will you actually be learning in barber school? In a nutshell, you’ll be learning a variety of techniques and skills that are essential to becoming a professional barber. Let’s break it down.
Cutting, styling and trimming men’s hair
One of the primary things you’ll learn in barber school, is how to properly cut and style men’s hair. You’ll learn the basics of cutting, trimming, and styling including how to choose the right products, and how to create basic styles. You’ll also be trained in the use of standard barbering tools like clippers, scissors, and razors.
Facial hair and beard grooming
Learning the right techniques and products to use for facial hair is an essential part of barber school. You’ll be trained on how to use clippers, scissors, and combs to shape facial hair, beards, and mustaches, and also how to trim, shape, and groom eyebrows. Barber students also learn how to properly clean and moisturize facial hair, and how to select the right products for their client’s skin and hair type.
Coloring hair
When it comes to men’s hair, coloring can be a tricky task. That’s why it’s so important to learn the correct techniques in barbering school. Students will learn how to mix hair dyes and tints, how to correctly apply color and what kind of color will be suitable for a particular client. You’ll also be trained in how to lighten hair with bleaching products while still protecting the integrity of the hair.
Men’s scalp and skincare
Your barber training will cover topics such as identifying and treating different scalp conditions, understanding which products to use and how to apply them, and recognizing scalp-related problems. You’ll also learn how to perform a scalp analysis to determine what treatments and products would be best for each individual. Other topics you can expect to be covered include the importance of pre-shampooing, deep conditioning treatments, and moisturizing treatments. You may also be trained in how to provide stress relieving treatments like head massages and deep cleansing scalp treatments.
Safety and sanitation
Barber training isn’t just about techniques and skills. You’ll also need to learn the importance of safety and sanitation. That training will cover the proper techniques for disinfecting and sterilizing tools, equipment, and surfaces, how to store and dispose of tools, hazardous materials to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and procedures for avoiding contact with bodily fluids and other hazardous materials that could potentially harm you or clients.
Customer service
In order to build a book of clients and gain their trust, it’s important to provide top-notch customer service. In barber school, you’ll learn the basics of customer service including how to greet clients and make them feel welcome, how to maintain a professional relationship with customers, and how to anticipate their needs. You also learn how to take care of their individual requests and provide them with the best possible outcome. Additionally, you will learn how to listen to customer feedback and use it to improve your services. Once you’ve completed your training, you should be ready to build a rapport with your clients, so they trust you and come back for future visits.
If you’re looking for a career where you help people look and feel their best, barbering is a great option. It’s also a career path that allows you interact with people and to be creative with your work! If you’re interested in learning more about a career as a barber, check out the Barbering Program at Continental School of Beauty. Enrolling future barbers now at our Rochester campus, Continental is training the next generation of professional barbers and making a difference one shave and haircut at a time. Contact us today for more information.
