What is the price tag that you are willing to put on your look? Everyone has a beauty budget of exactly what they can afford to spend on their personal care regimen but how do you select a salon that coincides with it? Price point is not the only difference when it comes to salons; there is some more pertinent information that you should know.

Photo: Contributed

In the early 2000’s the Cosmetology Association of British Columbia was deregulated by the provincial government due to cut backs. This means that there are no required licensing standards for stylists (or salon owners) to adhere to in daily business practices. There is also no minimum amount of additional training hours for professional development of stylists. It is completely voluntary for a professional Hair Stylist to belong to the new Beauty Council of British Columbia or even to take their initial government certification.

This change in regulation means that anyone can operate a salon and practice hairdressing regardless of their training background or how long they have been out of the industry. A bad haircut for six weeks should be the least of your worries. Hairstylists use professionally dosed chemical products that require precise execution to ensure the healthy and safety of salon guests. Do you really want hydrogen peroxide sitting on your head by an under trained professional?

Your safety (and satisfaction) now relies almost solely on the salon owner and their commitment to beauty excellence. Training costs run at an extreme premium for the development of a hair stylist: approximately $1500 tuition plus travel for one week at The Sassoon Academy or $500 for one day at a local hands on cutting class per stylist. These costs are built into the cost of services at mid-range to high-end salons. It takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice to obtain perfection; which translates to a lot of haircuts.

Core training aside, the motivation of the team to continually reach for perfection lies on the salon owner. As creative people, hairstylists need their inspiration to be continually fuelled with freedom of expression. In the salon we do this by creating team photo shoots, fashion shows and industry hair competitions to push hairstylists to challenge their skill set. When you are green you grow, when you are ripe you rot. Remaining stagnant is not an option for continual progression in life: both personally and professionally.

For me, the biggest sense of satisfaction comes from two directions. The first is to see and hear how a hairstyle makes someone feel and the confidence that it can enhance. Nothing is more magical then bearing witness to woman flipping her new style, smiling and beaming with joy. The second is watching the continual breakthroughs of success of my team of stylists, when they reach their benchmarks of success and push themselves through essential ‘lessons’ coming out at the end with their own desired success. I then have the opportunity to see their guests do the same as they embark from the leather styling chairs.

In any professional field, training is the magic ingredient to mastery. Choosing the right salon that will best suit you should be based on education. Although price is ever relevant your satisfaction will come from the confidence in knowing the salon professional you visit is rehearsed and ready to tackle your beauty challenges. My advice: price will often reflect the level of current and relevant education any stylist has received.  Become an educated consumer.

For more information on the Beauty Council of British Columbia and their initiatives please visit www.beautycouncilofBC.com.