No Hair Out of Place: Salon Schools

IT WAS ARGUABLY the most important step Amanda Schadegg would ever take in her new career as a hairdresser: giving her first paying customer a cut. The look? Victoria Beckham's shag 'do. The experience? Terrifying.

"I was so nervous," Schadegg, 24, recalls. "I had to stop and take a deep breath because I knew ... it would be a botched job if my hands were shaking."

In the end, that jittery first cut "turned out fantastic. The client loved it," says the Alexandria resident, who is currently in her fourth of 13 months in a cosmetology degree program at Paul Mitchell the School, Virginia, in Tysons Corner (8090-L Tysons Corner Center; 703-288-0008).

Breaking into the world of professional hairstyling isn't as simple as winning a challenge on "Shear Genius." Salons require stylists to pass state certification exams and obtain a professional license before they even consider job offers. Since few people are naturally skilled in proper snipping and styling, or even in gabbing with guests, aspiring hairdressers turn to salon schools to learn the ins and outs of the industry, and, usually, to also log hundreds of hours of hands-on experience. Two schools that help D.C.'s future stylists accomplish those goals are Paul Mitchell and the Aveda Institute: Washington, D.C. (713 Seventh Street NW; 202-824-1624).

At both the Aveda and Paul Mitchell schools, students spend a few weeks listening to lectures, tackling terminology and performing cuts on mannequin heads. But then they quickly segue into a real, working salon setting where they cut, color and style the hair of clients from the public who pay rock-bottom prices for their services.

"Working with a real guest helps students become good problem solvers because they get to deal with all of the situations that come up with the guests," says Suzanne Bettendorf, the executive director for development at the Aveda Institute in D.C. "A lot of the learning really, truly happens on the clinic floor. A student that thrives in that type of environment is going to excel in a real salon setting."

As they log more than a thousand hours in the schools' salons (1,500 hours are required for both Aveda's 10-month, full-time cosmetology program and Paul Mitchell's 13-month, full-time program), students are supervised by professional stylists-turned-teachers. They're also evaluated through written exams (covering everything from bacteriology and anatomy, to hairbrush types and products) and practical demonstrations (How well did students greet their clients? Did they fulfill their quota of perm wraps for the grading period?). The hands-on course work can be particularly demanding.

"I think the hardest part is just making sure that you're focused all the time because you have to remember that this is really not about you," says Jaime Barreras, 28, of Gainesville, Va., who graduated from the Aveda Institute last month. "This is a very selfless career path, and you have to constantly stay on your 'A' game. Every person who sits down in your chair is another opportunity, and if you don't see it that way, you could really give somebody a terrible day — or a terrible month."

Though the stakes are high, the payoffs for hardworking stylists can be huge. Salaries vary, depending on the locations and reputations of salons, but recent graduates of Paul Mitchell's program can make between $15 and $25 per hour, says Roopa Ganapathy, the director and dean of Paul Mitchell's Tysons Corner school. With a price tag of $15,000, Paul Mitchell's program practically pays for itself in six to seven months, Ganapathy notes. (Aveda's Bettendorf declined to quote the price of the school's cosmetology program.)

Amid today's tumultuous economic climate, the staying power of a stylist's job makes the intensive training a particularly good investment.

The career is "almost recession-proof." "Everybody needs to get their hair done," Ganapathy says. "Would you wait for six weeks instead of five weeks to get your hair done? Probably, but you'll still come back. As a stylist, you'll always have business."

Hairstyling is a standout career path for creative thinkers and extroverts because the job is literally "hands-on," Ganapathy says. "This is one of very few professions where you actually get to touch your clients. You get into their comfort zone, so it's very important for us to make them feel comfortable before we touch them," says Ganapathy, who worked as a professional hairdresser for a number of years before joining the Paul Mitchell school as an administrator. "Within an hour's time, you get to make someone feel amazing about their look," she says. "It's really satisfying."

Aveda graduate Barreras said she, too, enjoys making connections with clients. Her favorite client, she says, was a woman who wanted to donate her hair to the nonprofit group Locks of Love after being diagnosed with cancer. Instead of cutting off all of the woman's bright red hair, however, Barreras gave her a super-short cut. "You could tell right away that just keeping a style for her that was going to be appropriate for her new lifestyle meant a lot. ... You could tell she walked out of here and she felt like a million dollars."

That experience showed Barreras that the hairdresser's job is "not just about hair and beauty; it's really about inspiring."

But besides being a good listener and a whiz with hair spray, a successful stylist needs to have a few other skills up her sleeve — something TV competitions and Hollywood depictions don't always make clear. Paul Mitchell student Schadegg, who studied business and economics in college and spent two years in the Navy as an electrician's mate before finally committing to her passion for cosmetology, says many aspiring hairdressers don't often understand that they need business savvy.

"Unless you're working for a large corporation — and even working in a salon — most of the time you're renting a chair from the owner," Schadegg says. "Little things come into consideration, as far as, 'What is my daily income?' Most salons require a certain percentage of the profit to be from retail sales, so you have to know how to sell products to the customer. How much are you charging for different services? If you're not working for a company or corporation, where are you going to put your investments?"

But even being aware of these varied concerns hasn't put off Schadegg or others from pursuing their dreams. Like Schadegg, Paul Mitchell student Taschi McClinton, 31, of Woodbridge also jumped into cosmetology training with little more than a basic love for makeup and hair. She uprooted her life in Virginia Beach, Va., within two weeks to move to Woodbridge and enroll in Paul Mitchell's Tysons Corner school.

Now, nearly halfway through her cosmetology training, McClinton says her long-term goal is to travel the world as a freelance hairstylist and makeup artist for entertainers. Changing her career was "the best decision I ever made," McClinton says. "Every client I've had so far is a true experience. It's just exciting for me to be out on the floor every day."

Schedule your next cut or color at a salon school and you'll save some dough while you contribute to your stylists' education.

» At the Aveda Institute: Washington, D.C., (713 Seventh St. NW; 202-824-1624) a regular haircut and simple style costs $25. Hairdressers-in-training use Aveda's signature eco-friendly products on each customer.

» At Paul Mitchell The School: Tyson's Corner, Va., (8090-L Tysons Corner Center; 703-288-0008) Students are similarly committed to using only the company's products on clients; at the training salon, a basic cut is $12 and a blow-dry is $10.

» What to Expect: The salons at training schools are similar to real beauty parlors, but they're monitored by professional stylists-turned-teachers who keep tabs on each student's work. That means that while you may be running a risk by allowing relatively inexperienced hands on your head, you'll also have the security of a second opinion from a professional.

» Plan Ahead: It's best to allot more time than usual to an appointment at a salon school; diligent students might take more than an hour to ensure a haircut is done properly. And call the schools at least a week in advance to book your appointment; as you might expect, scoring a new style on the cheap requires a little planning.

» The Payoff: Overall, most people who get cuts from future professionals find that being patient pays off, says Paul Mitchell student Taschi McClinton. "It's a fun atmosphere, and for the price and the service [customers] get, they usually come back," McClinton says.

Photo by Lawrence Luk for Express