Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Hairdressers And Cosmetologists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at LSCS, HCC, Central Texas College, and North Central Texas College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider El Paso Community College, Southwest Texas Junior College, HCC, and Coastal Bend College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Lee College and HCC.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Central Texas College, Texarkana College, Frank Phillips, and HCC.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Ranger College, Frank Phillips, Kilgore College, and Panola College.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Lamar State Port Arthur, Howard College, Ranger College, and Del Mar College.
Working as Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists in Texas
Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists provide various forms of beauty services to clients, including shampooing, coloring, styling and cutting hair, along with treating and massaging scalps to cure minor dermatological problems. They may also be required to apply makeup, perform hair removal services, dress wigs, and offer skin and nail care services. Read a detailed Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists job description and schools overview.
Cosmetologists may find career enhancement resources at National Cosmetology Association.
State Requirements
Cosmetologists are required to obtain a license from Texas Cosmetology Commission.
Candidates have to fulfill the following conditions to get the license:
- be at least 17 years old
- complete 7th grade or equivalent
- obtain instruction for least 1500 hours from a beauty culture school that is licensed OR obtain instruction for at least 1000 hours from a beauty culture school and also complete 500 hours of allied high school courses
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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ITS Academy Of Beauty • Plano, TX
Studying Esthetics (completion in 2008)
• 12/29/2011
"I am very satisfied with ITS Academy of Beauty. They provided me with all the education and utensils that I needed in order to pass my state board exam and start my career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | After meeting other cosmetologists and learning of their schooling experiences, I realized that my school is one of the best in the area. I would definitely recommend this school to anyone who wants to become a cosmetologist. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | After graduating and meeting other professionals in my field, I realized that most cosmetologists had heard of my school and thought very highly of it. It was also fairly easy for me to find a job after graduation, because most spa and salon managers were familiar with my school and knew that I was well prepared for the work that they would give me. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The teachers and admin at ITS were extremely professional and knowledgeable in their fields. I also love that they help with job placement after graduation. |
| Instruction | 10 | All of my teachers had at least 5 years experience working as cosmetologists, so they had good, real-world advice. They also took the time to focus on all aspects of the field, such as body waxing and makeup, instead of just teaching about facials and skincare. |
| How Difficult | 1 | Learning how to be a facialist is extremely easy. The most important thing is actually going to class and learning the material to pass the state board exam. If you show up to class and study the materials that are given to you, then school will be a breeze. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | ITS provided a perfect mix of book learning and hands-on learning. Every morning, we did bookwork, and every afternoon, we performed services on clients and each other. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | At my school, there were only two options for classes; either day classes full-time or evening classes part-time. If you miss a day, however, they make it very easy to make up the time by attending an additional class or staying late. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | My school had three different classrooms; one for each department. They were also very good about giving us supplies; for example, each student received $2000 worth of products and implements to use during school, for the state board exam, and after graduation. |
| Social Life | 5 | Because my school was a technical school, there were no athletics, parties, or organized social events. However, all of the girls enrolled in the program became very close, due to the amount of time that we spent together. |
| Placement Services | 10 | ITS is constantly helping their former students find jobs. They keep a very organized and up-to-date binder of job ads, and they are constantly bringing in guest speakers from local salons and spas for the students to meet and network with. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | My school really didn't have much of an alumni network. One thing that they will do, however, is help former students with job placement after graduation. |
Aveda Institutes • Houston, TX
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2008)
• 3/9/2012
"It gave me the education I needed and it prepared me for real life situations. I would have loved for it to be closer to my house though. I had to drive over an hour for every class."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I love my job! I love the industry. It allows you to be creative and free spirited! |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Aveda is one of the top ranked schools. We are internationally known and it helps! |
| Program Quality | 7 | I have not attended other schools, but I was ahead of the curve when I first started working. They helped place me in a great career. |
| Instruction | 9 | The teachers knew what they were doing. They had been doing it for years and their experiences helped me before I was working with clients. |
| How Difficult | 6 | There was a lot of information in a small amount of time. It wasn't too difficult compared to the prior Chemistry courses I had taken in college. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The first few classes were very book focused. After theory and basics were learned, we moved to hands on work. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | We are not allowed to miss more than one class or be late. They were very unforgiving, unless there was a medical emergency. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | There were state of the art facilities. We did not have much access to computers, but we got plenty of advice from our teachers and advisors. |
| Social Life | 9 | My group of classmates were very close. The school never scheduled anything, but we all hung out. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I was placed before my certificate. They helped schedule our class with interviews at different salons. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I meet people who went to Aveda, and I work with a few. I do not hear from the school, but if I needed career placement they would help. |
Baldwin Beauty School • Austin, TX
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2004)
• 4/14/2012
"I like my career so I am happy. I may return to a different school soon for more training."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It was affordable and it taught me the basics. I think it's a good start for a career in cosmetics. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | It's well known in Austin. It's also a chain so I don't think it's very reputable nation-wide. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The school gave me a certificate I can use. I wish I had more time to practice more artistic, experimental styles. |
| Instruction | 6 | My teachers were all very professional. I think they did a great job showing the essential techniques. |
| How Difficult | 6 | It took a long time to finish because we covered so much and it was difficult being patient. It was kind of easy because I had been applying cosmetics for years before to friends and family. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was mostly hands on because it's cosmetics. I did have books for most classes though. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Most of my classes were evening and weekend. I don't think they had online availability when I was there. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | There were materials and models available. We also had access to computers and teachers. |
| Social Life | 1 | It was solely a cosmetics school. A lot of students were single parents and working students so outside of class there wasn't a lot of socializing. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I got a job through my school before I finished. They placed me in an entry level position with a salon. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I don't use the alumni network at all. I haven't really heard anything about it but I can get in touch with teachers. |
Aveda Houston • Houston, TX
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2008)
• 4/10/2012
"The education was amazing. The facilities were the best I've ever seen from beauty schools."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If they were getting into cosmetology for the right reasons, I would definitely recommend it! I had such a great experience in those halls. |
| Program Reputation | I am beginning the process of moving on from cosmetology. As I work, I'm training to be a stenographer. | |
| Program Quality | 10 | The school I went to was fantastic! I placed top hundred at the student level according to The Professional Beauty Association. Fourteen of the hundred nominees attended my school. |
| Instruction | 8 | There were teachers present that definitely adored teaching cosmetology. There were definitely hacks for stylists that fell back on teaching as well though. |
| How Difficult | 9 | This program is not for girls of the mind that hair school is a fall back. The program is extremely regimented and difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a solid four months of classroom teaching in the mornings paired with hands-on learning in the afternoon. After the alpha program was completed, during the beta program, you were working on live clients with one classroom day per week. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | When you commit to a year at Aveda, everything in your schedule becomes flexible to that. If you can't manage that in the program, you look elsewhere. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | They were marvelous. People often remarked that it felt as if they were in a real salon rather than a school. The spa facilities for Estes are especially telling of this. |
| Social Life | 10 | If you're concerned with spirit, Aveda has it. There were often fundraisers, fashion shows, and dress up days arranged to enhance our spirits. |
| Placement Services | 5 | This really depends on your reputation as a student and your repertoire with the career services woman. She lends more support to students she likes. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I've received nothing in the mail from them. No one has asked for donations or participation. However, the fraternity that you can seek in all those educated in the Aveda/Neill Corp network is profound and uplifting. |
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