Cosmetologist Salary Info
Working as a cosmetologist is an exciting and creative career. Helping men and women feel and look great is a rewarding and challenging career that can give you creative satisfaction, control of your schedule and mobility. Choosing a career as a cosmetologist will give you a craft and trade you can apply anywhere in the world giving you lots of choices and options of where you can live and work. Cosmetology is an exciting field and there is no limit to how high you can go professionally. Whether you want to style the stars or open a salon in your hometown, a cosmetology career is an exciting choice and a cosmetologist salary can provide a comfortable lifestyle.
As a cosmetologist, you will be licensed by your state board of cosmetic art examiners to cut and style hair, color hair, perm hair, remove unwanted hair, apply makeup and other personal grooming tasks. Shampooing, blow drying, curling and flat ironing techniques are necessary and mastering these skills will make you marketable. In order to pass licensing requirements, most states require cosmetology students to attend school for at least fifteen hundred contact hours.
During these hours, students will be taught how to cut and style hair on mannequins gradually moving on to styling hair for paying clients. Learning techniques as well as sanitation and disinfection procedures will prepare you for real salon work and will help make sure you keep your clients safe. Once you have completed all your state’s required hours, you will have to take state board licensing exams. Most states require cosmetologists to take and pass both a practical, hands on exam as well as a written exam.
The Average Cosmetologist Salary
The average cosmetologist salary can vary widely depending on location, skill and clientèle. In general, cosmetologists in large, metropolitan cities will make more than their colleagues in rural areas, but the pay scale is wide. In 2008, the national median average salary for a cosmetologist was eleven dollars and thirteen cents an hour which includes tips and commission. Cosmetologists in the lower tenth percentile salary range earned seven dollars and forty seven cents hourly while those in the top ninetieth percentile earned a median salary of twenty dollars and forty one cents per hour. Cosmetologists working in the film and television industry are the top earners on average and pull in an annual cosmetologist salary of around sixty one thousand dollars.
Other top dollar employers are theaters and hospitals and cosmetologists working in these areas earn between thirty one and forty seven thousand dollars per year. Of course, there are cosmetologists who are outliers to this pay scale and make much more or less than the average pay rate. Cosmetologists who design and produce their own products, become platform educators, or go to work in fashion houses can make hundreds of thousands of dollars annually and can make additional money from royalties off product sales and reproduction of images in advertising campaigns and print ads.
Working as a cosmetologist means that you will be standing on your feet for long hours every day. Being able to stand for long hours while keeping your arms up and styling or cutting hair can be very taxing on your body. Keep proper body mechanics in mind and be aware of your posture to stave off pain and discomfort. Carpal tunnel and tendonitis are common issues plaguing cosmetologists, so be sure you preform wrist and arm exercises to keep your joints healthy and pain free. Working cosmetologists must also be able to work with a variety of personalities and be able to effectively and clearly communicate with their clients.
Having a good grasp of interpersonal skills and an easy, friendly communication style will go a long way in helping your clients feel confident in your abilities and at ease in your chair. There are many components in a cosmetologist job description, and in addition to the cutting, coloring and styling of hair, you will need to understand appointment booking and scheduling, inventory and supply, customer service and laundry duties. Keeping your salon and work station clean is vital to your success as a cosmetologist, so be sure you have factored in the physical demands of the job if you are considering a career change.
Working as a cosmetologist is a creative, energizing and can be a lucrative career choice. Projected growth for cosmetologists is promising and the beauty industry is poised to get larger and larger year after year. If you think you would enjoy a career as a cosmetologist, visit your local cosmetology school and get enrollment information and talk to the teachers to see if it is a good fit for you. If you decide to take the plunge, work hard and be patient since it takes several years to gain complete confidence and the skill set you need to handle any client that comes your way. Working as a cosmetologist will give you creative freedom and a cosmetologist salary will give you financial rewards you will enjoy for the longevity of your career.