the-comb-technical-center

Demonstration, Training and Education – the Differences and “What is Continuing Education?”

Thu, 06 May 2021 12:01:49 GMT

Working Hair professionals often exhibit interest in finding out what is new, getting latest technical information or styling collections, etc., and will take classes – sometimes live but more likely on-line, in areas that interest them.

What they often find, especially at hair shows which have been declining for the last decade in terms of attendance and exhibitors, is how little new information is out there.

Working in a big salon, products companies often offered “free education”. What was provided was more a demonstration of a new product, how to apply it and then how to sell it. Perhaps the stylists learned something new, but that was often more by accident than intent.

Going to hair shows, stylists saw demonstrations on the stage by experienced pros, who demonstrate technique and provide limited training in how to execute haircuts, styling, blow drying etc. as they are here to show “how they do what they do.” Interesting at first, but as the “observers” watch and try to compare what the demonstrators did to their own technique. However, without follow-up and practice, the training would often fade from memory or not be used after the stylist made mistakes remembering how to replicate what they saw.

The elusive concept of “education” is rarely found anywhere in the industry once a stylist graduates beauty school. Why?

One definition of education:

“Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, …and abilities; a process of systematic instruction using consistent methods of teaching. In its purest form, education entails teaching, interaction, study/practice and testing to ensure knowledge and understanding is retained.”

The Comb Enhanced Education program taught at The Comb Institute is an example of a systematic teaching and learning process, where our students retain learned information and gain new knowledge and skills, which are reinforced by practice and tested/verified. A student in this example has received education.

Continuing education is variable in the industry. In California and several other states, there are no continuing education standards, so a hair professional takes continuing education as a personal choice, not mandated, to continue to improve and become a better stylist. That education takes the form of demonstration or training at best. Without the components of education, the time and money may be better spent.

The Comb Institute has developed Standards for Hair Professionals, which include continuing education for our graduates to keep the certification they earned from our program relevant and current. A hair professional should always consider opportunities to gain new skills and knowledge, even if not mandated by a State Licensing Board.

Our on-line classes would qualify for continuing education, where participants are exposed to applied technology, science, engineering and math using patented tools, found in our educational program and not found in any other.

Come visit us at www.the-comb.com to learn more.

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY

Thu, 06 May 2021 11:55:28 GMT

CONTINUING EDUCATION and CAREER DEVELOPMENT are two concepts that we do not see or hear much in the beauty industry, at least in most states.

States such as California have no mandatory continuing education requirements for licensees needed to renew a cosmetology or barber license. So, each hairstylist/barber can make up their own curriculum, or in many cases no curriculum, about what training they can take to maintain or improve skills.

Even for those who want to learn and improve skills, without some direction, they might take a class or series of classes on YouTube™ from the thousands of hairdressers or educators who believe they have valuable information to sell or give away. They may take a class from a known programs such as Aveda or Vidal Sassoon or rent videos on subjects they are interested in exploring. But often the information is incomplete and not learned, just witnessed, and does little to improve knowledge or skill. Wasted time and money that leaves the hair professional needing and wanting more.

Career Development is another concept we do not hear about in the beauty industry. To so many in and outside of the beauty world, being a hairstylist is a job, not a profession. We do not have a body of knowledge that reflects the evolution of science and technology that everyone sees in virtually every other industry, business, and profession.

Here at The Comb Institute, we believe Hair Professionals, trained in disciplines such as Design, Architecture, Engineering and Visual Mathematics do not exist because until now, only passing recognition is given these disciplines in beauty education. Meaningful, useable practical information that increases skills and knowledge is what we teach at the institute.

Our haircutting system and Fastrak™ finishing and styling education teaches new hair professionals how to cut hair FAST in just a few months, with skills and confidence that still takes years to acquire with any other teaching system.

We are also experiencing a surge in licensed barbers taking our program. Why? They see they can add to their skills quickly in our time and cost-effective program AND increase their career and income prospects. The new Professional Barber expands his or her skills to include Cosmo.

For practicing hair stylists, you can learn new skills and gain an understanding of hair cutting that you have never been exposed to. We teach continuing education that enhances knowledge and understanding of your profession.

When you earn The Comb Certification you will be recognized as a practitioner in innovative and superior education.

Contact us at:

The Comb Institute OR

try out our one class video where you will learn one haircut by video, get our patented tool The Comb, and a manual. All for $25.00 plus $9.00 shipping and handling.

Innovating Haircutting education: Nothing new since the 1960’s - until now

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 18:50:11 GMT

Last time we covered several subjects:

About learning “fast” and why that means different things in the industry, and how our program helps our students to learn FAST, with a different meaning and results.
We talked about our PACE concept – Precise, accurate, consistent (haircuts) every time and how cutting hair with confidence early in your career stays with you forever.

Get Started In A Career In Beauty

But now let’s talk about how you get started in a career in beauty. First let me start with this:

Since we are a private institute, anyone can walk into our Santa Ana location and take our training. There are no prerequisites, you don’t have to be in beauty school, or recently graduated. You don’t even need a license. What we teach is available to anyone who wants to learn.

But just remember this: You cannot practice cosmetology in California or 48 of the other 50 states without a license and we do not grant licenses. You will earn The Comb Certification, fast becoming the recognized Gold Standard in the Industry.

So you are probably asking yourself: What does the Gold Standard mean and how do I earn the certification?

We are the gold standard in education for several reasons:

1) Our program is based on science and technology and uses patented tools along with a discipline-based curriculum

2) Students learn haircutting with PACE, and they learn fast. Some of our graduates started working behind the chair while still in high school. More about that later.

3) We accelerate careers as part of The Comb AccelEd™ program which features The Comb Bootcamp™ where we consolidate all the facets of hair cosmetology in a fast paced program which brings all our precision based programs under one umbrella.

You earn our certification by successfully completing each part of our curriculum. If you complete our Five Levels of Enhanced Education, we recognize you as a Master Cosmetology Professional.

ACCOMPANYING NARRATIVE TO THE SCULPTING VS. TECHNICAL HAIRCUTTING

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 18:45:23 GMT

The video discusses two distinct approaches to DOING a haircut:

Technical – Scientific approach - which involves using cutting lines and angles to achieve a precise haircut
Sculpting – Feelings approach - as a stand-alone technique which requires constant reshaping and texturizing to arrive at a finished haircut.

Technical Approach

With the technical approach, the stylist must understand angles, cutting lines, hair tension and the importance of good body position and posture. This approach to education results in a strong foundation and understanding of haircutting before the hairstylist applies creativity by using texturizing and sculpting techniques to finish the haircut.

When taught, both techniques provide information to the hairstylist about the haircut with these basic differences:

Technical haircutting is foundational, teaches the stylist the skills needed to perform a precise haircut which is clearly visible to the stylist and the customer in the finished product – evenness, proportional and balanced.

Sculpting Technique

Sculpting techniques alone call for the hairstylist to visually estimate where to start the haircut and how much to cut, which leads to repetitive trips around the head to achieve balance – not precision or accuracy- but just making sure the haircut looks right. It requires guesswork and estimation.

However, sculpting is a complimentary technique when you use your knowledge of technical haircutting to achieve a precise and accurate haircut. Sculpting lets you finish the haircut by texturizing and thinning out heavier sections or providing a creative finish to the haircut which adds uniqueness and character.

What We Recommend

So we recommend stylists in school or just finishing, or in an apprentice program, take technical haircutting as the foundation upon which to build skills and knowledge, then afterwards, learn the various finishing techniques such as sculpting to express creativity and achieve the best result for the customer.

C ontact us here if you'd like more information about The Comb Programs.

Innovating Haircutting education Nothing new since the 1960’s

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 05:44:02 GMT

Meet The Comb Institute’s Enhanced Haircutting System supported by science and technology uses a

patented tool and applies a discipline-based curriculum. The Comb integrates our P.A.C.E. concept – Precision, Accuracy, Consistency Every-time - with training that helps our students to learn how to cut hair fast and with confidence in their knowledge and skills.

So what is “fast” and what do we compare your education to?

Good questions.

We cannot compare our “fast” with Supercuts’ “fast”. I mean with Supercuts’s training, it’s one week of videos and one week in their “academy” practicing before hey are on the floor cutting customer’s hair. That is fast, but realistically, you cannot learn a lot of skills in two weeks and it is hard to develop confidence in your ability when you are asked to start cutting hair on live customers two weeks.

The other side of the coin?

Assistant programs consider two – three years to learn haircutting as “fast”. Today, Assistant programs with training are practically non-existent due to the cost. With salons under pressure because of laws like AB5 that eliminate commission hairstylists and COVID lockdowns in California and elsewhere, assistants find themselves in the same place after 3 or 4 years and no closer to earning a chair. Most leave the industry out of frustration and not being able to earn a living.

So, there are two kinds of “fast”. The fast that puts a hairstylist lacking knowledge and understanding on the floor with little confidence, or the “fast” which results in most assistants leaving the industry never having attained their goals.

The Comb “fast”means teaching our students how to perform the seven basic industry haircuts in about seven weeks. In another seven weeks, they learn styling and texturizing and other finishing techniques, with an introduction to Shears Mechanics.

Did you know there are fourteen distinct ways to hold and handle shears while doing a haircut?

In about 3 to 4 months, our students get behind the chair with confidence in what they learned and with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills. How do we do it -, teach in such a way that students learn fast?

We do it with our patented tool, The Comb and with a curriculum that instills confidence based on discipline and consistency.

Anyone who takes The Comb training will learn to confidently cut hair with P.A.C.E. and with a foundation upon which to build a successful career. As a private institute, we make our program available to anyone with an interest in the field and at any stage – novice, student, apprentice and journeyman.

So for those starting out who believe a career in beauty is in their future no matter your age or educational background, how do we recommend you start? Perhaps in a cosmetology school or beauty academy, or a junior college cosmo program where you earn school credits?

You may be surprised to learn the answer when you read our next blog. If you'd like more information about working with The Comb please contact us here.