How To Become A Branded Artist

Education in the hair industry is more crucial now than it ever has been before. With the beauty industry constantly changing and new brands and products being launched every month, the need for stylists to stay relevant is crucial. In addition, new innovative hair techniques can set you apart from all the other hairstylists in your area and give you that competitive edge to bring in new clientele. 

As a hairstylist, you know how vital continuing education is and that you need to be on top of your game. It is up to you to attain education and stay on top of these new and ever-changing trends. Have you ever attended a hair show, an in-person class, or watched an online course? Did you leave that event feeling so inspired and have this passion for becoming an educator so you can pass on your knowledge to like-minded hairstylists? Great, but now you are left wondering, “where do you start?”. The steps to becoming an educator with a hair brand are attainable for any hairstylist, but it does take dedication, hard work, and a passion for teaching others. 

• Attend as many hair shows, classes, and online courses as you can to learn hair techniques and products and watch how the educator presents themselves and the information. 

• Build your personal brand and portfolio on your social media platforms. Gone are the days of business cards and hair magazines that clients would pull their hair inspiration from. Instead, clients are seeing your work on your Instagram or Facebook page and making their decision to book an appointment with you right then and there. Likewise, brands will do the same thing and go right to your social media to see your work and if you would fit their brand as an educator. 

• Follow hair brands, other educators, and platform artists that you look up to on social media. You can learn all about their verbiage, hand gestures, and body language so you can improve your presentation skills.

• Start educating independently to put yourself out there. Whether that be teaching stylists at your salon, going live on your social media, starting a blog, or a YouTube channel. There are many opportunities out there right now to get your name out there and create a following. 

• Get comfortable speaking in front of people. As an educator in the hair industry, it is so important to be approachable and relatable! Most of the time, your presence as an educator will make or break what the attendees take away from your class. If you are just reading from a PowerPoint with no emotion, the class will not feel motivated to learn, and you will lose their interest. Your confidence will speak volumes to your audience.

• What category in the hair industry are you good at or are you known for at your salon? 

• Don’t try to be a jack of all trades from the start. Instead, have one specialty focus that you are more confident in and keep improving yourself from there. By honing in on one focus, your classes will be stronger, and you can stay relevant to what is trending. Then, when you feel ready to broaden your capabilities, you can add another specialty to your class offerings.

• Look at the industry and see what you feel is missing. Then, think back to when you first started as a hairstylist. What was something you wish there was more education on as a new stylist? 

• We all have a favorite hair brand, or two, that we are obsessed with and tell all our friends about. Make a list of your favorite brands and research everything about them, and narrow it down to one. Once you find a brand that aligns with your values and goals and believe in their products, reach out to them on their website or social media. 

• Go to a hair show, visit the brands booth and talk to them about becoming an educator for them. Introduce yourself and make it known how passionate you are to become an educator. 

• Once you get through the audition phase of becoming an educator for that brand, you will be expected to undergo a series of training and complete requirements. Of course, every brand is different, but the nice thing is that the brand will more than likely set up these training’s and stay on top of your requirements to guide you through your journey as their educator.