Remember beauty school? Yeah, me too. It feels like a lifetime ago, but also kinda like yesterday. I was so excited to get out there and never work on another doll head again (or so I thought). But man, did I have a wake-up call coming. It was 2008, and i was told that it would be 'near impossible to build a book in an economy like this.'
It wasn't impossible but it was a grind. I found myself working 40+ hours a week and feeling like I was just trying to keep up with the successful more experienced stylists I had working around me. Combining what I'd learned from my Cosmetology training and that with what I saw my fellow stylists do that was successful. how they began a color consultation, how they sold product. How they sanitized and stored their tools.
Yeah... you see where this is going.
I'd learned everything in beauty school. But surprising to me, the first real salon I found myself employed in had a very flexible application of state board regulations. No, they weren't dirty or purposefully careless. But a lot of things were just winged with so many employees on staff. We occasionally would find clarity in a quarterly staff meeting that we'd feel as though we had be naughty salon children and had been forced to our stations to clean -- no to deep clean.
We'd resume our confusing and combined efforts to keep health and safety in top priority, but as you'd guess, things would get messy again and life would happen.
Salon's That 'Wing' State Board Regulations
Let me paint you a picture. It was a hustling Friday in the salon, I worked an 11-8PM shift and you began and ended it hungry somehow? My first haircut of the day was a curly haired lady who had alwasy been particular and wanted to readjust something with her haircut. It was doing that fine texture, curly hair thing of drying too fast and looking like just poof. I looked over at the station I was working from. On my days off, others would occupy it and my tools would just float in on the days I was scheduled (you're seeing another possibility for a problem, aren't you). I looked over and there was no water spray bottle. It was in policy that the same salon spray bottles must be used and were often filled by any employee. That day mine was missing, I walked into the salon's Lab as we called it to find another company provided spray bottle.
I remember the bottle next in the line I grabbed not being clearly marked, "water." but still I was surprised by what happened next.
As I sprayed down the poof of my client's hair, I heard in what felt like slow motion, "that smells like bleach."
I paused jumped back and realized water wasn't marked and neither was "bleach."
Oh my.... We ran to the shampoo bowl and I washed her hair for a good while.
Somewhere down the line, I lost that client. I don't remember if she was nice enough to come back for another color / cut. But I remember feeling humiliated walking into work with enough time to clock in and not keep my client waiting -- depending on my coworkers, assistants, salon manager and even our busy owners to leave the salon in the same way I'd left it.
It was an impossible system that wasn't actually a system.
The more familiar I became with this salon's practices, I was impressed with the amount of investment made in brand partnerships, advertising and virtually no training on how this salon expected it's licensed employees to practice in their establishment.
The Real Cost: Stress City, Population: You
We like to chase our tails sometimes. Do a half effort clean at night and then rush in the next morning to make things right.
Run to the supply store. Grab coffee. And still manage to wash a sink full of color bowls -- all without that stressing you the heck out! It's impossible, and still I think we can crave the thrill of it all.
The Friday bleach moment I just told you about ended my need for thrill. I doublechecked everything to a surgical science for quite a while following that embarrassing moment. I realized that there was more to the state board rules than finding a hair in random places. It was about setting a mark for standards so people actually aren't harmed by us.
Heavy thing to have to think as just someone who colors hair, isn't it?
How State Board Rules Meet Real Life
When you're in the thick of it, all those rules from beauty school can seem like overkill. But here's the truth: they actually make our lives easier.
Think about it:
- They help you practice with more confidence -- showing the control you have in your space and situation.
- You protect yourself from a lot of bad things -- poor reviews, embarrassing moments, and for me they remind me I'm working with toxic chemicals all throughout my day.
Especially since I've been a working mother, I find that the safety and sanitation I need in my salon offers a more positive mental environment for me. Years ago I didn't mind if my Saturday morning color was hung over or had a stomach bug -- now I do because it costs me so much more in time off work and sharing illness with my family members.
The Unexpected Payoff
My clients only come in when they're feeling symptom-free and well. They also know this is the same expectation they have from my salon chair. I don't mind rescheduling your appointment last minute just to be safe. I find this is a moment that cancelation fees shouldn't even be a thing.
There's an ease you feel in people when they know they're in good hands.
Notice "good hands". Not the "best mastercutter hands."
But hands that show and share a another level of service.
The Bottom Line
You might be thinking this whole article would conclude with a breakdown of profits lost or gained based on how strictly you follow state board regulations. But that's not the point I'm trying to make.
The real bottom line is this: adhering to state board regulations could save you from losing much more than a single customer or a day's revenue. It could save you from losing your reputation, your peace of mind, and in extreme cases, even your license.
Every time we open our salon doors, we should be thinking about the trust our clients place in us. They're not just sitting in our chairs for a new look – they're putting their health and safety in our hands. And that's a responsibility we can't take lightly.
State board regulations aren't just bureaucratic red tape. They're the foundation of our professionalism, the guardrails that keep us and our clients safe, and ultimately, the key to long-term success in this industry we love.
I want to elevate our entire profession. It's about creating a salon environment where every client feels valued, protected, and beautiful. And isn't that why we got into this business in the first place?