SalonSENSE Magazine Trade Magazine for Beauty & Barber Professionals

As a cosmetologist first and cosmetology educator, I know that obtaining your cosmetology license is crucial because without this one piece of paper, people in this industry will not take you seriously.

It shows great dedication and perseverance to obtain this license.  In Illinois you only need 1500 hours and passing of the state board licensing exam to obtain this piece of paper.  Obtaining the license shows a great deal of perseverance and dedication because everything that can come up will come up when you are in the process of fulfilling the hours or passing the state board.

Excuses do no matter to the time clock.  Adversity will come up, but you must remember the goal.....persevere.  Even though this is a billion dollar industry, the lack of respect for the cosmetologist is evident in modern day society when you are only referred to as a "kitchen" beautician or a beauty school dropout.  To think that people discount knowing the difference between sodium hydroxide and ammonium thioglycolate perplexes me because you only finished half of your state law required 1500 hours.  That makes you an expert?  No, I think not.  Go back and complete your hours so you and I will get the respect that is deserving of the cosmetology profession.  Also, the fact that I took the time to complete 1500 hours and then 500 more should be evidence that a professional cosmetologist, such as myself, would know more about this industry than the "corner store" beauty supply store employee.  Do they have a licensed cosmetologist on staff?  In most cases.....no!  And there is a reason for that.....because they don't want to pay you what you're worth as a licensed professional in this field.