POLL: 97% of Professionals Expect Diverse Beauty School Education to Become Nationwide Requirement
A recent poll of hairstylists and estheticians, conducted by Vagaro, the leading salon and spa software, shows that 97% of professionals believe diverse education in hair, skin, and beauty will become a standard nationwide requirement.
This comes after the recent passage of New York Bill S6528, which requires all cosmetology schools to include curriculum on providing proper hair care and styling to “individuals with all hair types and textures, including, but not limited to, various curl or wave patterns, hair strand thicknesses, and volumes of hair.”
In the same poll, Vagaro found that just over half, at 51%, of salon professional respondents said their training included required education on textured hair types ranging from 2a to 4c.
This reflects the gap many beauty consumers have experienced when visiting salons only to discover they do not or cannot provide proper services to care for their natural, textured hair.
When polling spa professionals, 77% of estheticians said their professional training included curriculum covering how to care for a diverse range of skin tones and types.
“The passing of bills like S6528 indicate progress in the industry, but it’s crucial for that momentum to continue in the right direction to make the salon, spa and beauty world not only diverse, but truly inclusive - especially for Black beauty consumers who have historically been overlooked,” says Vagaro’s Chief Marketing Officer, Charity Hudnall.
While cosmetology licensing requirements are set at the state level, only 19 states currently require any formal training in natural hair styling, according to CrownActLaw.com.
For stylists on Vagaro who are trained or experienced in providing care for natural textured hair, the platform offers several opportunities where they can optimize their profile to ensure their services are easily discovered and accessible to their target clientele.
Here are a few best practices from Vagaro's team of experts:
If you’re a Black-owned business or a salon that specializes in natural, textured hairstyles, indicate that in your completely customizable business biography. This is visible to consumers searching for such services on the Vagaro marketplace, as well as on the business’ MySite.
Additionally, when building a business site, ensure that you’re using SEO optimized terms and phrases to identify yourself as a provider of these services in order to rank higher and get found and booked faster from consumers browsing on general search engines like Google.
Don’t forget to also optimize your staff biographies to highlight their expertise in caring for natural, textured hair. Describe their experience in doing so and if they have specific specialties, this can be a great section to call them out.
When creating your service menu, Vagaro makes it simple to select from a list of preset natural hair services; or you can custom create your own service titles and descriptions to best fit the natural hair services your specific business offers. Here is an ideal place for you to also include an image of said service.
Thinking of running a discount or special offer for your natural hair clients? Vagaro’s “general tags” feature makes it easy for something like this. Simply create and assign the tag to your respective clients, then run an email or text campaign to the target audience communicating your special offer.
Finally, as social media has solidified itself as the new digital portfolio for beauty professionals, make sure your professional account presence reflects the nature of your textured haircare services. Displaying your work, expertise, and any specialties to your online community, combined with relevant hashtags and linking your Vagaro “Book Now” button to your page is another great way to showcase and optimize your natural haircare business’ digital presence.
About Vagaro
Vagaro is the leading salon, spa, and fitness software, serving hundreds of thousands of professionals worldwide. Vagaro simplifies business management, credit card and payment processing, and makes it easy for businesses to grow their clientele on a modern consumer marketplace. Vagaro’s a-la-carte options and affordable pricing provide a unique level of scalability, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes, from the solopreneur to enterprise franchises. Simple, innovative, and reliable, Vagaro empowers beauty and wellness professionals to excel in a digital age. Visit Vagaro to learn more.