Photo by Kaili Klein.
One of the many programs of study DSC offers students is the School of Cosmetology and Barbering. Primarily taught on the main campus, the school provides a comprehensive learning experience, with hands-on instruction that leaves students well prepared for their careers.
Two different certifications are available, cosmetology and barbering. Classes take place Monday through Thursday from 8:30am-3pm or 4pm-10:30pm at the Daytona Beach campus. The Deltona campus only offers cosmetology morning classes.
With hours of practice, on mannequins and eventually real clients, students are more than ready to go right into the field. “Anything that is trending and popular, we teach, so that they are ready when they go out into the industry,” explains Dee Gay, the Chair of the School of Cosmetology and Barbering. “But we also teach old-school.”
Cosmetology students learn how to service hair, skin and nails. The curriculum focuses on hair, but depending on a student’s interests, they can practice on a more focused track. For example, students can focus on bridal hair and can have that specialization, or students can primarily study wig making.
The Cosmetology program takes 1,200 hours to get certified to perform a total of 613 services in the State of Florida. Students will learn primarily from two instructors along with teaching assistants, all within the same cohort for 40 weeks.
Consequently, students develop close relationships with each other and their teachers. Student Nikki Rich shares how much she enjoys the learning environment because of the overwhelming support from everyone there. Rich especially likes that she keeps learning something new every day.
“We are scientists, people don’t know that,” said Nikki. Students start each morning with an hour of theory, where they learn things like the properties of the scalp, the seven layers of the skin and anatomy and physiology.
Learning how to use harsh chemicals is another big part of both the cosmetology and barbering programs. “The difference between a barber and a cosmetologist is that a barber can take a straight blade directly onto the skin,” said Gay. “A cos can cut hair with a razor, but it has to have a guard on it.”
Barbering is a 900-hour program that can be completed in 32 weeks. They learn many of the same hair care techniques as the cosmetology students, but they focus more on hair and skin. They specialize in things like beard care and facials, but they cannot wax or do nails.
Within the first six weeks of the programs, students will be taught every skill. Over the following 16-24 weeks, they will hone their skills and practice. This is first on mannequins, then classmates. Then they will have a soft opening, where friends and family can come and then eventually the public can be serviced. This usually starts when students reach level 3 of 5 in the program.
The cosmetology and barbering students also get practice by partnering with other programs throughout the school and in the community. For events like the Welcome Back events or the Veteran’s Day events, students are outside providing free haircuts.
Photo by Marina Meretz.
The cosmetology students also network with the photography and the videography department, doing the hair and makeup of the subjects being shot in their projects. Similarly, students also help with productions at the News Journal Center, including the spring musical Xanadu.
Other community involvement through the Hope Place and the Hope Center at DSC allows students to give free haircuts by redeeming vouchers. Project Picnic is another community outreach for the homeless population in the area to receive haircuts.
One community program students participate in is completely centered on children’s haircuts. Champion Elementary School participates in the program Cuts for Kids. “The last time we did it was right before Covid, we’re getting ready to start back up again, and we did 195 kids in 4 hours,” said Gay.
“Upon completion of the program, students can expect to be employed immediately,” said Gay. Corporate and private salons alike are constantly in contact with Gay and coming to DSC to recruit and hire students.
However, many students may already know where they want to work, like Rich, who wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps. “My dream, really, is to work on movie sets, so, theatrics and stuff, that’s my thing,” said Rich. However, her next step is to work alongside her mom at a salon to gain experience.
Students in this program come from all walks of life and receive a great education at a fraction of the cost of other schools. But above all, they are well prepared for working in the field after graduation.
If you are interested in receiving services from barbering or cosmetology students, you can visit the on-campus salon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10am-1pm and 5pm-8pm. The menu of services can be found here.