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Now, you can make a career in curls, perms and trims

You spent most of your childhood giving your mum pretend haircuts and as you grew older, you became the family stylist for all occasions. Perhaps, like Evanka Da Silva, who recently started working as a junior hair stylist, you were completely fascinated by the way hairdressers did their job and loved to accompany friends to the salon. "I always wanted to join the hair industry, but I wasn't sure whether to follow my passion or get a formal education," says Da Silva, who now works at Mumbai's Savio John Pereira salon, Bandra.

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While Renee (left) has been in the industry for two decades, Evanka (right) recently started her career as a junior hairstylist.Picture for representational purposes
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You spent most of your childhood giving your mum pretend haircuts and as you grew older, you became the family stylist for all occasions. Perhaps, like Evanka Da Silva, who recently started working as a junior hair stylist, you were completely fascinated by the way hairdressers did their job and loved to accompany friends to the salon. "I always wanted to join the hair industry, but I wasn't sure whether to follow my passion or get a formal education," says Da Silva, who now works at Mumbai's Savio John Pereira salon, Bandra.

A thriving industry

When Reneé Melek started her career two decades ago, getting into the hair industry was something women took up to empower themselves if they didn't have a degree. Melek, who was inclined towards a creative career, tried several courses, painting and pottery included, before taking to hair styling. Today, things have changed and "it is a more dignified job", says Melek, who now runs her own salon in Mumbai's Khar neighbourhood.

While the options for courses were limited when Melek started out, youngsters today are spoilt for choice. "Our options were to either learn from someone who had studied abroad or to fund your education abroad. The owner of the salon, where I did my course, had learnt from Toni and Guy; she would get brushes from London. Today, almost every salon has an academy and with the use of international products, many brands bring international experts to work here or send people from India to train abroad," says 34-year-old Melek, adding that it is a thriving industry. "No matter how many salons open, they are all always full of patrons."

The learning curve

Choosing between a local or international academy "depends on the student's budget," says Tracy Fletcher, senior stylist at Saks Salon in Bandra. A beginner's course—four days a week for six months—could cost between Rs 1-3 lakh.

Each salon has its style of teaching. "At Toni and Guy, we started with the fundamentals: sectioning hair; haircuts and styling; hair wash, spa and blow dry; then moving on to chemical services—colour (global and root touch ups, highlights), straightening and perming. We first learn theorotically, and then practice on dummies and then bring in our own models. There are theory and practical exams for each," says Fletcher. When Da Silva did her basic course through BBlunt in July this year, they "had a week dedicated to different kinds of blow drying methods, two weeks to product knowledge and also learnt 10 basic ladies' and two gents' haircuts". They also had a tie-up with L'Oreal, where they were taught straightening, perming and colour techniques, how to do up-dos, and to style hair. "For our final soiree week, we had to do a cut, colour and style on a model followed by a photoshoot, which we could use in our portfolio."

Trainees may be selected to join the same salon for an advanced course, which involves training during the week and working on weekends for four months, but contracts differ with each salon. "Techniques change annually, so you learn the latest. Each salon uses different products and professionals from the brand team train stylists as they keep upgrading their techniques and products," says Fletcher. Advanced training and courses can go on all through your career, no matter how senior the designation may be.

Understanding the job

"It's not as glamorous as it seems and the initial years are a struggle—you're on your feet for 7-9 hours a day and you work on weekends," says Da Silva. Juniors may start off with Rs 10,000 per month and commissions. "If you're really good, people will seek you out and you'd be able ask for a higher commission," says 22-year-old Da Silva. "Promotions happen every 3-4 years depending on your performance," adds Fletcher.

Melek tells us that hairdressing is all about angles, while colour is about chemistry—you need to understand the science of your hair, learn about hair pigments, think about shades—understand the science of it and derive results. You don't need math and science, but you need to be artistic and be willing to learn.

What to watch

You might have to do an interview before being accepted into a beginner's course.
You can start working as a qualified stylist after the beginners' course.
25-30 years from now, you can: open your own salon; be a hair stylist for the film industry or for shoots and events; a trainer for a particular brand—L'Oreal, Wella, Kerastase, and teach at an academy; start your own brand of products; have a YouTube video following maybe in one particular area—cuts or styles; or work from home.

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