I didn’t picture myself going back to school. I have my bachelor’s, a house full of creative projects, and a life I’ve been building as an artist and entrepreneur. But the strikes reminded me of something I’ve always known: doing hair isn’t just a side hustle—it’s one of my gifts. And it deserves to be taken seriously.
So here I am, commuting from Santa Clarita to Glendale for cosmetology school (hybrid program: three days a week in person, the rest online). I’m doing this to legitimize the work I already do, expand what I can offer, and open more doors for my family and my future.
Why now
- My grandmother was a licensed cosmetologist… and a nurse, a social worker, a do-it-all woman. I grew up braiding on her porch. I want to honor the skills she impressed upon me and honor myself by growing and expanding.
- During the pandemic and the strikes, hair paid my bills. It’s a reallane for me. It’s always come easy to me. It’s something I’m passionate about. But something I always treated like a side-boo.
- In LA, I hit limits: I could braid without a license, but couldn’t shampoo, color, or do certain services in a salon space. I want the skills and the license so I’m not boxed in.
The program (and mom-life logistics)
- Schedule: 9:00–1:00, three days a week. First hour in class we’re in the books, last half hour recap/cleanup, the middle is practical—mannequins or real clients.
- Hybrid: Theory online; practical in person.
- Hands-on from Day 1: I expected three weeks of observing. Instead, I was mixing color, applying product, and shampooing by the first afternoon. Now, this was all supervised. My teacher didn’t just leave me to do this on my own. Every step was scrutinized and corrected.
- Mom mode: Still nursing my 17-month-old. I pump before class, in the car afterward, and plan my day to make it home for nap time. Rhythm over perfection
Day 1 — Red on waist-length hair (!)
Traffic, nerves, new-school paperwork… and then straight into the salon floor.
Miss Bella (my instructor) had me mixing color and assisting on a client with very long, straight hair who wanted a bright red. Watching the full process on a real person, not a mannequin, made the theory snap into place.
What stood out:
- Being thrown in built confidence.
- The culture is strict on sanitation (as it should be). No shortcuts.
- I left energized, and on time. (They really do get you out by 12:59.)
Day 2 — Root retouch & the language of color
I started the day with oatmeal, hot tea, and iced coffee (don’t judge). In class, we covered the textbook basics that the state board cares about and moved into retouching new growth (yep, say new growth, not “roots”).
Hands-on: I tag-teamed an Asian client for a gray coverage retouch—mixed the color, applied, and did my first shampoo at the bowl.
I’ll mention ethnicity or hair texture often because so far in my hair styling career, I’ve only worked with black women who have kinky hair. So their texture and ethnicity matter to me for the purpose of experience and learning. We’re all beautiful, but we’re not all the same.
Key lessons & techniques:
- Pre-check: C.A.D. – cuts, abrasions, diseases before any chemical service.
- Sectioning: four quadrants, clean parting.
- Application: start at the apex and work down; use a dabmethod with the brush (swiping removes product).
- Color reality: box dye → pro color can be tricky; learn to spot it.
- Sanitation flow: tools into Barbicide (10 min), dry, store.
I don’t have my kit yet (financial aid processing), but the school lent me a mannequin for practice in the meantime. Honestly, the real-client reps are the best teacher.
Day 3 — Lifting pink, learning to blend
Morning chaos courtesy of a book-obsessed toddler at 5:45 a.m.—but I still made it early. In class, we reviewed retouching and the concept of the line of demarcation (where natural/new growth meets previously colored hair).
Client case: A fellow student with brown new growth, blonde ends, and pink layers wanted the pink lifted to better match the blonde.
- We mixed lightener + 30-vol developer (with a little shampoo), applied only to the pink, massaged/worked it in, then rinsed, purple shampooed, conditioned, and rough-dried.
This was my first experience shampooing, by the way. So cool!
- Next week: tone everything closer to her natural brown.
It was another day of real-world color, and again—class flew by. The routine is already forming: learn, assist, apply, clean, clock out, get back to mom-life.
What I learned this week (skill highlights)
- The language matters: new growth, line of demarcation, proper pre-checks.
- Sectioning & parting are everything for clean applications.
- Apex-down application + dab method for precise product deposit.
- Shampoo bowl confidence: temperature control, rinse before shampoo, when to purple shampoo.
- Client timing: color is a clock; plan mixes and re-mixes.
- Sanitation systems are non-negotiable (and inspected).
- Texture exposure: I’m the only Black student currently enrolled in the cosmo program; school gives me straight-hair reps, salon gives me natural/locs reps—the best of both worlds.
Community & exchange
I’m connecting with classmates one-on-one. We’re planning a skills swap: I’ll teach braiding basics; another student will teach Gel-X. Teaching is its own art, and I’m relearning how to explain what my hands already know.
What’s next
- Get my kit (or buy a temporary practice kit to keep building reps).
- Start the online theory portion as soon as financial aid clears.
- Shadow more color services at the salon to mirror school learning.
- Explore short specialty classes (e.g., blowouts) to sharpen focused skills.
- Keep refining my mom-school-work rhythm without rushing the process.
Final thoughts
Week One was a 10/10. Maybe an 11.5 because I’ve had my hands in real hair every day. I feel the old braider in me waking up with new tools, new language, and a wider lane.
I still write. I still create. I still mother. I just added licensed cosmetologist-in-training to the bio, and it fits. If that ain’t a Multi-Hyphenated Momma I don’t know what is, haha!
If you’re in school or on the fence about going back, especially my Black women out there: there are so many lanes our hands can open. Exhaust your possibilities.
Questions about the program, mom-scheduling, or color techniques we covered? Drop them in the comments—I’ll tackle them in Week 002.
🎥 Watch the Journey Unfold
If you’d rather see me in action, mixing color, retouching roots, and finding my rhythm behind the chair, check out the first episodes of my vlog series:
💇🏽♀️ Day 1 — My First Day at Cosmetology School
▶️ Watch on YouTube
💇🏾♀️ Day 2 — My First Real Client & Gray Retouch Experience
▶️ Watch on YouTube
🎨💇🏾♀️ Day 3 — Color Application & Finding My Routine
▶️ Watch on YouTube
Subscribe to my channel “Multi-Hyphenated Momma” to follow each week as I document this new creative chapter, one color mix, one client, one class at a time.
