Logging into TweetDeck yesterday, this flashed across my screen: “Soooo… i can’t wear heels higher than 1 1/2 inch to cosmetology school?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

Tweeting her back, I asked. “Really??? Is that a new rule?”

She sure enough confirmed. The cosmetology program at Trezevant Career and Technology has a one and a half inch heel requirement, which is part of the Memphis City School Stands. Should a rule like this really be instated? At first I thought, this could cause morning dress preparation problems. What if your wardrobe has mainly two inch heels, which are only a tiny half inch higher than the cosmetology dress code standards? According to this rule, you would have to put them all into hiding until getting your cosmetology license and graduating from cosmetology school. My second thought was though, if you are standing on your feet all day practicing and training, why would you want to wear super high heels? The soreness could disturb you and get in the way of your focus, preventing your from demonstrating your best work. My third thought was in the salon I go to get my haircut, almost every girl in the shop is wearing heels higher than one and half inches. If salons allow this in the real world, shouldn’t your training prepare you fully for the real world?

Looking further into this, Paul Mitchell has a strict dress code also as commented by fellow students on the web. One student wrote, “I went to a Paul Mitchell partner school, and you have to wear all black, except on certain days they’ll allow you to wear jeans with no rips. You need your name tag on and closed toe black shoes, and your makeup and hair has to be done. No buns. No ponytails. Braids, updos or wear your hair down. Friends have gotten sent home to put on makeup because they didn’t have makeup on.”

No ponytails allowed and sent home from school for not wearing makeup? One could view this as strict. Another could view this as a hardcore training program to make their students strive for their full potential in their clients work and on themselves. For best practices and dress code, I suppose to each its own and that’s what sets the good cosmetologists apart from the best.

Besides being super low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, plus a good source of Potassium and Vitamins A and C (us health junkies are loving this!), watermelon is also a pure and natural beauty enhancer. It’s true! Watermelons act as a natural beauty product. If only women knew about the skin secrets behind this juicy fruit, they’d be rubbing it on their faces just as much they eat it. Okay, maybe not quite like that, but watermelons can act as a natural moisturizer. Not to mention, it’s an effective skin toner and skin tightner! Try it for yourself! Here are some clever beauty uses to try at home using watermelon:

The Watermelon Face Pack

This is the perfect remedy after you

’ve been outside all day in the blistering heat. Take roughly one cup of watermelon pulp, and apply it to the face and neck areas. Rinse after 15 minutes. This will invigorate the skin making it soft and supple, as well as giving it that cool and youthful shine.

Alleviating sunburn is another great use for a watermelon face pack. Watermelon pulp along with cucumber pulp can help heal sunburn and lighten skin complexion. Got a bad sunburn and don’t want to look like a lobster? Then apply about a half cup each of cucumber and watermelon pulp to the burnt region for 20 minutes and watch the pain and redness fade.

The Watermelon Scrub

Grate a watermelon, extracting all of its juice. Then mix with a pinch of gram flour (flour made from ground chickpeas) and wah-lah – you’ve got an authentic beauty scrub! Apply the paste to the face, leaving it on for 15 minutes before rinsing. The end result is an excellent scrub that will leave your skin radiant.

So, this summer when you get ready to chow down on some delicious watermelon at your next BBQ, remember to snag some leftovers for your cosmetics collection.

No, we’re not marketing a new breakfast cereal, we’re just reviewing a month of stories that made the grade for all our beauty biz divas and dexters. Some stories are from here, some from elsewhere.

Ever hear a beauty tip that you knew was bull chip? Back in December we tracked some wack facts that turned out to be anywhere from slightly misquoted myths to outrageous fabrications about beauty. Heard a good one lately?

On Jan. 7, Beauty Schools Directory took a look at the wow factor apps from the fruit factory. Apple’s iPhone app farm has been growing in every direction, covering media needs for everything from pharmacology, to driving directions and now, the beauty biz, including the virtual face lift app. Are you ready for your close up? Mid-December brought us another swanky beauty trend from overseas that the FDA just can’t wrap their heads around – eyelash perms. Are brushes just not enough anymore? (more…)

As a present or future cosmetology or esthetics professional, chances are you have an arsenal of unique talents and a strong creative mind. So in the Internet Age, how can you share what you have to offer and gain a wider fan base? The answer could lie in blogging!

Recently, I came across an entertaining blog called The Daily Nail that inspired me to think about what makes a blog fun to read. Though the author of The Daily Nail does not claim to be a professional nail artist or technician who has graduated nail technician school (just a nail polish addict), she has committed herself to creating 365 new nail designs in 365 days. So even if ninja nails or mustache nails aren’t your thing, you may be able to find a novel nail polish idea within these webpages.

Now do you feel inspired to start up a blog of your own? First, think about what you’re good at - executing great hairstyles, trying out new makeup looks, or just doing wacky beauty things. Creating your own blog could be the perfect way to put yourself out there, and even gain devoted clients and readers.

Need some tips for your own blog? Here are a few ideas to get started: (more…)

Photo of Kevon Gordon by Kurt Miller of the Press-Enterprise

Do state cosmetology boards have stringent enough rules and regulations to protect their licensed business owners from racial discrimination?

According to a recent story in the LA Times, several Moreno Valley, California barber shop owners, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) settled a lawsuit charging that the predominantly African American businesses were the target of racial profiling by local law enforcement.

The barbers claimed police, accompanied by California state cosmetology board inspectors, raided their businesses without warrants and unjustifiable cause. One barber said the police questioned his clients about their criminal backgrounds. When another barber objected to a warrant check, he was handcuffed and held in a squad car for 10 minutes. In some cases, minor violations of cosmetology licenses were found, but nothing the barbers felt should have incited armed police raids on the businesses.

In an April 2008 press release by the ACLU, Kevon Gordon, a Moreno Valley barber who’s been in business for more than 20 years, said , “Officers treated my employees and customers like criminals simply because of the color of our skin. It was sickening.”

In the court documents, barbers claimed their reputations in the community had suffered, and business has declined as a result of these raids.

Police and state cosmetology board officials denied any wrong-doing or racial profiling, however the settlement has forced the California state board to “adopt stringent new rules against discrimination and limit joint inspections with local police.”

What do you think about the events that happened to the barbers in Moreno Valley? Do you think the police and inspectors were wrong to raid the barber shops? Do you think this was a case of racial discrimination?

So, you got the dead skin nibbled off of your feet by fish, your eyeliner is permanently tattooed to your eyelids and we’re not even going to discuss all of strange face mask concoctions you’ve tried. What’s the next logical step on your quest toward beauty? Eyelash perms, obviously.

Eyelash perms start with rollers imported from Japan – the rollers come in around 5 different sizes depending on how curly you want your eyelashes. Each eyelash is wrapped around the roller using adhesive. Next, a diluted perm solution and a neutralizer are applied. The end result? One less step in your morning beauty regimen.

Although yesterday was the first time I came across this eyelash perm trend online, spas in the U.S. have been doing this treatment, which began in Japan, for at least a couple of years. The perm lasts around 4 to 8 weeks, which is the time it takes for your eyelashes to grow.

It should be noted that eyelash perming is not yet FDA approved, so make sure you are seeing a trained, licensed cosmetologist or esthetician if you decide to get these services. If you’ve had any experiences with eyelash perming or performed eyelash perms, let us know what you think!

It’s that time of year when the weather starts to hint at fall and newspapers and stores are full of back-to-school savings and specials. And apparently tons of cosmetology schools are getting in on the deal!

The first days of school are a big deal in a kid’s life - and they like to make a good impression. So in addition to the right backpack and sneakers, a cool new haircut is essential for the first day of school – and they don’t have to cost a fortune.

Fortunately, many cosmetology schools are there to save the day, offering special prices for children’s haircuts – and making it easier for parents to fit the right look into their budget. Many cosmetology schools have specials starting at $1 a haircut. Some cosmetology schools are even offering free haircuts to those who need extra assistance!

Is your cosmetology school offering a special deal to celebrate the back-to-school season and offer a little relief to parents’ pocket books?

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Bikini Waxes Cause Infection?

Another bikini wax or Brazilian wax mishap has been highlighted in the news. Women’s Health has an article featured on msnbc.com about a woman, Jennifer, that spent 15 days in the hospital after a bikini wax infection. 15 days!

The article claims she received her wax at a reputable New York salon. After the wax, she developed a 102 degree temperature, chills and pain in her left thigh. Jennifer thought it was just a cold (that’s some cold!) and waited 5 days to go to the doctor.

Well, turns out, it wasn’t a cold. Her doctor diagnosed her with cellulitis – a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection of the skin and underlying tissue. She had surgery to drain the infection and was hooked up to an IV that pumped her full of antibiotics and pain-killers. One doctor even said she could have lost her leg.

So how does this happen? Any procedure, no matter how small or how common, comes with risk. But 15 days in the hospital after a bikini wax! I argue that waiting 5 days to see a doctor with symptoms like that isn’t terribly smart.

I wouldn’t say this is a common occurrence, but it’s not the first time it’s happened. New Jersey even considered outlawing bikini waxes because of problems they were causing. That is why it is so incredibly important to visit educated, licensed estheticians you trust. Ask lots of questions of your esthetician and follow all the pre- and post-wax instructions closely.

These recent Brazilian wax and bikini wax headlines got me thinking. What safety precautions and pre- and post-waxing care techniques are current students learning in esthetician school to avoid these problems? What precautions are salons and spas taking to avoid these mishaps and subsequently getting sued? Has anything changed at the place you attend school or work at – or are the normal safety routines still working?

Why not turn your passion for fashion into a profession?

The cosmetology field employs creative people in every city, in every state in the country. According to a national survey released by the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences in December 2007, nearly 53 percent of salon owners had job openings for trained and educated beauty professionals. That’s right. Even in this economy, job openings in the world of beauty are still flooding in.

Nearly three quarters of them, though, said that they had a hard time finding qualified applicants. If that doesn’t scream opportunity, I don’t know what does! More than half of the salons in the country are full-service salons, so they offer all kinds of different beauty services to their clients such as hairstyling, nail services or makeup. There are tons of spots open around the country for people fresh out of cosmetology school and equipped with the hands-on training and knowledge to do an awesome job in real life.

So for all you beauty-loving, makeup-obsessed, creative people who have a passion for fashion, why not turn that passion into a profession? Whether you’re fresh out of high school and just beginning to consider a career or you’ve been in the working world for a while and want a new direction, have you thought about a career in beauty?