This week is “National Non-Traditional Student Week.” We took a look at the folks we’ve helped find beauty schools this year, and we found that the vast majority of our students are non-traditional students. So this week, we salute you, non-traditional cosmetology students!

What exactly is a non-traditional student? A non-traditional student may delay enrollment in their post-secondary school after graduating from high school, perhaps because the duties of parenthood or the need to have a full-time job had to come first. Or perhaps the student tried on a career that just wasn’t right for them, and found cosmetology later. A non-traditional student may work full-time while enrolled in cosmetology school. Many non-traditional cosmetology students have children or other dependents, and many are also single parents.

When we assessed our beauty school students, we found that as many as 70% don’t necessarily choose to go to cosmetology school right out of high school! 21- to 24-year-olds make up about a quarter of our students, and we even found that about 5% are Baby Boomers or older! It just goes to show that you’re never too old to start beauty school.

Here’s a great quote from one of our cosmetology scholarship applicants that reflected the feelings of many of our students who are parents. “I am a mom of three and I have devoted my life to being here for my daughters. Now that they are getting older, I am ready to pursue my dreams. I have put it off for so long and I am finally ready to get started.” Thank you, Yolanda B., for sharing your story with us!

Here’s another from Ruth H. about how nothing else fit her. “It has always been a thought in the back of my mind, and I’ve tried out other career choices, and decided they really didn’t fit me.” But then she found cosmetology, and she’s working on enrolling in beauty school now!

It takes a strong, smart, ambitious person to juggle the challenges of managing your life while also choosing to enroll in cosmetology school. We know you have families to support and jobs to hold while you go to beauty school. And for that, we salute you. We are so proud of all of you for taking that step to change your lives for the better, regardless of what path you take to get here. Kudos to all the non-traditional beauty students out there!

Whether you are just beginning to prepare for a career in the beauty industry, or you want a career change and have a passion for beauty and fashion, there is no age limit to your cosmetology education. Sure, many men and women attending beauty schools are in their 20s and 30s, but don’t let that intimidate you or hold you back.

In a recent beauty article, a 58-year-old woman achieved her goal of attaining her cosmetology degree after years of being an army wife and stay-at-home mom. She showed that 1,250 hours of cosmetology training can be done if you set your mind to it.

If you have been thinking about a beauty career and/or want to explore your artistic ability, don’t hesitate to find the beauty school that is perfect for you!

Here are some simple steps you can take to begin your education:
•    Go online and look for schools in your area.
•    Read the school reviews, find out if they give beauty school scholarships and financial aid opportunities, see how much the school costs, and check if any professional beauty companies support the school.
•    Set up a school visit with your top 3-5 schools and take a tour.
•    Sit down with all of your information and rank your schools from favorite to least favorite.
•    Start at the top of your list and being applying.

Don’t let things like age set your back from having the career in the beauty industry you want. If you are ready to start your career as a cosmetologist, begin your preparation pick and choose the beauty school that is right for you!

Beauty school students dream of making the world a little more stunning. Beauty Schools Marketing Group (BSMG), the company that works with the well-known cosmetology school directory websites BeautySchool.com and BeautySchoolsDirectory.com as well as the beauty social networking site MySocialBeauty.com, wants to make that vision become real for hardworking students that want to pursue a career in cosmetology.

“We’re excited to announce that we are now taking applications for a $2,500 scholarship,” said Bridget Duffy, Director of Beauty Schools Marketing Group. “There are so many students who dream about entering the cosmetology field, but are worried about how to pay for the cost of school. We wanted to help make these dream careers a reality.”

Candidates will be selected based on their answers to various questions, including their most meaningful achievement and how it relates to their future in cosmetology and what issues they think are most important in the cosmetology industry today.

To apply for the beauty school scholarship, visit: http://www.beautyschool.com/beauty-school-scholarships

Watch the beauty school scholarship official rules here:

If beauty is your career passion, you can succeed in any state. Take Texas on for size. Beauty schools in Texas offer of variety of schools to best fit the program you are looking to specialize in.

Barber, cosmetologist, manicurist and facial specialist are some the programs available. Remember when enrolling in beauty schools in Texas to be sure to note the required school hours needed in order to get your cosmetology license.

The required hours for the following programs are:

Barber: 1500 Barber School Hours
Cosmetologist: 1500 Beauty School Hours
Manicurist: 600 Nail School Hours
Facial Specialist: 750 Beauty School Hours

There are many beauty schools in Texas. Watch some of the schools highlighted below, or view the complete list of all beauty schools in Texas.

Photo provided by Junior Style Stars

Junior Style Stars awarded three cosmetology students over $85,000.00 in prizes during its 2011 competition season. Over 350 of the Nations top students competed in this online competition. Jenney Kohlenberg, a student at Hair California Beauty Academy has won the Junior Star Styles Peoples Pick Award and a trip to New York City to shadow celebrity stylist, Ted Gibson. Pavros Olivarez of Santa Monica College won the bridal categories top prize valued at $50,000.00. This prize includes cash, travel and one on one education with some of the industry’s most notable professionals. For the first time, Junior Style Stars had a men’s division and the winner was Jacob Nieto of Los Angeles Trade Tech. Jacob took home an all cash prize of $25,000.00.

The winners were all awarded their prize during a surprise presentation at their schools by Junior Style Stars founder Paul Barry and representatives from the competition sponsors. Each was presented their title in front of their Instructors and peers who supported and helped them win.

The Junior Style Stars competition invited cosmetology students to create a theme-inspired style demonstrating their skill at hair design and color. All students competed on identical Clic mannequin heads and had their creations photographed at J.C. Penney Portrait Studio locations across the country. All 2011 competition submissions reflected a style themed as either “Real Life Bridal” or “Men’s Open”. “We wanted the students to focus on the types of styles they will be creating once they graduate from cosmetology school, versus focusing on more fantasy-inspired looks,” noted Paul Barry.

Junior Style Stars is for the enhancement of careers in the cosmetology field by providing the platform for the future hairstylist to develop their artistic skills. Unlike other competitions, Junior Style Stars allows all students, regardless of location, to compete on a completely level playing field, void of all the usual politics. For information or sponsorship opportunities please contact, 1- 800-SHOW-432.

To view the competition and be a part of our over 4.5 million visitors, go to www.juniorstylestars.com.

Summer is here and it’s easy to relax and lounge in the sun but if you could combine a summer vacation environment with getting an education? Attending beauty schools in Los Angeles allows you to be around a warm climate all the time. There are many other important factors to look at when finding a beauty school though in addition to the area, the local attractions and the climate.

Here are a few handy questions to ask yourself:

- Is my school accredited?
- Does my school offer cosmetology scholarships?
- Will my school assist with financial aid?
- Does my school have a student salon?
- Will my school help with job placement?

Beauty schools in Los Angeles offer many great opportunities to start your career. To find out which the cosmetology schools in the area, watch the video below.

After a two week long twitter frenzy where followers were campaigning to win Professional Japanese Hair Shears, a winner has finally been chosen. Beautyschool.com is proud to present the winner of the Professional Japanese Hair Shear Twitter Contest via video, and also kick off the launch of their brand new YouTube channel. Look for us (username beautyschooladvice) and subscribe to stay up-to-date on the latest contest news and beauty school information.

Who claimed our pro shears (valued at $229)? Watch the video below and discover for yourself which contestant is the winner. If today wasn’t your lucky day then check back for another amazing beauty giveaway coming the beginning of June! Thank you to everyone who entered the twitter contest and special congratulations to our lucky winner! And if you’re not already, follow us on Twitter - @BSDiva.

In some states like Virginia, officials are asking for a bigger percent when barbers, hairstylists and cosmetologists get their cosmetology state licenses. The Virginia Board of  Cosmetology has proposed almost doubling the license fees for individuals and facilities it regulates.

The current cosmetology license fee for barbers, cosmetologists and nail technicians to get a cosmetology license is $75. The cost covers validation for two years. The board has propose nearly doubling this fee and charging $140 to obtain a two year license.

“It’s reflecting the increased cost of doing business,” said Mary Vaughn, the director of communications, legislation and consumer education at the state Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation.
Increasing this fee would also cause other licensing fees to rise. Licensing fees for salons and other facilities also would increase from $115 to $225. Licensing fees for beauty schools would go from $145 to $255.

Why the big increases? Is it really necessary? The Board for Barbers and Cosmetology says it needs the fee increases because the agency is self-supporting. The Board’s side is they rely on the fees to cover the costs for its operations, which include inspectors’ salaries and website management.

The proposal was approved by Jim Cheng, Virginia’s secretary of commerce of trade, this past April. The licensing fee increases are now waiting for Gov. Bob McDonnell’s signature. Upon signature the higher fees would do into effect immediately. To see what all the old and new proposed fees are for all areas of beauty in Virginia, visit http://snipurl.com/va_fees

State law requires all individuals employed in barbering, cosmetology, nail care, waxing, hair braiding, tattooing, body-piercing, esthetics and hair braiding to have a valid issued by the Board for Barbers and Cosmetology. For questions, contact the Virginia State Board of Cosmetology.

Wal-Mart has recently been at the center of fiery controversy—revealing a product line that has the parents of young girls upset about the damage it could cause with their impressionable daughters.

The culprit?  Some shimmery pink lip gloss and purple eye shadow from Wal-Mart’s new make-up collection, GeoGirl.  The new cosmetics line which is marketed as makeup for young tween girls—ages 8 to 12—features products that are priced at a reasonable $4- $6.

The problem?  Some parents are outraged that Wal-Mart is targeting young girls with makeup and forcing them to grow up too quickly. In the collection’s defense, the products are as harmless as nail polish, light pink blush, lip glosses and colorful eye shadows—mostly meant to be fun and for play.

Haven’t young girls and tweens always loved to play dress-up and play with make-up? For many of us, our love for Bonne Bell’s Lip Smacker glosses and Wet & Wild nail polishes come to mind from our own childhood.  In fact, according to a marketing research group, NPD Group found in a 2009 study that tweens were the only age group who actually increased their spending on cosmetics during the recession.

So, we’re asking what’s the big fuss about?  Should young girls not be allowed to play dress up with some age-appropriate makeup?  Tell us what you think! How old were you when you were allowed to start wearing makeup?  Do you think Wal-Mart was out of line for marketing cosmetics to 8 to 12 year olds?

If you’re like the thousands of people that suffer from acne on a nightmarishly daily basis, then you’ve probably heard of the ol’ toothpaste cure, right? It’s an ancient motherly tale that describes the controversial way to rid acne quickly and cheaply.

Well, here’s a little bit of fact for you – it doesn’t!

And, although some people will swear up and down by this method, the truth is using toothpaste on your skin – as most will find – leaves your skin red and irritated.

So, how did this acne myth become such an urban legend? The idea stems from the notion that toothpaste contains triclosan – an antibacterial ingredient often found in soap, deodorant and body wash. Triclosan is meant to effectively kill bacteria and is typically a common ingredient in acne products; however, in those products, it is used as a preservative and not an active ingredient.

So why does toothpaste irritate the skin so much? It’s due to its inclusion of various chemicals and ingredients that aren’t meant for skin application. Face it – the idea of putting toothpaste on your skin shouldn’t ever sound like a good idea when you think of what its actual use is. I mean, would you think that the same product used for cleaning your teeth could also help clean your face? Or, that the same stuff you use to clean your face can also effectively clean your teeth. No – those are two completely different surfaces. In fact, putting toothpaste on a zit could actually cause even more inflammation making your pimple look even worse.

So the next time you wake up and find a ripe pimple staring back at you in the mirror, don’t dab any toothpaste on it because you might just make it angry…and you wouldn’t like it when it’s angry.