Synchronicity was in the air today. There’s quite a buzz in the architectural and construction industries about the evolving LEED standards. We noticed that U.S. College Search had recommended architectural school students to begin investigating the LEED standards more closely and perhaps specialize in LEED compliance for a career boost. Then we noticed that the very first LEED certified salon and spa just went into business in Atlanta! Someone was paying attention.

The Brookhaven location of Atlanta’s Natural Body Spa & Shop has just been awarded a LEED Platinum certification, which is the highest environmentally-conscious building standard. The location features beauty and cosmetology services from both a Natural Body Spa & Shop and a 10TEN Nail Bar. But the buzz about LEED standards means that they’re doing it with the lightest environmental footprint possible, and that keeps their karma in line with their community.

Natural Body dedicated themselves to boosting their environmental responsibility by using regional building materials in the design of the salon, and incorporating up to 50% post-industrial material and low-energy lighting sources for the finishing touches.

The Natural Body location is especially noteworthy because it’s in a high-density, mixed-business development with mass transit, trendy shops and green space side by side. Awesome! Natural Body gets it, and we love it!

Do you know any LEED standards building projects being planned in your area? If any of them are eco-friendly spas, salons or resorts, we want to hear about it.

Salon Professional Academy in Nashville, TN

Salon Professional Academy, a cosmetology school in Nashville, Tennessee, is lending a hand in today’s hurting economy. They are now offering cosmetology scholarships to General Motors employees who’ve been recently laid off to help them get back on the career track.

Read the full article here.
More about Salon Professional Academy in Nashville.

Okay, I admit it. The Real Housewives franchise is my guilty pleasure! I was so excited when I watched the Atlanta season premiere the other night and saw Empire Beauty School featured on the show.

Kim Zolciak, one of the most controversial women on the show, took a lot of heat last season for wearing a wig. Turns out she claims to have had a disease that made her hair fall out. This season, she has decided to turn a negative into a positive and start her own wig line.

During her trip to Empire Beauty School, Kim seemed overwhelmed by the amount of education needed to become a cosmetologist. She made it very clear that education was not her thing, instead deciding to hire people with the know-how to help her in her business venture. Although she decided to personally skip on the Empire Beauty School education, she seemed to enjoy her trip and even made a comment about hiring one of the cosmetology-educated women she met that day.

Whether you love her or hate her, what do you think about Kim’s proposed wig line? I think it’s an obvious direction for her to go in and I’m excited to see what comes of it. I’ve personally never worn a wig but think it would be fun to have short and curly hair one day, and long and dramatic hair the next day. Plus many women suffering from cancer or a condition like Alopecia, which causes bald spots, want and need options.

Also, to the Empire Beauty School students and alumni out there, were you excited to see your school in the spotlight? Do you think it was accurately portrayed? Let us know!

House of Heavilin Beauty Colleges in Kansas City, MO

House of Heavilin, a Kansas City beauty school chain, is helping raise money for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Each of their locations will be holding a cut-a-thon, offering inexpensive haircuts and donating the proceeds to NCMEC.

Read the full article here.
More about House of Heavilin Beauty College in Kansas City

When licensed beauty professionals need a brush-up on training – what’s the best way to continue your education? Some beauty schools are now offering online cosmetology training courses for licensed beauty professionals. Why? It’s easy and flexible.

Since higher education has largely turned to the Internet, students can now take classes from institutions that are not even located in their city, or state for that matter. Now, beauty schools are seeing the transition to online beauty classes, and don’t want to be left unplugged!

Given that this is a new avenue for beauty schools, there are some rules. You must already have your cosmetology license to take online continuing education beauty courses. Not all states accept online training for additional certificates or mandatory continued education so make sure you check with your state’s cosmetology licensing requirements before you enroll in online beauty school classes.

If you live in a state where you can enroll in online beauty courses then it can be the perfect way to brush up on your cosmetology skills or learn new beauty methods or procedures. Some of the courses you can take are:
• Additional coloring methods
• Mandatory sanitation information
• Building your career tips
• And more!

We know that attending a cosmetology school in the flesh is the best way to get hands-on cosmetology training. But in an online environment, you don’t have to worry about when to go to beauty school – it’s all in front of you on your computer on your own schedule. It’s perfect for stylists who want to continue their cosmetology education and not have to go to a classroom, or for individuals wanting to return to a beauty profession they left for a while. But

What about you? Have you thought about, or ever taken any online beauty school classes? Do you feel you get as much out of it as a class in a real beauty school?

Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology in South Carolina

South Carolina’s Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology is lending a hand to victims of tornado damage. On July 22, students at this South Carolina beauty school offered five hours of free haircuts to local residents who were dealing with setbacks from storm damage earlier this year.

Read the full article here.
More about Kenneth Shuler School of Cosmetology in South Carolina.

Brio Academy of Cosmetology in East Hartford, Connecticut

Brio Academy of Cosmetology in East Hartford, Connecticut is offering free back-to-school haircuts for kids whose families are struggling financially and need a little help with back-to-school supplies. The Connecticut cosmetology school is participating as part of the city social services “Back to School Supplies” program.

Read the full article here.
More about Brio Academy of Cosmetology in East Hartford.

Holistic means ‘whole’ and holistic health focuses on the whole self: mind, body and spirit.  The practices used in holistic therapies are also sometimes referred to as alternative medicine.  These holistic and alternative approaches to medicine may not be a part of mainstream health care, but they are growing in the world of cosmetology.  The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine , a research group, has found that 38% of American adults use some form of alternative medicine.

People may think that the holistic health industry is separate from cosmetology, but that simply isn’t the case.  Cosmetology has extended far beyond hairstyling alone.  Many cosmetology schools offer programs in esthetics and skin care, nail care, hair care and massage therapy.  Each of these areas of cosmetology can work well with a holistic approach to health.  Cosmetology schools and beauty schools focus on outward appearance, and many people may not realize that outward appearance is often a reflection of our health.  When we are stressed, we may have tense muscles or more skin breakouts.  If we aren’t eating right, we might have brittle hair and nails.  All of these outward issues may be indicators of bigger problems.  As a society we need to be less stressed and focus more on our health.

Cosmetology and holistic health can work together to reach this goal.  We need to focus on our minds, bodies and spirits, and we need to be training future cosmetology professionals to help their clients find that same focus.  Getting a beauty treatment can help relax your clients.  As an esthetician, you can give advice on not only soothing broken out skin, but also mind/body/spirit exercises that can help prevent skin problems from coming back.  A session with a massage therapist can calm clients’ muscles and keep them relaxed as they go through their busy lives.  The health of the whole self is linked to outward appearance, so the cosmetology industry and holistic health industry should work more closely together to help our society become and remain healthy.

What about you? How does your cosmetology school or beauty salon tie holistics and alternative medicine into your services?

Aveda Institute of Beauty and Wellness in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This article from the Examiner talks about the number of people getting massages doubling in the last decade for relief of stress, muscle pain and back pain. The article mentions the wildly successful Aveda Institute of Beauty & Wellness in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is a massage therapy school that those future licensed massage therapists to be successful in the massage therapy field!

Read the full article here.
More about the Aveda Institute of Beauty and Wellness in Milwaukee.

Brio Academy of Cosmetology in Niantic, Connecticut

This is a heartwarming story about 18-year-old Kimberley Gladue who struggled early in high school and didn’t have much going for her who turned her life around and now plans to attend Brio Academy of Cosmetology in Niantic, CT in the fall. She is passionate about hair, makeup and skincare, and someday hopes to open her own salon.

Read the full article here.
More about the Brio Academy of Cosmetology in Connecticut.

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?

Paul Mitchell – The School in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis beauty schools are teaching much more than just hair techniques, including community outreach, multiculturalism, and thinking “green.” Paul Mitchell – The School in Memphis is a perfect example of a philanthropic community school, and they even participate in the Hair for Oil Spills program we blogged about recently!

Read the full article here.
More about Paul Mitchell – The School in Memphis

Empire Beauty Schools in Arizona
Empire Beauty Schools cosmetologists in training have teamed up to fight domestic violence, like participants in the Cut It Out program we blogged about recently! The Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence has been working with Empire Beauty Schools in Arizonato train current beauty school students how to recognize signs of abuse, and find ways to help their clients.

Read the full article here.
More about Empire Beauty Schools in Arizona