Hairstylists shampoo, cut, style and chemically treat hair. They may also provide scalp treatments, hair addition applications and barbering techniques. Hairstylists incorporate technical and interpersonal skills, and continuous personal and professional development and client retention are crucial for long-term success. Critical thinking, questioning and listening skills are important to serve their clientele. Depending on the workplace and jurisdiction, recommending and selling hair and skin products may be done by the hairstylist. Hairstylists work in hair salons, spas, barber shops, schools, hair replacement clinics, health care establishments, hotels, and in the tourism, fashion and entertainment industries. They can move into positions such as salon managers, salon owners, fashion consultants, educators, platform artists and product sales representatives.

Hairstylists are remunerated through salary, commission, a combination of salary and commission or chair rental agreements, and some work out of their residences. They work with brushes, combs, shears, clippers, razors, hair dryers and thermal tools. They own most of their tools and must keep them properly sanitized, disinfected and maintained. Some specialize in areas such as cutting, hair additions, chemical services, gender-spectrum services, and ethnic specific services. They work in clean environments, though chemicals may irritate skin and have strong odours and fumes that may result in respiratory issues. Physical considerations of this trade are long periods of standing, posture fatigue and repetitive motion. This may result in repetitive strain injury, back and foot pain, although ergonomic considerations may reduce these effects. Key attributes for this trade are communication skills, personal interaction, self-motivation, coordination, manual dexterity, stamina, colour vision and depth perception. To keep current with trends, hairstylists need to update their skills through trade shows, online platforms and other educational venues. They may need skills in maintaining social media sites to showcase and promote their services, and must implement personal and public hygiene procedures to maintain workplace health and safety.
(https://www.red-seal.ca/_conf/assets/custom/docms/hairstylist_tp2019_eng.pdf)

APPRENTICESHIP TERM: 2 years, 3600 hours (Plan of Training – 2020)
Level 1	Level 2
Pre-Employment (37 wks)	(none required)
9 weeks**	10 weeks
Refer to the Pathways to Certification diagram.**