At City College, the Cosmetology and Esthetics Department offers a dynamic and hands-on education in the beauty industry. Covering a variety of beauty skills, including hairstyling, skincare, makeup, and nail care, this program equips future professionals with the skills as well as knowledge necessary to thrive in both creative and technical aspects of the field. 

With expert instructors, state-of-the-art facilities, and a curriculum that blends industry-standard practices with innovative trends, students are prepared to not only meet but exceed the demands of the beauty world. From mastering techniques such as chemical peels to waxing and even building a strong foundation in clientele care, this program empowers individuals to launch successful careers.

Sarah Jackson, the cosmetology department chair and faculty instructor, completed City College’s cosmetology program 22 years ago. She has experience being a hairstylist and now teaches students everything they need to create a career in every aspect of cosmetology. 

“The cosmetology program is a year-long, divided into five eight-week courses with a focus on hands-on learning,” Jackson said. “The school provides comprehensive kits for students, costing around $900 for estheticians and $1,400 for cosmetologists, including professional-grade products.”

The cosmetology program at City College has a high demand from students. 

“We have two very strong programs,” Jackson said. “Here we have waiting lists for each of our programs, the institution waiting list is almost a year and a half long right now.” 

Jackson also mentioned that the department only operates two classes a year, and they would like to expand it to four.

For cosmetology students, there is a state board exam that you need to pass to earn your license to become a hairstylist, nail technician, or esthetician.

“Our student pass rate for the skateboard exam is well above 80% to 85%,” Jackson said. 

Jackson also talked about the kits that cosmetology and esthetician students receive. The esthetician students receive more high-grade skincare products, while the cosmetologists get practical tools for their future career fields. The students are able to take these kits with them after they finish their schooling at City College. 

“For estheticians, we use three very well-known skincare lines. We use Dermalogica, DBH, a Korean-based skincare line, and also Lemieux,” Jackson said. “For the cosmos, they get their blow dryers, curling flat irons, doll heads to practice on, all the nail equipment, all the brushes and combs, and clips, and everything comes with that.”

The cosmetology school offers services for the entire community while offering a discount for City College students. During less busy times of the year, they take walk-ins, but as of right now, it takes about 10 days to schedule an appointment. 

“Our barbering haircuts are $7.50, and our haircut and blowdry is $10. SBCC students get 10% off of any service that they get done here. So that’s a cool thing that we offer as a student discount,” Jackson said. 

After being in the industry for 20 years, Jackson started teaching part-time and eventually switched to full-time teaching, explaining that “it was giving me more fulfillment, and [teaching] is important to me.”

Cosmetology student Alyssa Carreno expressed her personal desire to become a hairstylist because of her mom.

“My mom always gets her hair burnt off or something goes wrong, so I really decided to focus on [hair] to help my mom,” Carreno said. 

Carreno chose the program because traditional schooling wasn’t suitable for her, and she aims to provide services that people enjoy. She also emphasized the importance of patience and precision skills in cosmetology school.

“You do learn a lot of different things that I would not expect for me to like, but I actually do enjoy being here,” Carreno said. “And you know, people think cosmetology is going to get you nowhere, but they forget that most people love to get their hair done, love to get their nails done, and it is pretty good you get good money off of it.” 

Carreno also talked about how, in her experience, people don’t take the cosmetology field seriously and don’t exactly know how much one can learn from the program.

“It’s not just learning how to do hair; it’s chemistry, it’s anatomy, it’s microbiology, it’s science,” Carreno said.