Category: urban beauty academy

What does a beauty therapist do?

What does a beauty therapist do exactly? Our team at Urban Beauty Academy is often asked this question and it is surprising to many aspiring beauticians what the answer entails. A beauty therapist is not merely a person that does manicures and pedicures, or a little waxing and eyebrow shaping. Let us explain why:

Beauty therapists apply face and body treatment as well as advice on skin care. This may include the following:

Analyse body type and advice on exercise programmes and nutrition: This does not make you a nutritionist, but experience with different body types and involvement in the health industry means you may have some insights. With a little further studying you can even use this as a value added service at your salon.
Provide advice and support to clients following cosmetic surgery: Clients may have had cosmetic surgery and want to hide temporary scars or accelerate the healing of the skin. Here a beauty therapist uses skills learned in beauty academy to provide the right advice and aid.
Apply make-up: This in a very creative outlet and possibly a career in its own right. Urban Beauty Academy teaches our students how to assess the client and apply make-up in such a way as to bring out the best features of the face and hide the little imperfections.
Maintain client records: Beauty therapy is not all hands-on creativity and caring. Admin duties are required as well. By maintaining comprehensive client records you will start building intimate relationships with your clients and know what they need without them even having to think about it.
Carry out skin analysis and give advice about skin and body care: The skin is the biggest organ in the body, so it almost goes without saying that taking care of it is of utmost importance.
Use a variety of treatments and electrical equipment to treat individual skin and body conditions: You will learn how to treat skin and body conditions tailored to the specific needs of each client.
Recognise problems and refer clients to medical practitioners such as dermatologists, plastic surgeons, endocrinologists, podiatrists, chiropractors and physiotherapists: As a beauty therapist you’ll spend a lot of time having your client in your hands and also verbally communicating with them. This will lead to you being in a position to identify any health care issues very early and be in a position to make suggestions and referrals.
Perform manicures, pedicures, nail extensions and eyelash and brow tinting: Here we are. The mainstay of many beauty salons around the world. Not to be scoffed at, these are the services that are most often requested. Good therapists most often have a client coming in for a basic manicure and build a relationship from there.
Provide advice on and sell cosmetic products and related beauty equipment: A beauty salon is still a business that requires money to be made. A nice benefit is that through the relationship you build with clients, they trust you to know what they need.
Perform facial or body massage and aromatherapy treatment: In the modern age our clients are susceptible to enormous stress in their daily lives. We as beauty therapists can offer relieve and relaxation in the form of massages and aromatherapy.
Remove facial and body hair by electrolysis or waxing: Another mainstay of beautician services. You will be required to remove unwanted and unsightly hair in order to give your client the confidence required to wear any outfit anywhere.
Perform reception duties (such as receiving bookings and arranging appointments): Another admin task which is essential to remain organised and focused on the core activities of a beauty therapist.

These are some of the aspects we at Urban Beauty Academy will cover at our state-of-the-art beauty academy. Contact us for any further information and we’ll be happy to assist.

Six Requirements to become a top beauty therapist!

So you want to be a beauty therapist. We are happy you have made this decision and our team at Urban Beauty Academy welcome you to the exciting world of beauty therapy. Urban Beauty Academy has compiled a list of qualities that will make you a popular and successful beautician after completing your studies at our beauty academy. Here they are, all equally important:

Good health with no allergies to beauty products:

A very important requirement. As a beautician you will be exposed to treatment chemicals for hours on end. Even though these chemicals provide little danger to clients, clients are only exposed to them for an hour at a time. You will have to be sure you aren’t sensitive to any of the chemicals used and have no potential allergies as this will definitely mean that your career won’t last long if it happens at all. At our beauty academy you’ll get practical exposure to a lot of the products so you will be sure before starting out. Do contact our beauty academy or any other industry expert to make sure about the dangers of beauty chemical exposure.

Neat personal appearance at all times:

One is essentially selling a product and the first tangible advert for your product is your own personal appearance. Just like you won’t feel comfortable visiting a dentist with poor teeth, a client visiting a beautician would like to see that her beautician will take as good care of her as a client as she does of herself personally.

Pleasant and tactful:

Dealing with people everyday a beautician will soon learn that the service starts the moment you make contact with the client. A pleasant hello and welcoming demeanour can do wonders to calm nerves of a first time visitor. Tact regarding any little imperfections is very important too. The client may be well aware of the mole or blemish and will be self-conscious about it. Part of the daily job is to be tactful when discussing treatment options and while doing treatments.

Genuine interest in people:

Connecting with your client is very important as the treatments and services are very intimate. It is therefore incredibly important to have and display a genuine interest in your client and connect on a more personal level than merely professional. The genuineness of your approach will leave a lasting impression and keep clients returning.

Sensitivity when dealing with clients for body and facial treatments:

To add to the requirement for tact, it is incredibly important to remain sensitive to the insecurities your client may suffer. Part of the allure of a beauty salon is to feel pampered and safe, so it is beneficial not to remind your client of their daily insecurities. When you do happen to touch on a sensitive topic, reassurance is essential. At Urban Beauty Academy the experts will show you how to approach these little obstacles.

Good hand-eye coordination:

The work a beauty therapist does can be very intricate at times. Doing design work on nails, applying make-up to eyes and removing hair from sensitive areas all requires good coordination between hand and eye. If you are not naturally talented in this area, some repetitive training can help you.

There you have it. Six of the qualities we at Urban Beauty Academy believe are required to make for the beginnings of an excellent beauty therapist.

Interested in being a beauty therapist?

Urban Beauty Academy wants to know if you have an eye for what beauty beholds. Do you want to use this talent to make others look as good as they deserve? Do you want to make a career out of establishing yourself in your neighbourhood, city, and national or even international fame as a beautician? If so, then read on. We at Urban Beauty Academy would like to equip you with the knowledge and tools to make this dream a reality and become the beauty therapist you were meant to become.

To become a professional beautician requires starting off professionally and you can do that at a professional beauty school. With a variety of programs for learners to choose and a comprehensive curriculum we can offer you the head start in the beauty industry you deserve.

Beauty therapy involves many disciplines that can be utilised to offer prospective clients a service in order to beautify their bodies while soothing the soul. At our Urban Beauty Academy you’ll learn how to perform treatments of the nail and skin, manicures and pedicures, nail extensions hair removals. Also your creative side will be challenged by doing make-up applications, eyelash and eyebrow shaping and not forgetting a little physical exercise by performing muscle relaxing body massages. These skills are best learned from experienced and respected lecturers well versed in the latest techniques and products.

When you choose to pursue a career as a beautician you only need to decide on which beauty academy or beauty school can offer you the best learning. Invariably, once you have very successfully completed your studies, you will need a job. A reputable and established academy like Urban Beauty academy assists students to find apprenticeship opportunities to start off their careers.

Don’t be shy in asking questions. Many professionals in the beauty industry started with the same questions and in an ever-changing industry like ours advice from working professionals can also aid you in making the right choices. Urban Beauty Academy will also gladly answers any questions you may have, so give us a call or send us an e-mail and let us see how we can assist.

Is Beauty School for me?

Should I study at beauty school next year? What options are there for someone interested in beauty therapy? Our team at Urban Beauty Academy have put together our top 5 reasons why you should consider a career in beauty and kick-start your journey at Urban Beauty academy:

There is increasing demand for qualified therapists:

There is currently over 400 jobs listed on the popular Gumtree website for beauty therapists. Internationally the prospect of finding employment increases even further, especially in more affluent first word countries.

Have an entrepreneurial itch? Start your own business:

One of the easiest skill sets to transfer to a business of your own is that of a beauty therapist. Utilising skills and techniques taught at a beauty academy one can invest with very little capital in a smart little beauty salon. One has only to look around to see how many independent salons are operating in or close to your area. Urban Beauty loves to see students blossom into young business owners.

Job fulfilment:

If you enjoy people, you will find job fulfilment in the beauty industry. You get to treat a variety of different clients each day, each one of whom brings a different experience to your day. Added to this is the benefit of knowing you added something to your client’s live by providing a great service.

Ever growing industry:

With the average age ever-increasing, beauty treatments are becoming more and more important. With more people living to an older age than ever before and with technology always improving there is no reason one has to look one’s age. We believe that clientele will only increase, both due to the aging factor and the increase in wealth across the spectrum.

A wide variety of potential career paths:

Urban Beauty prepares you to be a balanced beautician. However at the beauty academy you will be exposed to a variety of possible specialisation areas. As a specialist you can establish yourself as a pre-eminent beautician in your field and unlock considerable earning potential. Specialisation can be pursued as a nail technician, make-up artist, facial skin care therapist, massage therapist, retail cosmetics assistant, salon manager or lash and brow specialist.

Urban Beauty invites you to explore the world of beauty therapy and join us in 2015 to start your journey at our beauty academy.

Urban Beauty Academy in Cape Town

What you learn in beauty school will affect the rest of your life. So make sure you choose the best school in your area. So where do you start? You should find out which school is nearest you and set an appointment to see the premise and meet the Principle. When you get to the school you’re probably going to want to ask a few questions. So it’s a good idea to write them down and bring your list of questions with you. There are probably a few things you should ask about. You’re probably going to need to know if they accept financial aid. If you need to take out student loans you’re going to want to choose a hair design school that accepts financial aid. Dont forget to ask if the school is in fact accredited and ask to see proof. If you were referred by a top notch salon that should be a problem, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Another question you should ask is about your tool kit, will it be included in your tuition? Sometimes financial aid doesn’t cover the cost of your kit. Usually you need to buy your kit before the first day of class, that can cost you a lot of money. So be prepared to pay out of pocket to get started. Another question I would ask is what brand of products do they use. You want to go to a school that offers name brand products. It’s better to work with the actual products you will be using in a professional salon.

While your there make sure you look around. And be selective this is the rest of your life we’re talking about. Check out the hairstyles students and teachers are wearing are they on trend? What about the beauty school itself is it clean? Is the décor on trend? If not you might want to look for a school that that is more with the times. You want to learn how to duplicate what’s going on in salons today, not ten years ago.

Our team at Urban Beauty Academy in Cape Town are happy to answer all of your questions. We are a proud institution and offer top quality training. If you would like to know more please do not hesitate to contact one of our friendly consultants today!

Urban Beauty Academy presents seven questions you should ask when choosing a beauty school

Congratulations on taking your first step in exploring attending beauty school. Before you begin, you’ll want to ask yourself these important 7 questions to determine if the beauty school is right for you. Our team at Urban Beauty Academy are ready to help you with answer all your questions.

1) Is The Beauty School Accredited?

Accreditation is important if your main goal is to receive a valuable, well-rounded education from a beauty school. If a beauty school is accredited, it has met or exceeded the Department of Education’s minimum educational standards. Essentially, that accreditation gives the school credibility. You can have confidence that you’ll receive a good education from that program.

2) How Flexible Is The Beauty School’s Curriculum?

Many beauty schools offer a program that doesn’t provide much flexibility. All students of the program go through the same courses at the same time and progress at the same level. This can have a couple of disadvantages. First, you may be able to learn and progress more quickly than the other students. If so, having the choice to take more advanced courses may allow you to grow more fully as a stylist. Second, you may wish to focus on a certain aspect of beauty therapy. For example, you may want to build your career by specializing in colors. Having the ability to modify your curriculum (after taking the core classes, of course) based upon your personal goals can be a great way of learning and developing your specialty.

3) How Much Real Experience Will You Receive?

Learning how to style hair on plastic doll heads is a good way to learn. However, the best way to absorb what you learn is to apply it on people. Before choosing a beauty school, find out how much exposure you’ll be given to people. You want as much experience as possible. You’re going to be learning a ton of exciting things in your classes. You’ll learn about colors, chemicals, cuts, weaves and other styling options. To truly learn, improve and master these skills, you must be able to try them on people. Try to find a school that will provide you with this kind of experience.

4) Are There Financial Aid Options?

Beauty school can be costly. Many schools understand that some students may have difficulty finding the money to pay for the program’s tuition. To help those students, some beauty schools offer financial aid packages. Other schools help students find money for tuition through grants and low-interest loans. If you’re considering a beauty school, but have crossed it off your list because of the tuition cost, ask them if they offer any financial aid. You may be surprised by the options you have.

5) Is The Beauty School Close To Your Home Or Office?

Ideally, you want to find a beauty school that is located near your home or your workplace. Some students attend classes full-time. Others have a full-time job and choose to attend classes part-time in the evening. That is a lot of time to invest and your day can easily become unmanageable. If possible, choose a beauty school that is close to where you live or work. That will make attending more convenient and easier to manage.

6) Will The Beauty School Train You According To Your Interests?

Many beauty programs have a particular focus. Sometimes, the focus is a reflection of the community in which the school is located. It’s important that you find a school that matches your interests. That way, you’ll receive the education and experience necessary to develop your specialization. Before choosing which beauty school to attend, ask the instructors at the school what services they focus on.

7) Does The Beauty School Offer Job Placement Services?

There are salons everywhere. However, some of them may already be completely filled with stylists. That is, they may not have the room to give you a station. Many beauty schools help place their students in salons after they graduate and receive their cosmetology license from the state. These schools work closely with salons in the communities nearby. The salons benefit by having an immediate source of trained and motivated stylists to hire. You benefit by having plenty of potential job leads right after graduation. Ask the beauty school you’re planning to attend if they offer job placement services as part of their program.

Choosing The Beauty School That Is Right For You

Attending beauty school can be as exciting and fulfilling an experience as your career as a stylist. It’s largely due to choosing the right school and program to attend. Before making your decision, try to find out if the beauty school you’re considering is accredited. Next, ask if the school offers elective courses and what services the curriculum focuses on. Find out how much real experience you’ll receive as a student and whether there are financial aid options to help with the tuition cost. Finally, ask if the beauty program provides any help in finding jobs in salons within the surrounding communities. By asking these questions, you’ll have an advantage in choosing the beauty school that matches your goals and expectations.

Our team at Urban Beauty Academy are happy to answer all these questions and more. If you would like to know more about enrolling for our 2015 intake. Please do not hesitate to contact us today!

8 Reasons Why You Should Attend Urban Beauty Academy

Our team at Urban Beauty Academy have put together some of their favorite reasons why coming and studying with us in 2015 is a smart idea. Each year, many people who have a passion for hair, makeup and style enroll in beauty schools. There are plenty of reasons why you may choose a career within the beauty industry.

Helping others look their best can be fun and exciting. Chances are, you’ve probably helped your friends and family style their hair or put makeup on in the past. If you enjoyed doing those things, consider doing it as a profession. Below, you may learn about several benefits of becoming a hair, makeup and nail stylist in the exciting world of beauty and fashion.

Reason 1: Freedom Of An Entrepreneur

As a qualified beautician, you may have the freedom to work when you want and as much as you want. If you prefer to work Mondays through Fridays, you may choose to do so. If you’d only like to work weekends, the choice is up to you. As a beautician, you’re an entrepreneur. Most people who graduate from Urban Beauty Academy work in salons. They build their own businesses and experience the freedom that entrepreneurs enjoy.

Reason 2: You may build Your Own Schedule

Some beauticians prefer to begin working in the afternoon to catch clients during their lunch break. Others like booking appointments with their clients after normal business hours, so they can enjoy the day, doing whatever they please while helping their clients in the evening. When you work in a salon, you can set the schedule that is best-suited for your needs. Do you have a young child that requires you to be home during the day? You have the freedom to do so as a licensed beautician.

Reason 3: Your Income Reflects Your Work

Have you ever heard your friends complaining about their jobs not paying them what they’re truly worth? When you’re working as a beautician, the amount and type of work you do in the salon has a direct, often immediate, affect on your income. The more clients you help, the more money you can make. If the thought of controlling your income is appealing to you, being a qualified beautician may be the profession for you.

Reason 4: You Enjoy Working With Hair And Makeup

Working with your clients’ hair and makeup can be exciting. First, you’re helping them to look their best. Second, you may let your creative spark show as you try new and provocative styles. Your clients give you a lot of control over how they’re perceived by the people who see them. This is one of the reasons why being a beautician is so rewarding.

Reason 5: You may Work With Celebrities

Many aspiring stylists attending beauty school want to eventually work in the world of entertainment and fashion. If you develop your creativity and skills, you might very well be asked to style the hair and makeup of models and celebrities. Many stylists work in salons at first to learn the latest cutting-edge techniques and then move on to working with music personalities, actors, politicians and other people in the public eye.

Reason 6: Opportunity For Earning Commissions

Not only do you control your income by the amount and type of work you do for your clients; you may increase your earnings by getting paid commissions for hair care and beauty products that you encourage your clients to purchase. Your clients need these products anyway. Why not buy them while they’re at the salon? If a new product comes out that would be perfect for one of your customers, simply suggest it to them and you may make a commission for the sale. Everybody wins.

Reason 7: You Want To Avoid Working In An Office

You probably have friends who have told you about the horrors of working in an office. The stories usually focus on utter boredom, lack of training, managerial incompetence, gripes against fellow employees and other problems that can make working in a corporate environment the last place you’d want to work. When you become a beautician, you effectively avoid the office setting. You work in a salon with other motivated stylists on a schedule that suits your personality.

Reason 8: You Enjoy Talking With People

As a qualified beautician, you may have the opportunity to talk to friends, your co-workers and your clients throughout the entire day. If you enjoy speaking with interesting people (don’t we all?), you’ll definitely enjoy your career as a beautician. Every day is different. Each client will have new stories whenever they visit. You may find yourself becoming friends with many of your clients. In fact, talking with people is a major part of your job!

Should You Enroll In Urban Beauty Academy?

So, should you pursue a promising career as a qualified beautician? After all, being a beauty therapist isn’t for everyone. Some people enjoy working in an office where the dull fluorescent lights barely keep them awake. But, if you enjoy having the freedom to set your own schedule, work as much or as little as you like and control your income, you may consider looking into a career in beauty.

Attending Urban Beauty Academy is the first step toward a career that has a wide range of opportunities. Whether you’re working side-by-side with other stylists, helping celebrities look their best for the camera, or doing the hair and makeup for your clients while they share new, interesting details about their lives, being a stylist is mostly about people. Working with people you like. Helping people you enjoy. And making a great living in an exciting profession that is always offering something new to learn.

If you would like to know more about how to enroll for Urban Beauty Academy. Please do not hesitate to contact one of our consultants today.

Urban Beauty Academy presents how to choose the correct beauty training provider

Quality criteria for value-adding beauty school training providers – accreditation is no guarantee of quality

These days skills development is a priority of the government , the question is often asked: How should an individual go about selecting the right beauty school training provider? What criteria should you examine to make sure that the provider delivers quality beauty training programmes.

There are a number of Beauty Training providers in South Africa and unfortunately a large number of students have realised that the fact that the beauty school is accredited is no guarantee of quality, or that the programmes will address the specific needs of the students.

These beauty schools may have impressed the ETQA with imposing mission and vision statements, as well as piles of policies and procedures to get accreditation, but that does not necessarily translate into quality learning programmes.

If you are looking for a beauty school that will really add value, here are 10 key questions you should ask before appointing anyone to help your company with its training needs.

Ten critical questions training providers must be able to answer:

1. What is the NQF level of the programme?

2. Which unit standard(s) or qualification is your programme aligned to?
– Do programmes constitute building blocks to a qualification? (Providers score bonus points if they meet this requirement, but it is not always necessary or desirable.)
– Note: This question only applies to NQF-aligned programmes. It does not apply where alignment to unit standards/qualifications is not appropriate or not possible, i.e. programmes that are not ‘NQF-able’.

3. Which SETA are you accredited with, and what is your accreditation number?

4. Is this programme covered in the scope of your accreditation? (Are you accredited to offer this programme?)

5. What are the registration numbers of the assessors you are using?
– Does their registration cover the areas they will be assessing?

6. Show me how the learning programme and materials cover the components of the unit standard(s) or qualification.

7. Show me how the assessments cover the specific outcomes and assessment criteria of the unit standards.

8. What understanding or experience do you have of our specific work industry or environment?

9. How will you customise your programme to relate it to our context?

10. How long have you been a training provider?
– How long have you been offering this programme?
– Can you give us the names of three previous clients?

If the provider could not answer these questions satisfactorily, you need to look further. But, if you are satisfied with the answers, then you may have found a perfect partner. We at Urban Beauty Academy will happily answer any questions a potential client has about our training approach and methodology. We are here to help you thrive and if you would like to know more about our courses, please do not hesitate to contact one of our friendly sales consultants today.