A lot of hair designers think when they leave beauty school, that’s the end of doing hair on mannequins. Then you get into a salon training program, and mannequins are part of your world again. But when you finish that, you’re really done, right? Oh, if only.
Top stylists tell me all the time that they still practice on dummies, and I don’t mean their clients. Practice is the best hairdressing education, really the only way to sharpen a skill. But clients who want a particular cut, color technique or texture service can be few and far between. So you’re pretty much forced to go back to the dolls who, by the way, don’t complain when you mistakenly turn their hair green, burn their scalp or make a mess of their bangs.
Of course, mannequins don’t shower you with “thanks-you’s” either. That’s why giving a real-life client a fabulous service is so rewarding. But it’s difficult to get to the fabulous point without your friend the mannequin.
Any other ideas for practicing to get good?