October may be a month full of frights but there’s nothing scary about Cosmetology’s open salon on Oct. 29. As the first open salon of the school year, it’s giving students an opportunity to show off their skills. 

The open salon is offering aspiring cosmetologists an opportunity to show what they’ve learned from the cosmetology course. It’s a bit different from their classroom environment, but some students are embracing the change. 

“I won’t be tested on everything that I’ve learned but I’ll be doing certain things like haircuts and different styles,” senior Cooper Rhodes said. “I feel like it might actually be a bit easier and less chaotic than the class period because we’ll have a lot more clients at a steadier pace.”

The open salon is not only meant to help cosmetology students practice without mannequins. It’ll also help them to offset the costs of their certification process. 

“The salon is meant to raise money for our state board exam,” senior Tekaiya Mathis said. “It’s really expensive and it’ll help us with not having to pay out of pocket.” 

The day is jam-packed with new clientele, chances for students to get out of their comfort zone, and time to ease into their future profession. 

“I’m going to be doing blowouts, curling people’s hair and then I might be doing a few manicures,” junior Bailey Runnels said.  “I feel like it’s going to challenge me to build more of my clientele and work faster because I’ll be with actual people. It’ll also help me communicate with my clients a lot easier and gain more knowledge about working in the industry too.”

Cosmetology members that are jumping into the salon for the first time are finding excitement in the new opportunity. It’s giving them the chance to test their communication skills and build their confidence with real clientele. 

“I’m so ready to dive in,” junior Chloe Tipton said. “Because this is my first time doing a salon, I’m excited to meet new clients and talk to people.”