As a Hairstylist, you’ll get extremely busy, leaving no time to familiarize yourself with the newest hairstyles. Many clients come to the salon and get the same style year after year. Then, there is the client that wants the new craze in hairstyles. If you haven’t brushed up on what’s trending, this type of client probably won’t come back. So how do you keep updated with the newest hairstyles to furthering your repertoire to include what’s trending at the moment? Getting familiar and comfortable with the direction of a new trend is easier than you think.

Latest Fashion Magazines

Fashion magazines are a wealth of knowledge regarding any trend, whether it’s clothing, diets, relationships, or hair. These publications are valuable for up-to-the-minute hairstyles and current topics to help keep a non-offensive conversation going while your client is in the chair. You will have a few issues of fashion magazines floating around the salon, but if you don’t, it’s worth subscribing to a couple of the most influential magazines for style. If you own your salon or work for yourself, it’s a good chance these publications are tax-deductible. Not to mention, a fashion magazine is where your client probably saw their new vision.

Social Media Platforms

The meteoric rise in social media popularity made it easier and faster than ever for you to keep up to date with new hairstyles. Users of online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest can’t wait to post a photo or video after receiving a great new cut and show it off. Sporting a current hairdo on social media isn’t just popular with the general public, but celebs love to do it too, and they always know everything in vogue. Many businesses related to hairstyling like salons, beauty supply companies, and cosmetology schools use their social media accounts to share the most recent trending styles vying for followers and potential customers.

Within the scope of social media sits a group of people known as “influencers.” They have a great deal of pull regarding the newest craze in just about anything, including hairstyles. Popular influencers with a vast following can drive trends, depending upon what they deem the must-haves of the moment. They are a good source of new ideas for inspiration.

The Internet

Social media isn’t the only online source for trending hairstyles, entities related to the cosmetology industry worldwide have websites. Like social media, this means you’ll instantly find new ideas from around the globe. The internet also allows you to think outside the box and research places you wouldn’t think to look, like retro movie and celeb sites to see the yesteryear’s coiffed styles.

Trade Shows

A trade show is an organized gathering of companies in a specific industry to showcase products and services to get their product trending. Typically trade shows afford you a plethora of opportunities to see new products and styling techniques all under one roof. They’re also great places to learn about different brands and meet other people in your profession. Optimally, it would be best if you planned to attend at least one to two show per year. Trade shows are either public, trade only, or a combination of both. Successful people always find ways to stay ahead of the curve and relevant in their space. If you can identify new trends, you will soon create countless opportunities for yourself and your business trade-only shows; you might have to show your current state license or be with a cosmetology school group to attend.

Networking Events

Attending industry-specific networking events instantly surrounds you with other like-minded cosmetology professionals. The event host is commonly known for being a leader in that specific niche, another wellspring of information on new hair trends. Although, if you can’t find any events in your area, don’t be afraid to take the initiative, get with hairstylists, salon owners, cosmetology schools, and other related industry companies to plan an event. These events or workshops are not required to be strictly business affairs; the ideas can get creative with cocktail hours, picnics, pool parties, luncheons, and roundtables, to name a few. Have fun while networking with targeted connections.

Monthly Scheduled Meeting

Create a scheduled meeting time to discuss the latest industry trends, experiences, and anything of value to your field that you have heard about, read or learned in the past month. You probably hired hairstylists or were hired because of the shared passions for the industry. Monthly meetings further a cohesive effort by the entire business and ensures everyone is on the same page. Perform regular research and provide a monthly report. Be adamant about keeping these meetings a regular occurrence and scheduled far enough in advance, so every member has the opportunity to attend.

Peer-To-Peer

No doubt, if you’re a hairstylist or studying to be one, you know others that are long-time career stylists. There’s a complacency that occurs when we get so caught up that small talk takes a back seat in the day-to-day. Unfortunately, you miss prime opportunities to find out what your co-workers know regarding new trends when you don’t ask the simple question: “Has any new look caught your eyes recently?” You’ll be surprised how much your colleagues or even the hairdresser you see every few months loves the opportunity to share something innovative you might’ve missed. Don’t relegate your desire for information on current popular hairstyles to the cosmetologist in your life; ask your non-hair industry friends as well. Having a simple conversation every few weeks about new trends, techniques, and hairdo’s (and hair don’ts) keeps you in the know.

Industry-Specific Publications

As with fashion magazines, you can find inspiration between the covers of hairdressing industry publications. This avenue of staying in the know is different from a fashion magazine in how industry publications most likely take you through step by step in executing the cut, color, and style. Since these publications are industry-specific, they also give you information about the brands and products used during the process. These materials may also be tax-deductible.

Final Thoughts

If you can make one or two of these suggestions a regular habit, you’ll never be in the dark about new trends in hair. Your spending countless hours attending cosmetology school, dealing with the butterflies when you took your state licensing exam, and securing your place in a top-notch popular salon. Don’t lose valuable clients, not knowing the latest hairstyles. Successful cosmetology industry leaders, no matter how busy they are, always find ways to stay relevant and ahead of the curve. If you can identify trends, you will soon create opportunities for yourself and your business.

Do you want to learn more about the new hair trends in the industry? Ready to become a cosmetologist? Earning your diploma in Cosmetology may be the next step in your career. Meridian College offers a Cosmetology training program in Florida that prepares you to deliver high–quality beauty and hair services to both men and women. Meridian College offers a hands–on Cosmetology training program giving you the skills you need to start an exciting career and become a leader in the beauty industry.

Contact Meridian College today to learn more about becoming a cosmetologist.