The Top Hair Education Platforms to Watch & Learn From

The Top Hair Education Platforms to Watch & Learn From

Whether you're a beauty pro who's been in the cosmetology game for decades or you're just starting out in this wild and amazing world of entrepreneurship, you likely already know one thing for certain–the beauty industry is always changing. 

And while we definitely don't have all the answers on how to manage this consistent evolution at all times, we do have some key advice on how you can ensure your own success in this changing world. 

That answer comes in a succinct little two-word package: Continuing Education.

Here's what we know with absolute certainty– continuing education is a must for pros who are looking to continuously bring their careers to the next level.

CE doesn’t just keep you in the know and on-par with the latest trends, it also helps to beef up your list of licenses and certifications, enables you to charge forward as an industry leader, and ensures that you’re up to date on your state requirements, too.

If you’re in a place where you can invest time, effort, and maybe even a little money into continuing your education, there are plenty of online CE programs and platforms available to you!

Not sure where to start? We don’t blame you—there are thousands of online programs out there and choosing among them can be totally overwhelming.

So, we did what we do best and round up a few of the must-know platforms from top-of-the-line stylists and big industry names.

From YouTube channels to full-fledged educational platforms, we’ve got a little somethin’ for every learning style! Keep reading to explore our list of can’t-miss online education!

KEY TAKEAWAYS: This article explores the top reasons that beauty pros should prioritize continuing beauty education no matter what stage of their career they might be in. With consistent CE, pros can stay in the know, expand their career, and sharpen their skills. We're also sharing some of the top platforms that every pro should have on their radar for continuing their beauty education. 

Why Continuing Beauty Education is the Right Move—Always

Now and forever, we'll always firmly believe that beauty continuing education is the best way to invest in yourself, your career, and your future.

Why? Hey, we’re glad you asked. We actually have a ton of reasons we think so—and you guessed it, we’re about to share it with you right here, right now.

Expand Your Career

The more you’re able to add to your skill set, the better off your career will be. Expanding your knowledge, learning new techniques, and gaining new certifications can all help you boost your career and further your goals—it can also help you find the perfect niche for you!

Stay In-the-Know & On-Trend

Cosmetology is not a stagnant industry. Beauty, what’s trending, and the latest fads are constantly evolving—this means if you want to stay relevant, you need to know what’s in and what’s out.

Choosing to opt for cosmetology continuing education courses is the perfect way to ensure you’re on top of what’s trending in your industry.

And honestly, with the rate of evolution in the beauty industry, it’s something you should be doing as often as you possibly can to stay relevant and fresh.

Skill Sharpening

If you never sharpen your favorite pair of shears, what happens to them after tons of use? They get dull right? Well, the same thing applies to your skillset.

If you’re not working at improving your techniques, your talents, and your abilities, you can bet your overall skills will suffer.

The more you can challenge yourself, the more your skillset will thrive—doing the same thing day in and day out isn’t going to broaden your horizon and it’s certainly not going to help you improve.

Adding to Your Value

Look, it’s no secret that the more experienced, practiced, and diversified your skills are, the more valuable you are in your industry—that’s why master stylists get paid more than entry-level cosmetologists. It’s just the way it works, right?

The more you know, the more experience you gain, the more you’ve sharpened your abilities, and the more relevant your skill set is, the more you’ll be able to add to your value—AKA, you can increase your rates gradually and fairly to match your worth.

Hair Education Platforms & Stylists to Watch & Learn From 

Behind The Chair University

If you’re looking for top-notch education from the comfort of your own home that actually prepares you to be the best stylist possible, then you definitely want to consider Behind the Chair University.

Behind the Chair University (often lovingly referred to as BTC U) is the ultimate cosmetology continuing education platform. Not only does it have an extensive list of how-tos, live sessions, and certification opportunities, but it also offers you courses in creative color, cutting, upstyling, blonding, balayage, extensions, business, and so much more!

This learning platform is packed with all kinds of collections with a number of subscription options available. Plus, through BTC U you can gain access to all kinds of BTC shows.

Style Artists Academy

Style Artist Academy is an online CE course you won’t want to sleep on. Why? It’s exceptional education with a modern twist. Think of this CE course like a subscription box—yep, like a wine or coffee subscription box—that brings you a new, exciting, and badass cosmetologist class on the first of every month.

See what we mean about that modern twist? With this course, you can get top-tier, advanced salon training that can help you boost your business—and all you have to do is pay a subscription fee!

Cosmoprof

This industry giant is probably pretty well-known among professionals like you. And that’s probably for good reason. Cosmoprof believes in continuing education, sharpening your skills, and opening the door to let professionals learn new techniques in order to create a new breed of exceptional cosmetologists.

Cosmoprof has lots of online options with video-based learning—they also have classes that count as CEUs for credit. That’s not all, though. They have tons of other options that you can utilize—like in-store classes, show-based classes, in-salon learning customized for your team, manufacturer educator training.

For now, though, we recommend taking a look at their online offerings! 

Beyond Technique

Beyond Technique a next-level learning opportunity for stylists and cosmetologists who want to further their education in all kinds of directions—business stuff included.

Personally, we love Beyond Technique for online learning opps for a lot of reasons, but the leading reason has to be the versatility they offer. Not only are there plenty of in-person learning opportunities available (just a note for when that’s an option again), but there are also online, virtual coaching session, online events you can attend, group mastermind sessions, and of course, an exceptional online class list to choose from that covers all kinds of topics (from marketing to building a bomb salon team and beyond).

Spoiler alert: You don’t just have to learn from YouTube and educational platforms. If you’re more of a podcast person and you’re dying to add some new shows to your listening library, check out our article on the top beauty podcasts to watch and learn from! 

This list brings you all kinds of technique talk, business savvy, and plenty of big names from the beauty biz. We can bet you’re going to be hooked on all of them in no time (we sure are).

Remember, there are hundreds of options out there for badass beauty pros like you—so don’t skimp on research! And don’t be afraid to tackle more than one course—the more you can learn, the better!

Have a suggestion for a fantastic online CE Course for your fellow beauty industry pros? Know a must-watch stylist that every industry expert should have on their radar? Share it all here in the comment section.