Why Hair Professionals Shouldn't Rely on TikTok for Education

Mandy McCullough teaching a student at a salon.
With the heavy influence of social media and digital education, salon owner Mandy McCullough offers tips on how to get the most out of experiential education.
Courtesy of Sam Villa

With the recent temporary TikTok ban that went into effect in the U.S. and the start of a new presidential administration, you may be reflecting on what social media platforms you want to continue using to promote your business as a hair professional and gain inspo/education from others in the industry. When it comes to the latter, social media and digital education has skyrocketed — to both the benefit and detriment of the hair industry. While hair professionals are able to more easily access online education through social media posts or other means, they may not be getting as much hands-on practice — something Mandy McCullough emphasizes is important. 

McCullough (@fancyfinish) is the owner of Fix Salon Seattle and a hair industry educator who is an advocate for experiential learning because of the value it brings to cosmetology students. 

“If you’re about to go in for major surgery and ask your doctor how many times they’ve performed the procedure and their response is, 'Don’t worry, I watched a video on TikTok.' How confident would you be about the outcome of that surgery?” asks McCullough.

There is a reason why doctors, stylists and a whole slew of other professionals train thousands of hours in experiential education to master their skills. Social media is an incredible platform — It is entertaining and informative — but experiential education is scientifically proven to not just teach new skills, but to anchor the lesson through real life trial and error. This accelerates learning at a pace unmatched by simply watching a one-minute video.

“I’ve worked with Redken for over 22 years, and I have also had the privilege of working with Sam Villa throughout my career. Both companies specialize in providing award-winning experiential education to salon professionals, and they know that immersing a stylist into a real-life learning scenario does not just inspire them, it also allows them to learn and grow faster, so they can develop successful careers and live their best lives,” she adds.

Part of experiential learning is having hands working with the tools of the trade. When cutting, would a swivel or stationary shear yield the better result…or a texture shear with wide spaced teeth or close together? Using tools in hair to actually see, feel and understand predictable results is what locks information in. Videos can be watched to learn these things but allowing someone to experience the tool and/or technique is what will help them learn faster and retain the information longer.

5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Experiential Education

Mandy McCullough teaching a student at a salon.McCullough is the owner of Fix Salon Seattle and a hair industry educator who is an advocate for experiential learning because of the value it brings to cosmetology students.Courtesy of Sam Villa Hair“What I love about working with Sam Villa is that he creates video education to get a viewer to lean in, and then encourages experiential experiences with his tools to ensure that a stylist has the fundamentals, but also has the confidence to personalize the technique and outcome. This type of education is important because many young stylists use the same shears they received in cosmetology school day-in and day-out. It’s not until they hold and use a different type that they understand how impactful and career-changing the right tool choice can be,” explains McCullough.

Social media is designed to inspire, but experiential educational experiences create impactful training that creates successful salon professionals.

1. Identify what needs to be learned. 

Target the topic, and be specific when communicating your needs to the educator/s. Be accountable for engaging in 100% of the experience.

 2. Be open. 

When exposed to new information stay open to new ideas and trying new things. Don’t let old habits hold back the new experience.

3. Make mistakes. 

The reason learning is accelerated in experiential education is because the learning takes place in real life scenarios. Many times, more is learned from what didn’t go as expected versus what went right. Push far out of the comfort zone to create an unexpected outcome that will elevate skill sets.

4. Keep energy high. 

When physical and mental energy is high, it is proven to be more effective to remember and retain information.

5. Celebrate your wins. 

Triumphs are not always what is expected. The task at hand that was accomplished well might not be the big win. In experiential education, anytime a student is pushed outside of their comfort zone and learned something to grow their skills is a WIN.

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