As a young child, Kristin DeSimone always jumped at the chance to style the hair of her family and friends. She delighted at practicing her latest creations on her dolls in the fourth grade. So when she thought seriously about what she wanted to do with her life, Kristin knew just where to look: cosmetology school. With a cosmetology program, practice in school, and real-world experience, Kristin has come along way to the successful hair stylist she is today, based in Staten Island, NY. And she wouldn’t trade it for a thing.

What’s your educational background?
I graduated from the Aveda Institute NYC in Soho in 2004. I also took classes with Wella Professionals and L’Oreal Professionals.

How did you decide to go to beauty school?
Hair has always been a passion of mine. Ever since I was little, I always wanted to do everyone’s hair. And when it came time to pick a career, it was only logical that I had already found my calling – I just needed to go about finding the right school.

How did you get your start?
After beauty school, I was working in an upscale salon in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, which was also an Aveda concept salon. I was working five days a week, anywhere from 8 – 12 hours a day, rotating among 13 stylists. I had classes on Tuesday nights with one of our master stylists who worked with us to master our craft. I brought in models, friends, family, and people off the street and completed services at reduced prices to get my name out there. That is how I started to build my clientele.

Is your career what you expected it to be like? How so?
It’s everything and more. Being able to wake up every morning and make people feel good about themselves is very rewarding. It’s also an amazing feeling to enjoy my passion every day. It’s not work; it’s fun!

What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are to take more classes and always keep up with my learning. This is an ever-evolving business and I want to be sure that I’m on top of the latest hair styling trends and products. Working in a Manhattan salon is my next step. And, eventually, I would also like to be an educator in a cosmetology school so that I can share my experiences and craft with people who are just as passionate as me.

Tell us one of your hair styling secrets.
It’s simple, yet important – I always do a cool rinse at the end of washing my hair. It helps take away frizz and fly always and brings out the natural shine in your hair.

What’s the best part of your job?
I love being able to use my creativity daily with my clients. I love meeting new people. And I love making people feel good about themselves. Each day is a new adventure.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?
It’s often hard to please everyone because you are constantly faced with different personalities. This is why consultations are very important. You really get a sense of what someone is looking for and you then do your best to please them.

What’s your advice to aspiring hair stylists?
Never give up; never stop learning; never think you know it all. Be creative, get inspired, be unique, and rock the hair world!

-Amanda Fornecker

Everyone should have their own set of beauty tools, whether they are a beauty professional or not. With just the right tool, you’ll be able to properly amp up your beauty routine and ensure that you’re really looking your best at all times. Read about what the artistic director of Empire Beauty Schools, Gina Pieper, has to recommend.

When updating your styling tools, what products do you recommend avoiding?
I recommend staying away from nylon bristle round brushes as they can start to melt and bend when they come in contact with heat. Using these types of brushes can cause your hair to tangle during your blowout causing split ends and breakage. Also, I recommend staying away from nonionic blow dryers because they are extremely damaging to your hair. Avoid using a blow dryer that is more than 15 years old as it may even contain asbestos, which was formerly used as a heat resistant material in the power cord.

What kind of technology is used in these news tools and how does that help hair styling?
An ionic blow dryer is faster and leaves your hair shinier and healthier than the traditional blow dryer. It emits millions of charged particles called ions that bond to your hair, breaking down moisture molecules without frying your hair like the old blow dryers do. The Thermoceramic brushes produce more consistent heat for your hair which is less damaging and smoothes the cuticle, minimizing breakage and split ends. The boar bristles on brushes help smooth the hair strands individually for added shine and protection.

What are two must-have hair styling tools that stylists need to have right now?
Right now I love the big and sexy tousled curl trend! Having the newest hot rollers is a must; I recommend The Babyliss Pro Ceramic and Ionic Hair Setter as my choice of tool to accomplish this style. Stick straight hair is becoming a thing of the past, but having the right flat iron to twist some locks into a sassy wave is without a doubt a necessity. I love the Babyliss Diamond Titanium Flat Iron because it leaves the hair soft and shiny.

What are two must-have hair styling tools that consumers need to have right now?
A great “cheater tool” for someone that is not a professional is the InStyler (http://getinstyler.com/). I also recommend having a professional ionic blow dryer at home to avoid damaging your hair everyday.

As a hairstylist, what are the newest hair styling tools that you love?
I just became a big fan of the Denman Thermoceramic Straightening Brush, and Denman Thermoceramic Bristle Radial Brush. I recommend using them with an ionic blow dryer; I use the Babyliss Diamond Titanium.

-Empire Beauty Schools

Everyone loves a hug — well, almost everyone. Wednesday was Free Hugs Day and the students from the Paul Mitchell School of Cosmetology throughout the country, got up close and personal with unsuspecting individuals in their area. They made some people feel extra good about themselves — something they will definitely become accustomed to as a cosmetology professional.

The campaign was the first for the Paul Mitchell School, but it was part of the Be Nice (or Else!) student organization’s events. This team of students aims to help others and make a difference in their lives. This is definitely a characteristic of a cosmetologist’s job. In fact, many individuals enter the cosmetology profession to help others and find that the best part of their job is the reward of making others feel good about themselves.

Hugs are a great way to feel loved. A bad day can be made all the better with someone showing that they care. Kudos to the Paul Mitchell School for a fun campaign!

-Amanda Fornecker

I love reality television. It’s my guilty pleasure. Depending on the type of show, I can be interested in both competitions and shows that document people’s lives. The ability to appeal to an audience is probably best-suited for a brand new idea for a show. We’ve all seen the same old beauty competition shows. Shear Genius had hair stylists vying for a chance to win the title, money, and a career takeoff; Blush got us all interested in makeup careers. But there must be something else.

Here’s where “Beauty School Drop-In” (working title) comes in to play. I think this is a fabulous idea. The proposed show will follow around a few beauty students at the Hoss Lee Beauty School in Citrus Heights, CA. The students won’t necessarily be competing for anything on the show, but we will get to see their real lives. It will document what they actually go through as beauty students and even show their home and work lives. We will get to see what a truly exciting and challenging experience beauty school can be. I think this will be a great way to interest many more people in getting their beauty school degrees, certifications, and licenses. You don’t really know what a particular career involves until you’ve seen someone in action.

The show won’t air anytime soon, as there are still casting calls taking place. However, I do hope it makes it to the air so we can all learn something from beauty school and better understand how our beauty school stylists and cosmetologists get to where they are.

For more info check out: Local Reality Show Hopes to Make the Cut.

-Amanda Fornecker