4 Books Every Cosmetology Student Should Read
If you’re a cosmetology student, the beauty industry can be a professional pathway to explore your creativity. It’s also a way to carry on family or cultural traditions, stay on top of current trends, form social connections, and help others gain confidence by helping them look and feel their best.
As a result, writers regularly examine cosmetology’s appeal, with numerous fiction and nonfiction books exploring the importance, challenges, and joys of cosmetology. Here are a few you can enjoy…and some that may even help you as you pursue a career in the field.
Milady Line of Textbooks: Learn Your Craft!
OK, we realize it’s kind of a cheat to recommend an entire line of textbooks, but hear us out: Not only are these texts familiar in cosmetology schools, but their contents help lay the foundation of the craft. It’s also visually compelling, eye candy for a beauty-obsessed cosmetology student.
Along with the foundational Milady Standard Cosmetology text, other books cover more specific topics such as barbering, esthetics, massage therapy, nail technology, eyelashes, and more. Milady also offers exam reviews, ebooks, and workbook materials, as well as Spanish editions.
Learn more at MiladyTraining.com
Hair/Power: Why hair isn’t just hair
This collection of essays is a short but powerful read. Author Kajal Odedra explores our emotions around hair—why so much of our sense of self is affected by it (or its presence or absence) and what it says about our cultural status, gender, and age. Topics range from stories about her grandmother to commentary about power, identity, and politics. The author takes readers on a journey that uses hair to understand ourselves and our neighbors.
Learn more at GoodReads.com
Sunshine Nails: A lighthearted, humorous novel about refugees who find a home through their nail salon
This 2023 novel by Mai Nguyen is about the Tran family, refugees from Vietnam who start a new life in Toronto, Canada. Eventually, they open a nail salon in a gentrifying area of town. The Trans struggle to keep the business afloat while grappling with competition, rising rents, and class divides. Additionally, their grown daughter returns to Canada and reluctantly takes a job working for the family business.
As the daughter settles into her new role, growing close with her clientele and the neighborhood, she realizes the vital role Sunshine Nails plays in their community. Though heartwarming and funny, the book also provides insights into how an immigrant entrepreneurial tradition offers far more than a way to make a living.
Learn more at GoodReads.com
It’s Not Really About the Hair: A rare glimpse into the life and lessons of “blond bitch” Tabatha Coffey
Best known for her stint as host of Bravo’s Tabatha’s Salon Takeover, Tabatha Coffey built a reputation for overhauling troubled salons with her unique combination of outspokenness, tough love, and fierce business acumen. Her training from Toni + Guy helped make her a renowned stylist. Still, her honesty and passion for the craft make her an ideal role model for future cosmetologists, salon owners—and entrepreneurs who want to turn passion into profits.
Coffey reveals personal details about her journey, from her childhood in Australia to becoming an American success story. She shares the hard-earned wisdom she’s cultivated from personal sacrifice and business challenges.
Learn more at Amazon.com
