Should You Go to Cosmetology School? 7 Things to Consider First

What to Know Before Choosing Cosmetology

• Continued Employment Demand: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 84,200 openings for barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists each year from 2024 to 2034. Employment specifically for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists is projected to grow 6% during that period.
• Room to Build Higher-Value Services: Hair coloring represented approximately 28% of global hair salon service revenue in 2025, while advanced color techniques have been associated with larger average service tickets.
• Multiple Ways to Work: Cosmetologists may build careers in traditional salons, independent rental settings, business ownership, event work, or professional beauty education. About 48% of U.S. hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists were self-employed in 2024.
• State-Specific Training: Neosho Beauty and Barber College lists its cosmetology program at 1,500 hours. Missouri law also requires at least 1,500 hours for the standard cosmetology-school pathway and requires students to complete at least 160 classroom hours before performing cosmetology services on school patrons.
• Safety Is Part of the Profession: Missouri cosmetology education includes subjects such as sanitation and sterilization, cosmetic chemistry, anatomy, state law, and practical instruction intended to prepare students for safe professional work.

Choosing a career is a major decision, especially when tuition, training time, and future income are involved. Cosmetology can appeal to people who enjoy creativity and working directly with others, but enjoying beauty as a hobby is different from performing services professionally every day.

Before enrolling, it helps to understand what training actually involves, what the job market looks like, how cosmetologists earn money, and what physical and business responsibilities come with the profession. The goal is not simply to decide whether beauty sounds exciting. It is to determine whether the day-to-day reality matches the type of career you want to build.

Inside Professional Cosmetology Training

Cosmetology school is designed to turn beginner-level interest into repeatable professional skills. Students combine classroom education, demonstrations, practical exercises, and supervised service experience rather than spending all of their time practicing hairstyles.

You also do not necessarily need previous salon experience before enrolling. If you are unsure whether your background is suitable, reviewing what you actually need before applying to cosmetology school can help clarify what schools generally expect from new students.

The Skills You Build Before Entering the Industry

Cosmetology education covers much more than cutting and styling. Missouri's cosmetology-school requirements include instruction in shampooing, hair coloring and bleaching, haircutting and shaping, permanent waving and relaxing, hairstyling techniques, scalp treatments, facials, nail services, cosmetic chemistry, salon management, sanitation, anatomy, and state law.

Typical areas of training include:

• Hair Science and Chemistry: Learning how hair responds to color, lighteners, permanent waves, relaxers, styling products, and other chemical services.
• Hair, Skin, and Body Fundamentals: Studying anatomy and basic concepts involving the hair, scalp, skin, and related structures that professionals encounter during services.
• Sanitation and Infection Prevention: Developing habits for cleaning, sterilization or disinfection as applicable, safe tool handling, and maintaining an appropriate service environment.
• Hands-On Application: Practicing technical procedures and eventually performing supervised services as part of the school's practical training.

Missouri does not allow cosmetology students to begin providing services to school patrons immediately. Under state law, a student must first complete at least 160 hours of classroom training or the equivalent credits before performing cosmetology services on a patron or customer of the school.

That early learning period helps students establish basic knowledge and safety habits before adding the additional responsibility of working with real clients.

How Much Time Cosmetology Training Takes

Training requirements are determined by state law, so there is no universal number of hours that applies everywhere in the United States.

In Missouri, the standard cosmetology course of study at a cosmetology school must consist of at least 1,500 hours. A separate pathway exists for students in public vocational or technical schools, where Missouri law specifies at least 1,220 hours.

Neosho Beauty and Barber College lists its own cosmetology program as requiring 1,500 hours for licensure preparation.

The number of calendar months it takes to reach those hours depends on the student's schedule and attendance. Someone attending more scheduled hours each week may progress through the required hours faster than someone following a reduced schedule.

The time commitment also involves more than simply accumulating hours. Students must learn to manage appointment timing, communicate clearly with clients, follow sanitation procedures, reproduce technical results consistently, and understand how different products and chemical processes affect the hair.

Those professional habits become increasingly important once you move from a classroom setting into a working salon.

What the Employment Outlook Actually Shows

A beauty career still depends heavily on services delivered directly to clients. Haircuts, coloring, styling, texture services, and many treatments require a professional and client to be physically present in the same location.

That does not guarantee success for every graduate, but federal labor projections provide useful context about how much demand the occupation is expected to have.

Demand for Cosmetologists Over the Next Decade

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment specifically for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists is projected to increase 6% from 2024 to 2034. The average projected increase for all U.S. occupations during the same period is 3%.

The broader occupational category combining barbers, hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists is projected to grow 5%. Across that broader group, approximately 84,200 openings per year are projected on average during the decade.

Many of those openings are expected to occur because existing workers transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force, including retirement. BLS also expects continuing demand for basic hair services as well as coloring, straightening, and other advanced hair treatments.

Those numbers represent industry-wide demand rather than a guarantee of employment for an individual graduate. Building a durable career still depends on technical ability, reliability, client communication, and the ability to encourage repeat appointments.

What Cosmetology Earnings Can Look Like

Income in beauty is difficult to summarize with a single salary figure because professionals work under very different arrangements. Some are employees, some work on commission, and many operate independently.

Understanding Wage Data and Self-Employment

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median hourly wage for employed hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists was $16.95 in May 2024.

The lowest 10% earned less than $11.82 per hour, while the highest 10% earned more than $33.76 per hour. BLS states that tips received by workers are included in its wage figures.

There is an important limitation to those numbers. Approximately 48% of hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists were self-employed in 2024, while BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics do not include pay for self-employed workers.

That makes it useful to distinguish an employee's wage from the finances of someone operating independently.

Depending on the workplace, compensation can include:

1. Hourly Pay or Service Commission: An employee may receive an hourly wage, a percentage of service revenue, or another compensation arrangement established by the salon.
2. Client Tips: Barbers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists may receive gratuities in addition to their service compensation.
3. Retail Incentives: Some workplaces offer additional compensation for professional product sales.

Independent professionals have a different financial picture. Service sales may look impressive as gross revenue, but booth or suite rent, products, insurance, payment-processing fees, taxes, marketing, and other operating costs reduce what ultimately becomes personal income.

Early-career earnings can also change as a stylist becomes faster, improves consultation skills, develops stronger client retention, and fills more appointment slots.

Why Advanced Services Can Change the Revenue Mix

Specialized technical skills can make it possible to offer higher-priced appointments, although a higher service price does not automatically equal a higher profit. Product usage, service time, overhead, and local pricing all affect profitability.

Research from Deep Market Insights estimates the global hair salon service market at approximately $215 billion in 2025. Hair coloring accounted for roughly 28% of total revenue, the largest service segment identified in the report.

The research also associates techniques such as balayage, ombré, highlights, and creative color transformations with higher average service ticket sizes.

For someone building a career, that helps explain why continuing education can matter. Advanced color, extensions, texture services, and other specialized skills can expand the types of appointments a cosmetologist is prepared to offer.

School establishes the foundation, but learning typically continues after graduation. BLS notes that cosmetologists may take advanced courses throughout their careers to stay current with techniques and trends.

Where a Cosmetology License Can Lead

One attraction of the beauty industry is that professionals do not all have to follow the same employment model.

Different Ways to Structure a Beauty Career

Depending on licensing rules, experience, business goals, and the type of services you provide, possible career arrangements can include:

• Traditional Salon Employment: Work within an established salon that may already have systems for scheduling, products, marketing, and customer traffic.
• Booth or Suite Rental: Rent professional space while taking greater responsibility for your own pricing, clientele, supplies, scheduling, and expenses.
• Wedding and Event Services: Provide hairstyling or related services on location when permitted under applicable licensing and establishment rules.
• Beauty Brand Education: Use technical knowledge and industry experience in education, demonstration, product-support, sales, or training roles.

Independent work is already a major part of the field. BLS reports that 48% of hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists were self-employed in 2024. The agency also notes that some professionals lease booth space, manage salons, or open their own shops after gaining experience.

If you want a broader view of possibilities beyond a traditional salon chair, explore these career paths available with cosmetology training.

Client Work, Creativity, and Growing Hair-Care Interests

A cosmetologist rarely works with two clients who have exactly the same needs. Hair texture, previous chemical services, lifestyle, maintenance expectations, and personal preferences all affect the service plan.

That variation can make the profession appealing to people who enjoy creative problem-solving and direct interaction with clients.

Interest in targeted hair and scalp products is also significant. Grand View Research valued the global hair and scalp care product market at $88.2 billion in 2025. The firm projects the market to increase from $93.6 billion in 2026 to approximately $150.5 billion by 2033.

This research measures consumer products, not cosmetology wages or salon-service revenue. It therefore should not be interpreted as proof that scalp-related services automatically increase a stylist's income.

It does, however, indicate substantial consumer spending in a category that includes products targeting concerns such as dandruff, dryness, hair fall, scalp irritation, and thinning.

Cosmetologists should remain within the services permitted by their license and education. Cosmetic hair or scalp services are different from diagnosing or treating medical conditions, and concerns requiring medical evaluation should be directed to an appropriate healthcare professional.

The Physical and Safety Side of Salon Work

The creative side of cosmetology gets plenty of attention, but the occupation also involves physical demands and repeated exposure to professional products

What Salon Work Requires From Your Body

Cosmetologists spend substantial time standing while cutting, coloring, styling, washing, and performing other services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics specifically identifies physical stamina as important because professionals are on their feet for most of their shifts.

Repetitive hand and arm movements can add another physical challenge. Research published in the Journal of Occupational Health identifies factors such as repetitive movements, prolonged standing, awkward working postures, and long working periods in connection with musculoskeletal strain among hairdressers.

Good working habits therefore matter early in a career. Paying attention to equipment height, posture, positioning, hand technique, and how long you remain in one position can help reduce unnecessary physical stress.

Working Safely Around Salon Chemicals

Cosmetologists may regularly encounter color products, lighteners, relaxers, permanent-wave products, disinfectants, and other chemical formulations. Training therefore needs to include product knowledge, sanitation, manufacturer instructions, and appropriate precautions.

Federal cosmetic regulation has also changed significantly in recent years. The Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 expanded FDA authority and created or strengthened requirements involving serious adverse-event reporting, facility registration, product listing, safety substantiation, access to certain records, and mandatory recalls under specified conditions.

Those regulatory changes do not eliminate the need for professionals to understand individual product hazards.

For example, the FDA explains that some hair-smoothing products contain or release formaldehyde when heated. Inadequate ventilation can expose salon professionals and clients to formaldehyde gas, which can irritate the eyes, nose, lungs, and skin.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration states that salons and beauty schools using products that contain or release formaldehyde must follow applicable requirements under OSHA's formaldehyde and Hazard Communication standards. Depending on the exposure and workplace conditions, requirements can include worker training, exposure assessment, protective measures, and other controls.

Learning chemical safety is therefore part of protecting both yourself and the people receiving your services, not simply something to memorize for an exam.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Enroll

Before making a commitment, think through the practical side of the career as carefully as the creative side:

• Can You Afford the Training Period? Have you considered tuition, financial-aid options, supplies, transportation, and normal living expenses while completing school?
• Do You Like Working Closely With People? Are you comfortable listening carefully, handling different personalities, and communicating throughout a service?
• Can You Handle the Physical Routine? Are you prepared to spend long periods standing and repeatedly using your hands, arms, shoulders, and back?
• Are You Willing to Keep Learning? Can you see yourself continuing to learn new techniques, products, safety practices, and industry developments after obtaining your license?
• Are You Comfortable With the Business Side? Building a clientele can involve rebooking, scheduling, customer service, marketing, product knowledge, and consistent follow-up in addition to performing good technical work.
• Have You Seen the Profession Up Close? Visiting a school, observing a professional salon environment, or speaking with working cosmetologists can help you compare your expectations with the actual daily routine.

It also helps to think past graduation before you enroll. Understanding what comes after cosmetology school can give you a clearer picture of licensing, first-job preparation, and the early stages of building a professional career.

Common Questions Before Starting Cosmetology School

How Long Will a Cosmetology Program Take?

The answer depends on both state training requirements and the student's attendance schedule.

In Missouri, the standard cosmetology-school course must include at least 1,500 hours. Neosho Beauty and Barber College also lists its cosmetology program at 1,500 hours. The number of months needed to complete those hours varies according to the schedule offered by the school and how consistently the student attends.

How Is Cosmetology Different From Esthetics?

Cosmetology is generally a broader beauty pathway with a strong emphasis on hair services while also covering other subjects such as skin and nail care.

Esthetics follows a more specialized skin-focused pathway. Training typically centers on services such as facials, skin treatments, hair removal, makeup application, and other esthetic procedures rather than the full range of haircutting, coloring, and chemical hair services included in cosmetology education.

Exact scopes of practice depend on the licensing laws of the state where you intend to work.

When Can Students Begin Working With Real Clients?

Being enrolled in cosmetology school does not automatically allow a student to perform licensed services independently in a salon.

Within a Missouri cosmetology school, state law requires cosmetology students to complete at least 160 hours of classroom training or the equivalent credits before they may perform cosmetology services on school patrons.

After reaching that threshold, supervised practical work can become part of the educational process. Students may also pursue jobs that do not require them to personally perform licensed cosmetology services, depending on the position and employer.

What If You Want to Work in Another State Later?

Cosmetology licenses are issued at the state level, so moving does not automatically transfer a license under one nationwide system.

Missouri has its own reciprocity provision. Current Missouri law states that the board may grant a cosmetology license without examination to an applicant holding a current license from another U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia when that jurisdiction's licensing requirements are similar to Missouri's. The law also provides a pathway for an applicant who has practiced cosmetology for at least two consecutive years in another U.S. jurisdiction, subject to the statute's conditions.

Other states may use different standards involving education, examinations, experience, applications, or additional requirements.

If you expect to relocate, check directly with the licensing authority in your destination state before assuming your Missouri education or license will transfer automatically.

See What Cosmetology Training Looks Like at Neosho

A school can influence how confidently you move from theory into practical work, so it is worth reviewing the actual program rather than choosing based only on location or advertising.

Neosho Beauty and Barber College's cosmetology program is a 1,500-hour pathway. The school states that students receive hands-on experience and training involving haircutting, coloring, perming, styling, manicures, pedicures, acrylic sets, lash and brow services, facials, waxing, and makeup application.

The school's program information also highlights professional-development areas such as salon business, client retention, résumé writing, and job-seeking skills. That combination can help students understand that becoming a cosmetologist involves both performing services and learning how to operate professionally in the beauty industry.

If you are considering enrolling, visit the Enrollment section to review the next steps.

You can also submit your information through the school's campus-tour form to visit the training environment, speak with the admissions team, and ask questions before making your decision.