Styling hair, doing manicures and giving facials are just a fraction of the skills cosmetology students are taught. However, it goes farther than that.

What is unique about Fauquier’s cosmetology course is that students can become licensed cosmetologists by the time they graduate. This means that once they leave high school they can go directly into the workforce with all the skills they need to know in hand.

To many cosmetology students, this is incredibly helpful for jumpstarting their careers. “I would like to start off my career doing hair and then go on to bigger things,” senior Kari Dudley says. She says she plans on getting licensed in cosmetology before she graduates.

Even if these students don’t want to pursue a career in cosmetology, they learn valuable skills needed in any type of working environment such as teamwork and communication.

Many students take the hands-on skills they learn in class and use it on themselves and family members.

Senior Darlene Ruiz says she uses the skills she learns in class to do her cousin’s hair. Ruiz and others in the class plan on getting certified as a backup plan for their future.

Currently, Cosmetology III students are learning to color and perm hair. They also learn how to wax and do pedicures and manicures.