Becoming a Hairstylist

Masters at Work

by Kate Bolick

Based on the real-life experiences of an expert in the field, an immersive, accessible guide to a career in hairstyling brought to life by acclaimed writer Kate Bolick—essential reading for anyone interested in this creative and dynamic profession. Gwenn LeMoine sees the world through the lens of hair. The daughter of two hairstylists, she has taken her natural talent to an entrepreneurial level and is now the owner of Parlor, a wildly popular, two-location hair salon in the East Village and Brooklyn. A pioneer with four decades of expertise in styling eccentric celebrity personalities, LeMoine works with clients such as such as Piper Kerman, Rue McClanahan, Molly Ringwald, Twyla Tharp, and William Wegman, to name only a few. Her work has also been featured on television (SNL, VH1, ETV), in magazines (Real Simple, Nylon, The New York Times, and Paste), and at awards shows, such as the Tonys and Emmys. In Becoming a Hairstylist, Atlantic columnist and New York Times notable author Kate Bolick provides a compelling profile of a career in hair styling through the life of LeMoine, and offers us a glance at a day in the life at Parlor. The perfect resource for anyone interested in a career in cosmetology, Becoming a Hairstylist portrays how to excel as a stylist—at any age and for all types of customers.

Genres: Nonfiction

145 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2019

About the author

Kate Bolick is a contributing editor for The Atlantic, freelance writer for ELLE, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal (among other publications), and host of "Touchstones at The Mount," an annual literary interview series at Edith Wharton's country estate, in Lenox, MA. Previously, she was executive editor of Domino, and a columnist for The Boston Globe Ideas Section.

Bolick has appeared on The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and numerous NPR programs across the country. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book exceeded my expectations. And it was a quick read to boot. i interviews were fun to read. I had no idea that hairstylists had to be licensed. And it seems to take a long time to get an appointment for the written licensing test. And it also surprised me that cosmetology school was so technical. You need to learn more than only cutting hair. I thought it would be easy to get into and easy to breeze through. That is not the case.
I have never thought I could cut hair as a profession. I am not sure I would be able to cut hair very well. Though I can see why people want to be hairstylists. You get to be around people, talk, and make peoples look the best it can.
I am so glad I read this book. I don't know that I will ever be a hairstylist but, at least now I have an idea of how to become one.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some writers are so good that they make you interested in topics you wouldn’t have thought you’d want to read about. I am pretty “plain Jane” when it comes to hair, although I do get “good“ haircuts two or three times a year. I don’t go for fancy hairdos or color my hair or use products in it, and yet this book fascinated me. I picked it up quite randomly on the new releases shelf at the library, and was engrossed. The authors easy style packed a lot into a small space, and there’s lots of interesting historical context for hair fashion through the ages, along with the social and political implications thereof.

I now intend to read several other books in this series: Masters at Work. From what I’ve read, all of the authors in the series are experienced a longform investigative journalists. This bodes well for the other books!

[Aspasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up at the library; I'm a former hairdresser so it was a quick, little read for me. Bolick discusses the history of hairdressing, beauty school processes, and the requirements to become a licensed hair dresser. Most of this was review for me but the author has a breezy writing style, so those that have no idea what it takes to become a hairdresser will probably learn a lot about the hair industry. Bolick profiles a few successful hairdressers; it was interesting to read how they use social media to build their business (which wasn't around when I did hair).

[Bridget Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Super quick read but lots of information.

[Michelle Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure why I read this it just seemed interesting and it was!

[Ashok Krishna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

[Rosanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book because my father is a hair dresser. I remember being little seeing all the ladies and sometimes men come into his salon to get their hair done. I wanted to see what he went through owning his salon, the fun times, the friendships along the way and the stress he sometimes had. It was nice to go back and rekindle those memories. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to own or work in a salon as well as those who might have memories growing up in the salon business. Great book!