People often get these two terms confused. They both take place in a beauty school, they both require some form of certification, and they both involve cosmetic work that can help clients look and feel more beautiful than ever before. Most individuals think that these two are the same thing, but there are huge differences that individuals should be aware of before deciding on their career path.
Cosmetology
Cosmetology is what most people think of when they think of beauty school in the first place. They envision cutting and styling to perfection in a salon. Facials, expert manicures and pedicures and flawless make up looks are a few other things that cosmetology is known for. One of the key ways to help differentiate between the two is remembering that cosmetology often involves things that are more along the lines of cutting, styling and quick surface things that can easily be reversed, such as facials or manicures.
Beauty Therapy
Beauty therapy is similar to cosmetology in the fact that a person goes to school to learn beauty treatments. The coursework is often different, however. Schools that specialize in beauty therapy treatments often offer more advanced coursework, like laser hair removal training and other beauty therapy. In addition to this, they often offer some of the more popular courses that are offered at schools that specialize in cosmetology, such as certified nail technician courses.
Which one to choose
When students are faced with deciding which school to attend, they are often faced with choosing between cosmetology and beauty therapy schools. While beauty therapy schools offer some of the same things that cosmetology schools offer, most cosmetology schools do not offer courses in laser hair removal training.
Students are encouraged to sit back and consider their education goals. If a student would like to learn more advanced beauty therapy treatments, a beauty school that specializes in courses such as laser hair removal training will be the best option. Students that have a dream of working in a salon and giving their clients a haircut that they will fall in love with or the perfect pedicure will find that a beauty school that specializes in more cosmetology practices instead of advanced beauty therapy treatments, like laser hair removal training, will be more up their alley.
Shop around
An education is what determines a person’s future, making it one of the most important decisions in a young adult’s life. Because of this, students are encouraged to take their time shopping around, just like when they want to find the perfect outfit.
Many beauty school have websites that list their tuition, the various courses that are offered, and what the schedule will look like. If a student is interested, they can usually take a tour of the facility, and visit the labs that they will be working in. Sometimes, a school will even allow an interested person to sit in on a laser hair removal training class so that they can determine if this is the path that they would like to take.
When deciding on a career path, knowing the difference between cosmetology and beauty therapy is vital in making the decision on which to school to attend, and which career path they would like to take. Confusing these two terms is extremely common, but it can also mean the difference between attending a school that focuses on stylist work and attending a school that focuses on more advanced beauty treatments, such as laser hair removal training.
Future students are advised to keep these two terms, and their differences in mind as they visit different school and begin to develop their own education goals.
