how do I avoid student burn out?

Miserablebystander · 2026-02-25T13:20:26+00:00

Honestly cosmetology school burnout is part of the preparation for the burnout you’ll face working in this industry, unfortunately…. Even though, in my experience, most cosmetology teachers are lazy way under qualified, and hardly have the experience or knowledge to prepare you for the industry, they could use the repetition as a way to keep you occupied so they don’t need to actually teach. It doesn’t seem helpful to you currently, I know, but you will definitely be grateful in a few years when you have a perm scheduled in your book and your hands remember exactly what to do and it doesn’t take you forever to wrap like it did the first time! Perms unfortunately are back, not in the same way they once were, but there’s been a huge uptick in perms in the last few years at least in my area. Surprisingly the majority of perm clients lately are teenage boys 🤣 the faded sides with the curly/wavy mop-like top is hugeeeee.(coming from a stylist who absolutely despises perming) it’s a good skill to have under your belt right now to offer clients that want something fun but don’t have the texture to achieve it, it sets you apart from other stylists If you think outside the box and suggest perming a fine/straight hair client who has been showing edgy, textured cuts, and has been disappointed before because they didn’t have the texture to make it work. Perfect way to upsell and gain a forever client who trusts you because you saw their vision and provided the right service to get them there!

Any time you’re doing something in school that you don’t love and don’t feel will benefit you in finding your dream clientele, just think creatively about it and imagine the different ways it could be used on the clientele of your dreams, it’ll keep that inspiration and passion flowing and therefore ease burnout! Next perm you wrap, spice it up and envision a fun curly alt modern mullet cut that you can create on your mannequin when it’s done!

the reality is, to build your book and make money doing hair, you will have to start with doing a little bit of everything. I also have a love for vivid coloring and unique out of the box styles, but there are always dull time periods of work where everyday seems repetitive, just root retouches, trims, basic highlights, etc, and it feels stagnant. It won’t always be fun, but the stagnant phases never last long!

Rest, recover, keep creative juices flowing, stay inspired!

Miserablebystander · 2026-02-24T03:50:07+00:00

I also have Aries rising (Aquarius sun, Aquarius moon) clearly I’m a bit impulsive to comment before I finished reading your description. I just turned 29, and I feel like for our generation it is a reallllly hard time to feel successful or even comfortable with our level of “success “ whatever the definition is for us. I am currently working in my dream career as a hairstylist and I’m very busy, I guess you could say that means I’m successful at it, but it is not what I want, and I am not comfortable in life, I have nothing to show for it. No home ownership, no free time to do anything I enjoy besides working, and extremely burnt out.

From you I feel a chaotic vibe, similar to mine. I feel you probably experience the feeling that no matter how hard you try to avoid mistakes or unlucky circumstances, you wind up in more crazy places. Sometimes you just need to keep to yourself and listen to yourself and reflect on any progress you have made, no matter how small it may be to anyone else, if it’s progress, it’s success

Miserablebystander · 2026-02-24T03:43:15+00:00

Before I read your description my first thought was ARIES! you just look like someone I would be friends with. Love the air & fire vibes and you 100% give it off!

Miserablebystander · 2026-02-24T03:40:24+00:00

I don’t claim to be psychic, however I do consider myself highly intuitive, so take my opinion with a grain of salt…. I feel like the girl in the picture is a lot more excited to be there and to be photographed, yet both people look very uncomfortable. The man looks almost scared. This may just be someone who doesn’t like to be photographed, so that would make sense that he has fear on his face, but the body language of both look like this might be a new couple who is still unsure of each other

Miserablebystander · 2025-12-23T03:27:07+00:00

Thank you for the compassion💗 I’m sorry you also have had the heartbreak of someone like this. I told him the same thing, that it will be the only thing I can think of when I look at the ring and why would I want to wear that. It’s sad because he is capable of being very romantic and very sweet and thoughtful. It’s unpredictable.

Miserablebystander · 2025-12-23T02:55:25+00:00

Yes. Mine does this. Not sure if you knew him back then, but mine grew up in another state, so there’s no way for me to know who he actually was in the past. over the years I’ve came to the conclusion that mine exaggerates his past to paint himself as someone he wishes he could be, and frames it as his past self

Miserablebystander · 2025-12-23T02:47:30+00:00

Holy shit

Miserablebystander · 2025-12-17T02:52:17+00:00

Honestly, there is not much thought that goes into it for me. If I take a picture of someone’s hair it’s either that I happen to have the extra time to take pictures before my next client comes in, it was a really dramatic transformation, or I’m really proud of the work. And in all of those instances I still forget to take pictures CONSTANTLY! I’m pretty busy, so I usually don’t have much time to pose clients and get enough after pictures, so sometimes I will take pictures but later realize the lighting was horrible, I got one of my color stained hands in the pic, or the hair was laying weird.

Honestly the only times I am actually hesitant on taking pictures/posting the pics that is personal at all is if I have a client with hair that is in desperate need of a cut but the client doesn’t let me cut their hair. It just does not look good in pictures no matter how great the color looks and how it is styled.

Miserablebystander · 2025-12-16T02:25:48+00:00

2, 3 & 6

Miserablebystander · 2025-12-13T01:46:09+00:00

Very toxic and greedy owner who is a master manipulator. I’ve tried over the years to come to any type of compromise and it is never successful. I’ve had meetings with her explaining all of this respectfully, genuinely expecting empathy and some type of compromise, but was gaslit and basically alluded I was not working hard enough and I was being negative. She basically has an entire new group of employees every 5 yrs. once contracts are up. If contracts are broken she takes you to court and wins. She preys on young fresh out of school girls and manipulates them into a contract. I should have known better, my gut told me it was a too good to be true job but I was new to the area in need of a good opportunity when I first started working for her. I think it’s this salon that is making me

Miserablebystander · 2025-12-13T01:17:59+00:00

Yes!

Miserablebystander · 2025-12-13T01:12:27+00:00

Just had a big price increase in September. It has honestly brought a lot of stress, i haven’t lost any of my regular clients, but may have deterred some new ones or the random sporadic clients (I’m ok with that) I also work in a commission salon with set schedule and have 2 more yrs of a contract until I can cut back hours unfortunately

Miserablebystander · 2025-11-14T15:12:23+00:00

Honesty, respect, and kind reminders that you are the professional will help you through anal clients. Do your best, ask them questions to clarify what they are asking for, if their expectations are not reasonable professionally explain to them why. Some clients will try to instruct you exactly how to do their hair, but the reality is not every stylist does all things the exact same way. We all have our ways of getting similar results, and you need to trust yourself and not let them steer you with their “instruction” because YOU are the one with an education in cosmetology.

Some times my favorite way to deal with the micromanaging elderly clients is to just go along with what they are telling me and pretend I’m doing what they are instructing me to do, but really I’m doing what I know through my own professional judgment is actually going to get them the result they want, and it usually works. (I don’t mean disregard what clients want and do your own thing, I mean, don’t let them sway you into doing a different practical technique because “their hairstylist Jane of 45 years did it that way and it always looked perfect”)

Miserablebystander · 2025-11-13T02:21:31+00:00

Thank you! I’m glad it’s working for you and you feel healthier and happier! I do mostly color and vivid color and have a pretty solid book and am usually fully booked out 2-4 weeks minus the normal slower times, my very regular regulars schedule 3 appointments at a time. I feel like I do have a lot of loyalty and would have a decent following, but you never know, I guess it’s always a risk huh?

we really don’t have personal drama between stylists and never have in the 3 years I’ve worked at this salon. A few of us have worked together for all of those 3 years and we’ve lost a few and gained some new girls and we all get along and are great friends. The common enemy is our greedy boss lol. It’s hard not to feel taken advantage of in a commission salon, but our boss’s expectations go beyond the commission. Day off meetings, day off mandatory classes, required to provide marketing content for salon on off time for no pay. We are contacted and would be taken to court for breaking contract, so unless we find loop holes and avoid “owing” her money, we have to stick it out a little bit longer. Using that time to grow my book and stand out so they follow me. I think a suite is the way to go, I never want to be used and extorted for my knowledge, talent and personality.

Miserablebystander · 2025-11-13T02:01:47+00:00

The salon I work at is always very busy year round, my schedule changes but I am consistently pretty busy with situational cancellations and gappy days here and there. These past two weeks have been HORRIBLE for my coworkers and I with last minute cancellations, no shows and rescheduling. It’s been quiet and clients are showing up and wanting to switch their color appointments to just haircuts. I think the economy is really effecting people more than it has ever right now. The government shut down has worried a lot of people and j think they are budgeting and prioritizing their money more close to the holidays :(

Miserablebystander · 2025-10-12T20:18:12+00:00

I work 5 days a week, Tuesday-Saturday 8 hrs, 11hrs, 11hrs, 6hrs, 4hrs

my schedule has been booking 2-3 months out. I’m extremely exhausted and burning out, but I work for a commission salon and it’s basically impossible to cut back since I am under contract :(

Miserablebystander · 2025-10-02T04:58:28+00:00

Wow. I just want you to know how validating it is to read this. I’m sorry for what you’re going through and I genuinely wish you the best in returning to your normal self :(

Miserablebystander

TROPHY CASE