Went from teaching myself on mannequins to real clients and man, what a difference

For the first 6 months I only practiced on my training mannequin at the beauty school in Portland. Perfect sections every time, zero tangles, I thought I had it down. Then I had my first walk-in at the shop, a lady with fine curly hair, and the comb kept snagging no matter what I did. Took me twice as long and I still missed a section near her crown. Has anyone else felt like mannequins give you a false sense of confidence before you hit the real thing?

3 comments

3 Comments

oliver_morgan19d ago

My first real haircut was on a friend who had this thick wavy hair that just bounced back no matter how much I sprayed it down. Kept thinking the mannequin would have stayed wet for ten minutes but her hair dried in like two. I ended up with this weird choppy look on one side because I rush dried it trying to match my practice schedule. She was nice about it but I could tell she was checking herself in the mirror every five seconds. Mannequins really do lie to you about how hair actually behaves when its alive.

evaallen19d ago

Oh goodness, I remember reading an interview with a veteran stylist who said mannequins are like practicing on perfectly behaved dolls, while real heads have a mind of their own! She mentioned that even the most precise mannequin work can't prepare you for the way real hair reacts to tension or products differently. It's a completely different ballgame once you add in a person's unique texture and their ability to move around.

xena118d ago

Completely different ballgame" feels a bit dramatic to me. I mean sure, real heads move and hair dries faster, but is it really that different from mannequins? Most of the basics still transfer over, like sectioning and keeping your fingers level.