As a salon professional in Florida you will enjoy a unique level of independence while helping your clients look their best – whether for a day on the beach, a special event, or just because.
Florida offers one of the strongest job markets for beauty professionals in the nation:
- Florida employs the third-largest number of skin care specialists of all states in the country
- Florida is the fourth-largest employer of hairstylists, hairdressers, and cosmetologists in the nation, while Palm Coast is the metropolitan area with the third-highest concentration of these professionals in the United States
- The Naples-Marco Island urban area offers one of the highest average salaries for manicurists and pedicurists or all metro regions in the nation
- Florida offers the third highest number of jobs in the country for makeup artists who work in the performing and theatrical arts
Whether you’re interested in helping clients achieve glowing skin, perfect nails, or a chic do, your career in Florida’s salon industry starts with a professional license. You will become familiar with one of these agencies as you work to become a licensed salon professional in Florida:
- Board of Cosmetology – regulates cosmetologists, hair design specialists, nail specialists, and bodywork specialists
- Barbers’ Board – regulates barbers
- Florida Department of Health – regulates electrologists
To be eligible for any of these licenses you will need to complete a specific set of education requirements through a program offered at one of Florida’s approved beauty schools.
Becoming a Cosmetologist in Florida
As a licensed cosmetologist, you’ll be able to provide a wide range of beauty services to your clients, though you’re likely to focus primarily on hair styling. The complete suite of services you’ll be approved to provide include:
- Hair styling, cutting, dyeing, perms, and other hair services
- Hair braiding and hair wrapping
- Mechanical and chemical head, face, and scalp treatments
- Superfluous non-invasive hair removal, such as with wax
- Manicures and pedicures
- Skin treatments and skin services, including body wraps
- Makeup services
Cosmetology Schools in Florida
To be eligible for a cosmetology license you will need to complete at least 1,200 hours of training from an approved beauty school. Coursework and practical training will include:
- Tools and techniques of hair styling
- Science and physiology of skin, hair, the scalp, and nails
- Disorders and treatments that afflict human skin
- Makeup styling options
- Nail technician procedures and techniques
- Florida cosmetology laws and regulations
- Safety and sanitation
Cosmetology Exam Requirements
You will need to pass the Cosmetology Licensure Examination to earn your license. This is administered by the company Pearson VUE and divided into two portions:
- Written theory of cosmetology
- Written clinical cosmetology
Both exams are comprised of 65 multiple-choice questions each.
Job Opportunities for Cosmetologists
As a cosmetologist, your field of potential employers is vast, even as compared with other licensed beauty professionals in Florida. Cosmetologists aren’t just expert hair stylists. In fact, your cosmetology license would allow you to seek salon jobs, as well as jobs outside of the salon setting:
- Makeup, including with performing artists or film and television production companies
- Beauty salons and spas
- Specialty skincare companies
- Cosmetic companies
- Nail boutiques and nail salons
- Hair salons
For example, contrary to beauty professionals with specific licenses, as a cosmetologist you could work in a place like Avant-Guarde Salon and Spa in Miami and provide services in the multiple areas this spa offers – bridal makeup, facials, nails, hair, and bodywork.
Becoming a Hair Design Specialist in Florida
Florida licenses two classes of hair design specialists:
- Hair braider – a professional who weaves and interweaves human hair
- Hair wrapper – a professional who wraps manufactures materials around a strand or strands of their customers’ hair
Hair Design Specialist Schools in Florida
You can earn a license in one or both of these specialist fields by completing the following associated education requirements. You do not need to pass any examinations:
- Hair braiding – take a two-day 16-hour approved course
- Hair wrapping – take a one-day 6-hour approved course
Your education will cover topics that include infectious diseases, sanitation, disinfection, scalp disorders, and Florida laws.
Job Opportunities for Florida’s Hair Design Specialists
As a hair designer you can potentially find jobs in specialty hair studios and all-purpose beauty salons, including:
- Mystic Hair in Tampa
- Monaco Hair Salon in Tampa
- Neff Studio Salon in Cape Coral
- Dominican Hair and Nail Salon in Port Saint Lucie
- Billy Sullo Salon in Fort Lauderdale Hair Salon
Becoming a Nail Specialist in Florida
By earning a nail specialist license you will be able to offer your clients services like:
- Manicures and pedicures
- Affixing of artificial nails
- Massaging and beautification of the feet
Nail Specialist Schools in Florida
To qualify for this license you need to complete a nail specialist training program that is at least 240 hours in length, and that includes the study of:
- Artificial nail removal and application
- Nail wraps and nail mending
- Nail sculpting
- Infectious diseases and sanitation
- Ethics
- Florida laws and rules
Once you complete your education you can apply for your license directly without taking an exam.
Florida Nail Specialist Employers
As a nail expert you can work in specialty nail salons or beauty spas that offer manicures and pedicures as one of many services. This includes places like:
- Tiffany’s Nail Salon in Jacksonville
- Cabello’s Hair and Nail Studio in Tallahassee
- Wonder Nail in Hialeah
- NailBar and Beauty Lounge in Miami
- Nail Salon and Spa in Saint Petersburg
Becoming an Esthetician in Florida
The Florida Board of Cosmetology licenses estheticians as “Facial Specialists.” As a facial specialist you can provide skincare and facial services that include:
- Makeup application
- Facial massage
- Scalp and facial treatments that involve oils, lotions, creams, and other products
- Superfluous hair removal
You may also want to consider becoming licensed as a Body Wrapper, which will allow you to apply pre-soaked herbal body wraps to your clients to complete the luxury salon experience.
Esthetician Schools in Florida
To become a licensed facial specialist you must complete an approved education program that is at least 260 hours in length. As part of this you will study:
- Facial treatments and skin types
- Hair removal techniques that include threading, sugaring, waxing, and tweezing
- Eyelash applications
- Makeup applications for day and night
- Beauty product chemistry
- Infectious diseases, sanitation, and hygiene
- Florida rules and law
Earning the additional Body Wrapper license requires that you take a 2-day 12-hour approved body wrapping course.
Once you have completed your education requirements, you can apply for your facial specialist and/or body wrapper licenses, and need not pass any exams.
Job Opportunities for Florida’s Estheticians
Florida’s skincare experts can work at locations that range from cosmetics companies to the world’s most posh resort spas, as well as on-site at film productions or with performing artists as makeup specialists. This includes places like:
- Beautiful Skin by Carmen in Orlando
- Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin Hotel’s Mandara Spa
- Happy Face Skin Care and Waxing in Jacksonville
- Bare Escentuals in Jacksonville
- Florida Film House in Miami
Becoming an Electrologist in Florida
As an electrologist you can offer your clients permanent hair removal options. You will be working with the Florida Department of Health in association with the Electrolysis Council to complete the electrologist license requirements.
Electrologist Education Requirements
The first thing you need to do to become eligible for an electrolysis license is to complete the required education. You need to graduate from an approved electrology training school, which will include a minimum curriculum that is at least 300 hours in length. As part of your studies you will learn about:
- Galvanic, thermolysis, and blended techniques
- Principles of electricity
- Microbiology of the skin
- Endocrine system
- Skin assessments
- Blood borne pathogens and infection control
- Florida electrology legal requirements
Electrologist Exam Requirements
To be eligible for a license you will need to pass an electrologist exam that is administered by the testing agency Prometric. The test you will be taking is the International Board of Electrologist (IBEC) Licensure Examination.
Florida’s Electrologist Employers
As an electrologist in Florida you will be especially popular with sun-seekers and beach goers. You can check employment options at places like:
- Pulido Electrolysis and Laser Hair Removal in Tampa
- Monteagudo Electrolysis in South Miami
- Nelson Electrolysis in Margate
- Charlene Hurst Electrolysis in Fort Lauderdale
- Bernard Anthony Salon in Fort Myers
Becoming a Makeup Artist in Florida
As a makeup artist you can offer your clients cosmetic services that will beautify their faces for any occasion.
There are several instances where you are not required to have a license to work as a makeup artist:
- If you work with performing artists, actors, or film and entertainment companies
- If you work in cosmetic sales and your makeup artistry is part of the presentation of cosmetic products
If you provide makeup services outside of these exceptions, such as in a beauty salon or day spa, you will need to earn a license from the Florida Board of Cosmetology. However, there is not a specific makeup artist license, so you will need to obtain one of the following:
- Cosmetology license
- Facial specialist license
Florida Makeup Artist Employers
Makeup artists are the backbone of cosmetic companies, film production studios, performing artist stage events, and beauty salons. As such, you have the potential to work in any number of fields in Florida. Your employers could range from:
- ULTA Salon in Jacksonville
- Nordstrom in Jacksonville
- Florida Grand Opera in Miami
- Actor’s Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre in Miami
- Opera Tampa
- Adrenaline Films in Orlando
- Lecta Films in Miami
Becoming a Barber in Florida
As a barber you can offer services to your clients that include:
- Beard and mustache maintenance, including shaving and trimming
- Hair cutting and hair styling
- Facial services
- Hair dying, perming, and straightening
Barber Schools in Florida
To be eligible for a barbering license you will need to graduate from an approved educational program that is at least 1,200 hours in length. This will include the study of:
- Facial hair maintenance techniques and approaches
- Anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the skin, scalp, and hair
- Hair styling techniques and options
- Specialty hair design
- Hygiene, sanitation, disinfection, and infectious diseases
- Florida barber laws and regulations
- Business ethics and professional conduct
Barber Examination Requirements
You will need to pass a barber examination that is administered by the testing company Person VUE. This exam is a written test that is comprised of 100 multiple-choice questions. You can start preparing for this by reviewing the candidate information bulletin for the barber examination.
Job Opportunities for Florida’s Barbers
With your barber license in hand you could potentially work at any of the thousands of barbershops throughout the state, including at places like:
- Capaelli Barber Shop in Cape Coral
- Livin in the Cut in Tallahassee
- Roosters Men’s Grooming Center in Tampa
- Bayshore Barber Shop in Port St Lucie
- Old School Barber Shop in Jacksonville
As a barber you can work in a beauty salon, provided the salon also employs a cosmetologist.