Much of cosmetology's basis is in geometry and trigonometry. Think about how a stylist cuts a head of hair: The haircut is executed at certain angles, with the stylist starting from a base point and building upon it. Haircuts are built around shapes and sectioning.
To style hair in a manner that suits the client, the hair stylist will take into account facial symmetry, along with bone structure. A cut is a set of shapes, and the stylist measures and compares those shapes to the planes and lines of the client's face. Many times, one will even see the stylist using the scissor or comb as a straight edge, using the surface to create perpendicular and parallel lines that match the customer's own surfaces.
Chemicals and Cosmetology
Any chemical treatment that takes place is the product of measurement and careful planning. Precision is necessary to avoid serious accidents such as hair loss, burns or rashes. Without math, a colorist would be blindly mixing treatment ingredients without knowing what the outcome would be.
Since many color recipes are given in metric units, a stylist must learn the language of a different system of measurement. Using this language, the stylist will measure out important products such as toners, colors and bleaches in a way that will yield a particular shade. They also figure out timing relative to the amount of product.
For instance, a relaxer touch-up is applied to new, coarse hair growth that happens to be resistant. The stylist knows that they have about 20 minutes to work with the product because of the quantity of relaxer cream used, combined with the texture of the hair. Without math, the stylist would just pop on whatever amount of relaxer seemed OK, and might even walk away for a half hour while it sits. This, in turn, could cause serious burns and hair loss. Math is imperative for safety and informed decision-making.
What Math Is Necessary For Cosmetology?
As stated before, geometry and trigonometry are useful for hair cutting and styling, while fractions and measurement conversion are good for chemical treatments. If a stylist will also be in business for themselves, or will be renting a chair in a larger salon, business math is also a great tool.
Many studios hire stylists as contractors, and don't take out income tax money or cover insurance. To be successful, a stylist will have to use bookkeeping skills to keep track of money earned and spent. Bookkeeping programs such as QuickBooks are useful for this, but it's also wise to keep records throughout the day of tips and other profits. Addition, subtraction, division and multiplication are daily tools of the trade for the independent stylist.
