It is said the eyes are the windows into the soul. Eyebrows, then, must be part of the frame. A great eyebrow technician can enhance the natural beauty of the eyes through a variety of techniques that remain in high demand. As a result, a brow tech can build a good career and make a solid income. Plus there’s the professional satisfaction of being an artist who makes clients feel better about themselves by enhancing their appearance.
There’s even research that shows women with thicker, more lustrous eyebrows are more attractive to the opposite sex.
Depending on where you live in the United States, you may not need certification as a brow tech, but you will need formal training to offer quality services. Many states do require brow techs to be licensed as an esthetician or cosmetologist. All the resources you need to learn the requirements for your state are right here.
In this article you’ll learn:
- How much money you can make as a brow technician
- The required training and certifications
- Professional groups to join
- Employment opportunities for brow technicians
- Finding clients
- Plus helpful tips for new brow techs
How much money can you make?
Newly trained eyebrow techs in the United States currently make about $11.30 an hour, however, if you choose to become a licensed esthetician in addition to brow tech training, you can just about double your hourly rate. See Chapter 1 for in-depth information on becoming an esthetician.
You can check average brow technician salaries for your state with EstheticianEdu.org’s searchable web page.
Training and Certification
There’s a patchwork of regulations impacting brow technicians from state to state. Some states do not allow eyebrow tinting, for example, but other techniques are permitted.
Most states require a cosmetology, esthetician, or medical license for you to practice as a brow technician. Depending on where you live and the services you offer as a brow tech, your work might fall under the same regulations as a tattoo studio or laws regulating “body art facilities.”
There are literally dozens of schools, groups and organizations that offer training for eyebrow techs. Their pricing is also all over the place.
To help you narrow your options, consider this tip:
It’s a good idea to pursue certification with an organization that certifies throughout the United States. That way, you enjoy greater professional prestige and employers are less likely to demand recertification if you move from another state with only local accreditation.
An alphabetical list of state cosmetology boards and contact information is available here. Contact your local board and find out your state’s requirements for certification and licensing as a lash technician. Then you can choose a program that best fits your needs.
Many programs can be completed in as little as a day to achieve basic certification. Pricing for these courses can range from $1,000 to under $500.
If you also need an esthetician certification to meet your state requirements, join the National Coalition of Estheticians, Manufacturers/Distributors & Associations (NCEA). This is the premiere organization for certifying professional estheticians in the United States.
The cost of training with the NCEA ranges from $664 if you pay in installments, to as low as $600 for paying upfront. You can complete the training and take your final exam at home with study materials delivered by the NCEA.
What you’ll learn in training for certification as an eyebrow tech:
- Threading, waxing, cleaning and tweezing techniques – and knowing which ones to use
- Eyebrow shaping, such as softly angled brows, high arch, straight brow, strong-angled brows, as well as rounded and curved brows.
- Customizing brow styles to your clients’ facial shapes
- Eyebrow threading, which is similar to tweezing but uses a thread to cut hair in a scissor-like motion.
- Eyebrow tinting – a colorizing technique in which you’ll clean the client’s brows, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to prevent the tint from staining the surrounding skin, then prepare the tinting formulation and apply it with a small brush across the brows. Timing is important so both brows are tinted evenly.
Many salons offer certification classes in eyebrow threading and waxing. Some offer online training as well.
Once certified, you’ll need to be licensed to practice in your state. Refer to the alphabetical list of state cosmetology boards available here.
Professional Groups to Join
Join the Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals to network with other eyebrow techs, exchange style ideas and techniques, even get tips on job openings. Membership is $325 per year paid upfront, or you can choose to pay $29 a month, which works out to $348 annually. Here’s how to join.
One benefit of membership is the SPCP’s toll-free national line and website so that clients seeking eyebrow beauty services can obtain referrals and locate qualified member technicians and trainee members. You’ll also have access to the society’s marketing kit, with downloadable logos, images and other branding material you can display on your website.
Employment
Job-search sites such as Indeed.com, Simply Hired and Zip Recruiter can turn up many employment leads for brow technicians.
Perhaps even more effective is the person touch, where you make the rounds of local salons and introduce yourself with copies of your resume and professional certifications. Even if there’s no immediate opening at a salon, the owner is likely to remember your initiative. Be sure to dress professionally for the occasion.
Salaries tend to be higher at spas and salons in resort areas where people vacation and happily pay for a variety of pampering services.
Finding Clients
When running your own business, an attractive website is critical to attracting clients. Keep it current and fresh with photos, special offers on skin-care products to drive traffic to your door, discounts for new customers, maybe even a price break for existing clients who refer new business.
Ask clients to post online reviews of your services. According to a survey, 90% of people say their buying decisions are influenced by positive online reviews.
Ask all your new customers to fill out a basic form about their interest in your beauty services. Be sure they include their contact information. Your web site can be set up to require contact information before the form is submitted. You need contact information so you can follow-up with all your clients. This encourages repeat business. That’s important because many of the services you’ll be offering will last several months before clients need to return. A steady stream of clients built up through your marketing efforts means less time waiting for appointments and more time providing services.
Good to know:
- Having trouble coming up with a cool and distinctive name for your eyebrow services? Try entering random keywords on BizNameWiz to get instant ideas.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at this time does not approve any color additives for eyebrow tinting. Some states, including California, have made it illegal for salons to offer eyebrow tinting. To protect your clients and yourself, when practicing where eyebrow tinting is allowed, use only vegetable or henna-based dyes.
- Here’s a dozen bold eyebrow moves that will thrill your clients.
- Top eyebrow tips & tricks from some of the most well-respected brow techs in the world.
- Discover how brow trends have changed through the ages.
- From Tinting to Tattooing: How to help a client select the right eyebrow treatment.
- Check out this series of before and after eyebrow transformations featuring nearly two dozen celebrities.
- How long does eyebrow tinting actually last?? Find out here in this primer on eyebrow tinting techniques.
- Tips are appropriate and indeed are encouraged in beauty salons and spas. A 20 percent gratuity is considered the minimum for an eyebrow tech’s services.
- If you’re working at a salon that also sells products, and virtually all of them do, make sure you know the compensation structure. Many eyebrow techs supplement their income by selling in-store products to customers for a predetermined commission.
- Always follow best practices when performing brow services. Use quality tools, keep them clean, and maintain a professional appearance every time you step into the salon. Work with a colleague to perform brow treatments on each other, as needed. Clients will judge your skill by your own appearance – even though you’re obviously not doing eyebrow work on yourself.
If you enjoyed this article, check out some other PocketSuite.io content that can help you grow your career as a brow technician. Here’s a great place to start.
PocketSuite has thousands of business owners who all started where you are right now. Our community is always happy to help you ramp up, grow your client base, and achieve your income goals, both within the PocketSuite app and as part of our exclusive Facebook Community Group. PocketSuite’s vision is for any professional to be able to work for themselves and make a great living. It starts here. It starts with you. It starts today. Let’s get started, download PocketSuite now! Feel free to reach out with any questions (we’d love to hear from you)! Text us @ (415) 841-2300.
