Cosmetologists work consistent hours and their routine is pretty standard.  Many clients are very specific about the work they want completed and how they want it done.  Krystal is a hair stylist at a local salon.  This is a description of her typical day:

7:30 a.m. Krystal arrives at work helps get ready for the day.  She does not have any administrative responsibilities, so she is primarily focused on making sure that they are ready for their appointments.  The salon is cleaned thoroughly at the end of the night, but Krystal helps with work that was neglected the previous night.  Mornings are typically not very busy, so Krystal has time to finish these tasks even if she isn’t able to complete them before the salon opens.

8:00 a.m. The salon opens and Krystal has her first appointment for the day.  A young mother asks Krystal to give a trim to her six-year old son.  Krystal generally finds children to be uncooperative when it comes to getting their hair cut, but the boy sits down and does not complain.  On the other hand, the mother continually objects to having his hair too thick on one side.  Krystal addresses her requests as best as possible.  She has to try to use different sized clippers and add final touches with her scissors to provide such specificity.  Afterwards, the customer pays for the service and gives Krystal a small tip, complaining that she didn’t receive the exact service she was hoping for.

9:30 a.m. Krystal has her second appointment for the morning.  One of Krystal’s regular customers comes in requesting to have her hair bleached.  This process takes a little longer than the previous appointment, because it is relatively more complex.  Krystal has to wear goggles to avoid damaging her eyes.  She creates a mixture with bleach and a developer.  After parting the clients hair and applying it to her head, she puts a clear plastic bag over her to make sure that the color sets in properly.  After applying the mixture she has it sit for about an hour, at which time she washes it with a PH neutralizing shampoo and dries it with a towel.  She applies a protein treatment and tells the customer to schedule another appointment within 24 to 48 hours.

12:00 p.m. The afternoon rush begins and Krystal has back-to-back appointments.  She has to contend with a variety of customers who insist on styles she feels are not appropriate.  She does her best to give them what they are looking for if they do not want to take her advice.  Some customers are openly hostile to her if she suggests something else or doesn’t give them the exact service they were looking for.  She has to provide a number of services that include cutting, combing, attaching wigs and scalp treatments.  In between appointments, she has to clean and prepare her station for her next customer.

3:00 p.m. Krystal finishes her shift and helps clean up at the end of the night.  She needs to make sure that all electrical appliances are properly secured and the station is generally sanitized.  She also makes sure that the receptionist has recorded all of her appointments.  Her salon pools tips that are divided evenly between all stylists at the end of the shift.

Some of her colleague have more general focuses or specialties and are also involved in helping customers with their nails and applying facial creams.  Krystal’s enjoys helping customers with their hair and her sole responsibility is to do her best to give her customers what they are asking for.