Hair Design
Begin your hairstylist training at the HDC—one of Atlantic Canada’s most respected hair schools—and experience the benefits of classroom learning and practical hands-on training.
Start Your Career in the Hair Industry
Shaping your passion for hairstyling into a career opens up a world of possibilities. As a growing industry, your services will always be in demand. You’ll be able to do what you love every day, while you enjoy the creativity, flexibility, and expression that comes with working in this industry. And—maybe more importantly—love the feeling of helping your clients look amazing and feel their best.
Our Hair Design Program is a unique full-time diploma course, consisting of 1500 hours over a 10-month time frame. The HDC operates a modern full-service salon on-site where students practice their developing skills on real clients.
With these core skills in place, students learn critical business-building skills for the development of a long and successful career in hairstyling, from client retention and how to deliver product recommendations, to career planning, to business and financial management. It should be no surprise that our hair design students achieve a 95% job placement rate within 30 days of graduation!
Hair Design Topics Covered:
- Fundamentals of cutting
- Fundamentals of colouring – including foiling
- Advanced coloring – including balayage
- Advanced cutting
- Men’s hair cutting – intro to modern barber, fades, pompadour, flat top, line ups
- Specialty product knowledge classes with Redken, Moroccanoil and Aveda
- Chemical services – perming, relaxing, curl reformation
- Haircare best practices and treatments
- Styling techniques
- Long hair design and up-dos
- Hair extension placement
- Textured hair design and styling
- Sanitation and infection control
- General sciences
The HDC’s Innovative Learning Environment
Your education is delivered through an innovative online learning environment, Pivot Point FUSE, designed specifically for the beauty industry—the only one of its kind! The Pivot Point FUSE is a ground-breaking integrated social learning environment, built specifically for you and the beauty industry. An incubator for talented future and current beauty professionals, the FUSE combines best-in-class educational content, creativity and a collaborative environment to enhance personal learning experiences. You have never seen anything like the FUSE before. It’s the ultimate learning environment within the beauty industry. It’s easy to use and contains all the features necessary to capture your attention, inspire creativity and allow you to share your experiences with your peers. Pivot Point educational content is at the core of your FUSE. The lessons are brought to life through a synergy of communication, collaboration and engaging activities. Plus, there’s a bit of competitiveness, too!
Pivot Point FUSE
- Show the World Who You Are—Personalize your profile to let others know who you are, what inspires you and show off all your work.
- Become Part of a Community—You’ll have access to your classmates, and so much more; you’ll be in touch with everyone who is connected to your organization. Network, share and inspire!
- Not Connected? No Problem.—Study anytime, anywhere, our downloadable eBooks and study guide don’t need an Internet connection for you to access (once downloaded).
- Organized Learning, Bit by Bit—Lessons have been carefully segmented into smaller sections to provide you with the most pertinent information necessary, when you need it. Whether you’re in the classroom, or somewhere else brushing up on your skills, you can access videos, eBooks, study tools, interactive activities, collaborative peer-driven exercises and fun, engaging assignments.
- Compete—Like to show off? Well, you can in FUSE! You will get points for almost every action you take. Login, get a point, finish a lesson, get lots of points; the top five in your community are showcased on the leaderboard on the homepage for all to see.
- Ready, Set, Test—Okay, so now you’ve completed all your lessons, gained tons of practice on the clinic floor and are almost ready for that licensure test, we’ve got you covered with Exam Ace in FUSE. Exam Ace provides you with lots of tests to get you ready to take your exam. Take ‘em as many times as you want, no need to download apps or go elsewhere!
- iPad – did we mention that you’ll receive your own iPad with your tuition?
Gain Real Salon Experience
The HDC’s full service salon allows our students to gain the essential knowledge that comes from real hands on practical experience—something we believe to be a key factor to successfully honing your craft as a hairstylist. With the support of classroom learning and practical salon experience throughout the course, you will graduate with the confidence necessary to begin a successful career in hair design.
Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a diploma in Hair Design showcasing your excellent technical skills, a strong knowledge on how to build your business and expertise on how to optimize your earning potential as a stylist. As hair design is a legislated licensed trade in Nova Scotia, graduates take part in an exam administered by the Cosmetology Association of Nova Scotia to obtain the license required to begin their careers. Tuition in the Hair Design Program includes a student license from the Cosmetology Association of Nova Scotia (CANS) as well as the fee to write the exam.
“At HDC I was able to learn the basics about hair design and build my confidence which led to a solid foundation for my career as a hairstylist.”
Marieke Brouwer
Enroll In The HDC’s Hair Design Program
The HDC Hair Design Program offers five start dates per year: February, May, July, September and November. Each intake offers students the opportunity to learn in small groups, and practice in our fully-functioning salon with real clients.
Upcoming Start Dates
September 2022
November 2022
February 2023
April 2023
July 2023
September 2023
November 2023
$500 Bursary available
The HDC is proud to offer a bursary for students enrolling in the Hair Design Program. Learn more about this $500 bursary, and apply right here.
“The HDC moulded me into becoming a creative, strong, confident, well educated stylist. I loved my time there.”
David MacDonald
Tuition & Fees for Hair School
Course Tuition: $11,565
Student Tool Kit: $3,130
Total: $14,695
Please note: Left-handed stylists can expect a price adjustment for shears. Tuition and kit costs are subject to change without notice.
Tuition and fees cover everything you need to succeed in the course. The HDC partners with the top professionals, including Redken and Milady, so you will graduate equipped with skills to work with some of the most in-demand products in the industry.
Your tuition includes:
- 12 Pivot Point Text books to teach you both technical and business building skills
- A brand new 32GB iPad to access our online learning platform, FUSE
- 3 full-head mannequins made of the highest quality authentic hair
- Complete kit of high-quality professional tools including shears, blowdryer, clippers, flat iron, curling iron and more
- Student license from The Cosmetology Association of Nova Scotia
- Cosmetology Association of Nova Scotia Exam Fee
- Both First Aid and WHMIS Courses
Find Out Why a Career in Hairdressing is Worth Investigating For Any Millennial
Choosing a career is a big decision, but when you decide to follow your passion, you’ll be rewarded with a career you love. To help you learn more about why you should consider a career as a hairstylist, we’ve created this guide. Get it now to:
- Learn what goes into building and sustaining a successful career in hair design
- Get an unfiltered view behind the scenes of the state of the industry, including job security and flexibility
- Uncover the benefits you can expect if you choose this career
- Find out what you can expect from the HDC Hair Design Program, from in-class training to financial management and learning in our in-house salon.
- And more!
Get the guide today to learn why more millennials are choosing a career in hair design than ever before, and why you should too!
As part of the Salon Resource Group, the HDC offers students something they aren’t able to get anywhere else—the possibility of beginning their careers at one of its many salon locations across Atlantic Canada. In fact, 9/10 students finding their first job in their field within 30 days, and often this first job is at one of the Salon Resource Group’s amazing locations.