What makes a stylist, a curl specialist?

Outside of Curve, any stylist can label themselves a curl specialist. Like us, they might have specialized training and skill refinement but you can't just trust that without verifying. The cosmetology curriculum in North America doesn't have intentional training and knowledge on how to work with the range of curl patterns that exist so curly classes outside of hair school will be necessary to be a curl specialist - there are very few of those classes here in Canada.

As stylists we learn best when it involves hands-on techniques and practise, not just a "look and learn". Here's what the journey looks like at Curve:

Stylist who join our team generally don't have specialized curly training (it hasn't happened yet). Due to the aforementioned lack of class availability here in Canada and a desire to better serve the curl community, Erin has developed our in house curl curriculum which involves demonstrations of all the various techniques we used to craft desired shapes and styles on all curl patterns and densities (with an in depth dive into the "why" behind each one and how to determine what approach to take), coaching on curl care and product knowledge, colouring for curls, and repeated practical work on mannequin heads.

When a curl artist in development needs to expand their fundamental skills beyond the constraints of a mannequin head, we will do a model call. These model experiences are supervised by Erin and we do as many models as necessary until the skills and timing meet our standards and the stylist in confident in their knowledge. This process typically takes 3-6 months but can take longer if necessary.

The training doesn't stop at Curve, our stylists will continue to develop their knowledge with classes from other methods, either ones we're able to host or ones that involve travel.

If you've ever looked at our About Us page and wondered what the different curl "labels" mean, we're here to clear this up!

Curl Artist in Development - Working through our training program. They will probably be cleansing and styling your hair at some point to assist your stylist and refine their curly styling skills.

Curl Artist - Have successfully completed our Curve training and are bookable! Will continue to take classes, as available.

Curl Specialist - Completed Curve training and at least 1 outside curl class. Have approximately 2 years of experience working with curls. Will continue to take classes, as available.

Curl Expert - At least 3 classes outside of Curve training. Have approximately 5+ years experience working with curls. Will continue to take classes, as available that are different than their current certifications.

Thank you for trusting us with your curls, we are so grateful!