GREENWOOD — It's a simple rule change made by the state that could help some Hoosiers make a career change in the beauty industry.
Cicero's Hailey Jensen says before becoming a business owner she was doing "a hundred different things" as she worked 9-5 jobs in retail and at a vet's office.
She says she felt like her career was at a dead end, and she looked into her options and found herself drawn to the beauty industry.
"This was a great leap of faith to take," said Jensen, who found a course that allows students to become certified lash artists for lash extensions. It was held on weekends at a locally-owned Greenwood salon called The Beauty Society.
"For Sasha to offer a course that you could do on the weekends and not have to take the time off work and lose out on that money, that was definitely the driving force behind, ya know, making it doable," said Jensen. "I mean, this course was just such a blessing."
Sasha Haughn is the owner and head educator at The Beauty Society located off State Road 135. There, they specialize in lash extensions, lash tints and lifts, brow lamination, microblading and facials. She first opened her doors in 2018 and has been expanding ever since.
Haughn herself was a graduate of Indiana University and was working in a corporate job, but felt it wasn't a good fit and decided to change paths and go to school to become an esthetician, with hopes of becoming a lash artist.
"It used to be in Indiana you had to be a licensed cosmetologist or esthetician to legally do lash extensions," said Haughn. But in those programs, students aren't typically taught how to do lashes, and if they are, it is a quick crash course. "Proper training really wasn't out there and accessible, even when I got started, so I'm really passionate about making it accessible."
Haughn says detailed and proper training is imperative not only for the health and safety of her clients, but also for the industry as a whole.
"I mean, these are people's eyes," said Haughn. "It's not something to take lightly."
But a few years ago, Indiana made a change, passing the lash certification process over from the Board of Cosmetology to the Indiana Board of Health. This change means that lash artists no longer need to become cosmetologists or estheticians, however, they instead must get proper training for their craft and pass a state exam.
"You do have to take a state-approved course through the Dept. of Health, and we happen to be one of them," said Haughn, who offers the 45-hour training and education at The Beauty Society several times a year. "The fact that now you can take this 45-hour course without having to take a 700-hour course or a 15-hundred-hour course, it is huge if you know this is what you want to do."
Haughn says they are required to follow specific curriculum from the state and that she and her fellow educators go above and beyond what is required by the state.
The students learn in a classroom setting, practice and learn on mannequins and also work on live models before taking their state test.
The course is held over two weekends, with the goal of breaking barriers for people who cannot take time off work or have childcare needs.
"It's on the weekends and we knock it out so those that have kiddos or full time jobs they are able to come in," said Haughn, who adds many of her students are looking for a career change, but even more of them are just looking for supplemental income as stay-at-home moms or to do alongside their other job.
In the end of the course, Haughn also meets with each student to talk about career planning and options. She and her staff also go over online booking options, consent forms, policies, vendor lists, and legal business setup basics in the state of Indiana to help students after they get their certification. They are also available for ongoing support.
"Sasha was a great resource," said Jensen, who completed her training and test and started her new career at a salon in Indianapolis.
Then she made a big career move for her family.
"Then I just decided kind of to like, take a leap of faith and kind of branch off and do my own thing," said Jensen, who found a little building up for lease in her home of Cicero. She opened her own business called 317 Lash Studio. "It's a real small town. There's not really anything like that, that far north, I don't think. So it was just kind of the perfect little spot to do it."
Now Jensen makes her own hours, sets her prices and experiences the challenges and joys of being her own boss.
"It can only go up from here," said Jensen.
If cost is a barrier to taking this lash artist course, The Beauty Society offers in-house financing with no credit checks to help make the process more affordable to anyone wanting to take this leap.
Haughn says she also likes to talk with prospective students before they sign up for the class so they can get a feel for the job and see if it is a good fit for them.
If you would like to learn more about the certification classes offered at The Beauty Society, visit www.thebeautysocietyindy.com and click on "The Academy" in the menu tab. Enter contact info for the IDOH 45 Hour Lash Certification and the staff will get in contact with any potential students before enrolling you in the course. You can also give them a call to find out more at 317-893-4408.
Follow the link to learn more about the requirements from the state.
This class is open to unlicensed individuals, meaning a cosmetology or esthetics license is not required. For licensed professionals who wish to expand their skills by learning these techniques, you do NOT have a 45 hour requirement like non-licensed individuals. These professionals can participate in flexible and customized training and are able to attend some or all of the days.
The Beauty Society accepts students from all over the state. Several other sites are also licensed to teach the course in Indiana.
