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Foil Boot Camp

4 pm on a Wednesday in the Advanced Training room…

Ms. Carrie has a small group of students for a class she likes to call Foil Boot Camp. The class revisits concepts that they learned in color class, but is designed to strengthen the student’s dexterity and proper foil placement.  She reminds them that, “Tension is the key. You have to have tension, if you want correct placement.”

The students work diligently on their doll heads applying shaving cream and folding the edges of the foil back on itself to ensure there are no leaks. Looks of frustration are frequent, but that is why they are in this class. Erin D, a cosmetology student, explains, “When I go in to pull a section it’s almost impossible to pull a straight line especially on these doll heads… I’m a perfectionist. In my mind everything needs to be in straight lines or else my brain explodes. I’m a little OCD,” she says with a laugh. “It’s ok. I took a break had a snack and was able to laugh at myself. Now that I’m back into it, it is going much better now.”

The afternoon progresses and the student’s skills improve and their timing gets faster. The students  find their rhythm. The comb flips back and forth using the tail to pull sections, and to secure the foil as they fold it. Ms. Carrie is delighted with the results and announces that tomorrow they will be using the real thing. No more shaving cream, actual bleach. Some students briefly register a look of mild panic, but it quickly fades. With every passing moment their skills improve and with that their confidence grows.