Brandy DeGraw, Owner and Stylist at Simple Splendor Salon, recently became the area’s 1st member of the American Board of Certified Haircolorists. The American Board of Certified Haircolorists is an organization dedicated to the development of standardized criteria in certification, promoting credibility and consistent quality in the professional haircolorists. The standards set a precedent in customer service and well being of the consumer.
There are three phases of the examination required to become board certified–written, performance, and interactive. The written exam consists of 250 questions and must be completed within a limited time frame. There is an interactive assessment portion to the written exam that deals with real life haircolor challenges. Each scripted scenario measures the candidates ability to make decisions and their sensitivity toward the client. In advance of the exam, the candidate must prepare a specially designed mannequin and make a hair swatch chart, both of which are evaluated on workmanship and ability to follow instructions. Within a limited time frame, the candidate must be prepared to perform four prescribed haircoloring techniques on the mannequin. The candidate is asked random questions regarding the tasks performed. The team of evaluators score each candidate on their professionalism, organizational skills, confidence, color formulations, consistency of mixture, color contrast, method of application, balance, neatness of work, and expeditiousness.
Out of the 42 candidates that took the exam on October 13 in Alexandria, VA, only 15 passed including Brandy DeGraw. Brandy said she took the exam 7 years ago as a way to examine where she was weak and perfect her knowledge of haircolor, but failed. “Even though I failed, I learned so much preparing for the examination. I’ve been wanting to retake the exam again. I wanted to pass. Any advanced training and recognition you can get is for the betterment of the industry. I am a firm believer in continuing education whether it’s refreshing what we learned in beauty school or learning a new technique. I love what I do and I want to learn as much as I can so I can give the best possible service to my clients.”
