Constant education is necessary to stay up on trends, learn new techniques, refine your old ones, and stay ahead of the ever changing, ever demanding beauty world. That can be tough to do between the cost of workshops and the twelve hour days behind the chair. Thankfully we live in the information age and a lot of great hair artists take the time to create and post videos of their work and process so other stylists can learn from the comfort of their homes without spending money.
But a great stylist isn't always a great film maker, so not all hair-how-to videos are created equal. So we've compiled a short list of YouTube channels by hair stylists who have been established in the industry for a while and make quality education videos.
1. Josie Deseray
Josie Vilayvanh and Deseray Thiessen are a dynamic Canadian who have made a name for themselves by learning how to color dark, fine hair into pretty much whatever they want. They create a lot of vibrant metallic colors, bleach ombres, and even extensions, but best of all, they're very good at showing and explaining their process on video. They don't try any distracting effects and there's barely even music. It's just a clear angle of what they're doing while they discuss their technique and the tools they use while working. This is still a fairly new channel, so there isn't a whole lot of content, but they've been mostly consistent about posting every month since they started, so it's definitely worth checking regularly.
2. Nam Nguyen
Nam Nguyen started in fashion so this is not strictly a hair tutorial channel. The videos range from vlogs about his travels to box openings and first impressions of new products. But in each instance he's good at discussing his topic, and provides a lot of thoughtful insight into events, styles, techniques, and sometimes even gives you some a pretty compelling accounts from his own life. His video quality isn't the best, but he's always careful about showing you what's going on, and his commentary is always clear and pretty entertaining. This is a great place for discussion on both trends and techniques.
3. Stylist Pang
This is an interesting, straightforward channel. Pang actually wears her camera while she styles so she doesn't have to worry about the angle, and the viewer has a direct line of sight to her hands. Most of her work is in balayage, so if you're looking for pointers on free-hand painting this is a good place to go. The only issue is that she occasionally has trouble with audio, either because of the microphone she uses or because of the music volume she sets to the video. But that doesn't interfere so often that you can't tell what she's saying, so it's still a great learning resource.
4. Guy Tang
You've probably heard Guy Tang's name thrown around, and even follow him on Instagram and Snap Chat and Facebook. Most of America does. But if you haven't taken the time to watch any of his YouTube videos we strongly encourage you to do so. For someone who could easily charge for every kernel of information he divulges, he posts a surprising amount of instruction online. Some are long, running as far as twenty minutes, but Guy Tang throws so much charm into the camera you barely notice the time pass. And you're getting a lot precise, clear instruction from one of the best in the industry. There's a reason he's one of the most famous hair artists around, and it isn't just because of his skill with social media. Guy knows his stuff.
5. Nothing but Pixies
Don Godfrey isn't a stylist so much as a connoisseur of hair art. He has a marketing background in furniture, but has spent the last several years steeped in the hair community and finding artists to appreciate and support. The Nothing but Pixies channel is basically to appreciate recent trends, experiments, or just any kind of pixie cut that he thinks is interesting and well executed. It's not the kind of place you go to learn technique, but you'll definitely find plenty of inspiration, and it's probably one of the first places you're likely to find something new. We'd recommend checking this channel out any time you're looking for ideas.