With more opportunities to develop and refine your skills than ever before, the educational landscape is vast—providing hairstylists and colourists with a wide range of in-person and virtual options. To better understand how brands are adapting their offerings to be more accessible, we connected with industry leaders for their candid takes on the future of learning.
When it comes to educational processes and options, Joey DeFalco, director of education for Davines North America, says he has seen ongoing shifts for a number of years.
“In general, education has evolved to be increasingly structured and a more tried-and-true path for educators and salons alike,” he says. “We’re trying our best to quantify what the return on education really means. To do this, we’re looking at a salon’s growth and how it’s tied to the education we’re delivering or the programs we’re launching. It has been exciting to see.”
While digital education continues to gain traction with the ongoing popularity of social media platforms, DeFalco says it has resulted in changes to not only the types of education being offered, but also the style of education that’s resonating with viewers. “Stylists are looking at those TikTok or Instagram moments often with a goal of educating themselves, but they’re really looking for inspiration to create transformations quickly—taking something they see and using it behind the chair immediately,” he explains. “I also think that a lot of stylists are shifting from what was once known as brand-led education to more craft-driven or artist- led approaches.” From a brand perspective, Davines’ artist-led learning truly comes alive during its flagship education event, the Davines World Wide Hair Tour, which takes place October 4 to 6.
PRO TIP: AMONG THIS YEAR’S WORLD WIDE HAIR TOUR MAINSTAGE ARTISTS IS CONTESSA AWARD-WINNING HAIRSTYLIST JAMES ABU-ULBA, WHO ALSO PRESENTED AT THE FIRST-EVER CONTESSA CONNECTIVE LAST YEAR.
This year, it’s in Valencia, Spain. From North America alone, we’re going to be together with 1,100 of our salon partners—it’s our biggest attendance that we’ve ever had [from North America].” In addition, the brand actively offers in- person and digital education at its North American headquarters and academy in Brooklyn, N.Y. Categories fall under three main education pillars—Discover, Immerse and Advance. “Discover is all of your brand-based classes for [products] and non-products, like Discover Blow Drying. Immerse is more hands-on with a variety of different classes that help you go a bit deeper so you’re really learning to own and master skills. And Advance is where you find all of our trend classes and more in-depth, hands-on options for more intense things, such as colour correction and so on. It allows stylists or salons to really put together a full-on plan for their staff.”
For more intensive learning, Davines has launched its flagship program, International Color Genius. “It’s our newest program and our most advanced,” says DeFalco. “It’s a 12- day program where stylists have to go through a series [of modules] and then there’s a three-day final exam. It’s our highest level of certification education in the world of hair colour.” Throughout his 40-year career in the industry, John Moroney, senior vice president of global education at Beautynova, has seen education shift and evolve.
“Even less than 10 years ago, hairstylists were looking for all the traditional things,” he says. “They wanted information about products, techniques, new services, inspiration and trends. Now, as TikTok, Instagram and a lot of digital platforms have really come into play, I feel like there’s such a hunger for behind-the-scenes access. Not so much about just seeing the picture—they want to see the process.”
Across Beautynova’s brands—milk_shake, Medavita and Depot—there are three pillars in education. “The first is Learning, which asks, ‘How do we effectively transfer education about our products, techniques and services?’ The second is Inspiration and Creativity. We believe that everyone is creative—it isn’t just the person standing on stage or leading the seminar. We want to inspire and nurture that. The third and most important pillar is Community. When you come to one of our classes, you remember as much about the experience as much as what you learned.”
“[HAIRSTYLISTS] NEED TO BE VERY AWARE OF THE VALUE OF THEIR TIME. WITH DIGITAL EDUCATION, IT’S NOT SO MUCH ABOUT INVESTING THEIR DOLLARS. NOW, THEY’RE INVESTING THEIR TIME.” — ANDREA CALDERON, MOROCCANOIL’S DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, AMERICAS – SALON PROFESSIONAL
This fall, Beautynova is hosting its Hairscape 2026 event in Madrid, Spain. “We’re going to take what we loved about last year in Ibiza, which was about the community aspect, but now we’re going indoors. We’re in this cool area that’s like a mini arena. It’s a more industrial space often used for concerts.”
“Along with days of education and a party on the final night, we’ve purposely worked in time for sightseeing because we want to make sure there’s a balance. Participants can learn, experience a new city and then we all come back together as a community—a place where they can meet and mingle with friends. I think the biggest takeaway from what people really loved about past events is that, during the parties, they could talk to the artists they saw on stage, ask questions and have easy conversations.”
According to Andrea Calderon, Moroccanoil’s director of education, Americas – Salon Professional, the brand’s education philosophy can be summed up in two words: accessible and actionable. “With any curriculum we’re creating and any technique we’re creating, we’re always asking ourselves, ‘How will we make this accessible to the professional community and how is this actionable for a stylist to implement immediately behind the chair?’ You’ll find that all of our techniques, looks and curriculum are really meant to be practical and something that a stylist can use for a variety of clients. No matter what their clientele range is, what we’re teaching is going to drive their business.”
FUN FACT ONE OF BEAUTYNOVA’S EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS HAPPENED LAST YEAR AT HAIRTOPIA 2025, THE COMPANY’S GLOBAL EDUCATION EVENT, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN IBIZA, SPAIN. “WHAT WE REALIZED WORKED REALLY WELL IN IBIZA WAS GIVING PEOPLE THE CHANCE TO JUST BE. WE DON’T HAVE TO MANAGE THEIR TIME FOR 12 HOURS A DAY. IT WAS VERY CHILL WITH LAID-BACK, BEACH PARTY VIBES.”
Since launching hair colour in 2022, Moroccanoil has stepped up its education offerings both in person at its New York-based academy, and digitally on the brand’s Color Destination app.
“At Moroccanoil, we’re really big believers in digital education,” says Calderon. “What we do here is we link our pillars of education—digital, in-field and at the academy—so it’s this never-ending circle of access to this digital touchpoint. Whether it’s through our Color Destination app, moroccanoilprofessionals.com, which has a plethora of digital offerings or translating that into digital experiences that can also be experienced in person.”
In addition to the bite-sized videos that have been popular on social media, Calderon notes that there’s still a demand for longer formats. “Long-form digital education is definitely a need,” she says. “Not everyone wants 30-second or one-minute education bites. There is an audience for those longer-form offerings, and I think that’s where you win is on YouTube. We’re also on YouTube and are expanding our digital footprint there.”
As for in-person options, Moroccanoil’s new academy in midtown Manhattan is currently under construction and is slated to open in mid-September. “What you can expect is that luxury, hands-on learning experience,” she says. “We’re going to be in the heart of New York, so we’re really maximizing attendees’ experience when it comes to the travel and making it easy to access the things everyone looks forward to when they’re in New York. The academy experience will be grounded in our education pillars while still continuing to evolve the curriculum so it’s at the highest level of our technical offerings.” Calderon says the closure of its former location enabled their team to further develop its Academy on the Road, a global education tour that has brought the brand’s signature education to many cities, including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. “We’re highly invested in making sure that our Canadian professional community has as much access as possible to in-salon events,” she says. “In-salon education, and the overall professional community, is the heart of Moroccanoil. Our goal is to get education to whatever a stylist is wanting and needing in the salon.” The brand also prioritizes participating in hair shows, including the first-ever Contessa Connective last year and CanRad’s Hairfest 2026 this past spring.
“Our events are designed to be immersive,” says Calderon. “We want the artistic presentation to be inspirational, but we also want them to experience a high level of technique. We want them to have the opportunity to engage with that artist when they come off the stage. Ask all the questions and dig a little further. [People] can expect a beautiful blend of artistic inspiration, presentation with technique, and the ability to network. We try to be an open book and as approachable as possible.” The brand’s flagship education event, Moroccanoil The Collective, is returning to Las Vegas next year. “We’re going to continue to offer not only cut, colour and style curriculum, but also business education, like we did in the past, and then opportunities for our professional community to network,” says Calderon.
“As a brand, we’re constantly evolving. We hear the feedback and apply it, and what we’re hearing is to offer as much education as possible—and to make it as customizable as possible.” Since taking on the role of national education manager for Matrix and Biolage last year, Carson Drake has already seen a huge shift in the learning offered.
DID YOU KNOW? MOROCCANOIL IS HOSTING AN ARTIST SESSION ON OCTOBER 19 IN MONTREAL, FEATURING THE BRAND’S DIRECTOR OF ARTISTRY, TANIA MAJOR. “WE WILL BE LAUNCHING OUR NEW COLOR RHAPSODY ECLIPSE THAT’S COMING IN THE FALL, AND WE’LL REALLY USE THAT ARTIST SESSION TO MAKE IT A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE FOR OUR PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY,” SAYS CALDERON.
“We’ve done a complete 180 in education,” he says. “Matrix has taken a real digital turn. We’ve been all over social media and digital education, connecting with a lot more hairstylists this year.”
Acknowledging the need for both online and in-person learning, Drake says his team is focused on implementing opportunities that offer the best of both worlds. “For Matrix, specifically, every education class implements an O + O journey, which is an online and offline journey. The idea is, how do you get all of the fundamental education out of the way before you go in person and really get creative and inspired with actual trends and techniques. Hairdressers today are looking to be inspired, so that’s why we’ve taken on digital to offer fundamental education that they need to do, but they can do it at their own time via YouTube, on L’Oréal Access [online learning hub and mobile app] and then we can be in person and be super creative artists together.”
“We want to meet stylists wherever they scroll,” he adds. “Every brand wants to push people to their own platform to collect data. But we want to spread awareness. If you go straight to the consumer with colour and educate them, which is a strategy that has worked well for us over the last couple years, they end up going to your sales reps and wanting your product because they’ve seen it online where they scroll. So you have to meet the stylist where they are.” With the industry’s shift to more digitally led education, Kevin Molin, vice-president of global education for Aveda, says it’s important now more than ever to educate the younger generation on foundational techniques.
“Social media has shifted people’s perception of what education is,” he says. “I think people look for quick, bite-sized learning, which I understand from a user standpoint, but I think the unfortunate part of that is a lot of the craft gets left behind, meaning that a lot of the really important elements that set you up as a successful hairdresser with foundational knowledge and skills. You have to know the rules before you break them.” To help address this, Molin says his team is focused on addressing the need to offer more opportunities to learn fundamental principles “for becoming outstanding service providers, both technically and in guest experience.”
“I understand that [social media] is quick, fun and exciting, but I do think we’re losing some of the elements that make this industry so respected and beautiful,” he says. “You could whip out a quick cut or a quick updo but without the quality, thought and intentionality behind what the guest is looking for and what you’re providing to them, you’re not showing up at your strongest. We’ve been participating in different events in various ways to demonstrate craft.”
“When I look at some of the really successful hairdressers on social, they’re successful because, yes, they’re able to do it quickly, but they have such a strong technical base that they’re building on,” he adds. “It’s not that they just magically whipped that up.”
DID YOU KNOW? TO CELEBRATE MATRIX’S BLONDEMAX 9+ LAUNCH, THE BRAND IS HOSTING LICENSE TO LIFT WITH GLOBAL AMBASSADOR CARLOS ROJAS ON OCTOBER 19 AT SALONCENTRIC IN MISSISSAUGA, ONT.
To help demystify some of the viral social media videos and snack-sized bites of education, Molin says Aveda has been committed to providing more long-form options. “We have a whole series of how-to videos that are a longer form version of a social technique,” he says. “For both hair colour and cutting, we’ll go step by step so you can follow along on a mannequin to really start to grasp the techniques in a way that’s comfortable for you. For people who are self-driven and self-motivated, there is a beauty to being able to work at your own pace, follow along and make mistakes by while guiding your own learning.”
Whether it’s short- or long-form digital education, Molin warns that the lack of feedback when learning on your own can impede progress. “You lose that beautiful peer-to-peer feedback and the beautiful brainstorming that happens when you make a mistake,” he says. “If you’re not sure why something went wrong, video or digital learning isn’t going to explain it or troubleshoot solutions with you. It’s why live education is so important, because it allows you to work with others and build skills together. It’s one of the most beautiful things about the Aveda network, and I know other networks have it, too. There’s such a strong beautiful relationship among our salons.”
“It’s up to the salon owner and manager to structure their team to really ensure that they are continuously building on that skill base,” he adds. “However, there is a responsibility from the brand or manufacturer, especially anyone who’s very committed to education, to ensure we’re providing the best opportunities out there.” Looking ahead to next year, Aveda is gearing up for its next Congress, the brand’s global biennial education event. With the team in its initial planning stages, Molin says the event will mark the kickoff of the brand’s 50th anniversary celebration. “Congress is this beautiful blend of technical, business, sustainability and wellness, all wrapped into one,” he says. “That’s what really sets it apart. It’s going to be the biggest and best Congress yet—we’re expecting more attendees than ever before.”
“We’re also going to be doing a little bit different things,” he adds. “We’re incorporating even more elements of education—from hands-on workshops and classroom sessions to interactive moments throughout the weekend.”
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