Here at Lash Addict, we recently took a trip to Chicago (virtually) to highlight one of our partner schools--The Douglas J Aveda Institute of Chicago. We spoke with Naia--a Lash Addict Educator—to interview her on what it is like being a Lash Educator at Douglas J Chicago. We want to provide you with as many options as we can to ensure your success in the future, including which Institute is right for you.
During this interview, we took an inside look of what you can expect as a future student at the Douglas J Aveda Institute, and a preview of the exclusive training you will receive with our Lash Addict expert products. Follow along to hear about Naia’s journey.
Q: Brief Introduction About Yourself (Title, Education, Background Information):
Naia: My name is Naia Runo and I am an Esthiology Instructor here at Douglas J Aveda Chicago Institute. I have been an Esthetician for about 3 years now, and I am an alum from the Douglas J Chicago Institute as well.
Q: Can You Share with Us a Bit About the Douglas J Chicago Institute? How Did the Institute Get Started?
Naia: Douglas J Weaver was actually a hairdresser back in the 1960s, and opened his first salon in 1967. He was known for pushing his boundaries through haircuts, straight lines, and strong lines as well. In 1986 he opened up his first Douglas J Aveda Institute, and in 2010 he and his team opened up the Chicago Institute.
Q: How and When Did Douglas J Begin Their Lash Extension Program? What Can Students Expect from the Program?
Naia: We started the program in 2019. Students can expect to learn the foundation for just starting a career in lash extensions. We give them the foundation for isolating, applying, your basic mapping for a cat eye and the classic eye set. Right now, we just focus on learning the skills and getting them ready to improve in this industry.
Q: How Do You Feel Your Lash Addict Training Differs from Other Programs?
Naia: From an educator point of view, Lash Addict really gives us all the tools necessary to introduce lashes to the students. The handbook (Lash Addict Insider) is super informative which I absolutely love. Any questions that you have can be found within the handbook, and the presentation is great too. It breaks down your day-by-day training. So, you have your theory time, a lunch that is scheduled in, and then your hands-on right after. It is incredibly straight-forward.
The theory training only takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how many questions the students have. Within the Theory training, we are demonstrating as well and then after lunch they dive into the hands-on learning.
Q: How has Lash Addict helped Douglas J Chicago in the Lash Extension Program?
Naia: If we ever have any questions, we can easily reach out and ask. Lash Addict has given us all of the tools that we need. Everything is straight-forward, broken down really easily, and user friendly within the Lash Addict Insider portal. I think that is really important when it comes to the students tackling this on as well.
Q: What is Your Favorite Part About Being a Lash Extension Educator?
Naia: I think the whole course is really fun. I really enjoy lash extensions, so I think all of it is really fun. My favorite part is seeing the progression of students from when they first learn, to the end of their time here at the Institute where they are working comfortably with the lash extensions. So, it is really nice and exciting to see.
Q: What Is Your Favorite Aspect About the Theory Portion of Training as Well as the Hands-On Part of Training?
Naia: For theory I really enjoy teaching about the sanitation and how to maintain your lashes. I like to emphasize why it is really important that we cleanse lashes before we start. I also like addressing the importance of having personal hygiene for you and your tools and everything that you are using to emphasize why it needs to all be sanitized and disinfected to a “T”. That would be my favorite part because I am a little neat freak! For hands-on training I really like teaching the mapping.
Q: What Would You Say Is the Most Difficult Part of the Training That Students Struggle With? How Can They Get Past This Learning Curve?
Naia: I think a lot of students struggle initially with applying the lash. The very first lash that they apply can be a very hard and tedious thing to do. I always tell the students to take a deep breath, try to relax, and really hone in on the application. If you need to look away for a second, look away, breathe—and then come back.
Q: Which Lash Addict Product Can You Not Live Without? Why?
Naia: I really like the curved tweezers; they have a really good point to them and are good for isolating. I also really like the gel remover because it is fast-acting and it is not too irritating to the client’s eyes which is really important as well.
Q: Do You Have Any Other Thoughts or Key Points That You Would Like to Share About Douglas J Chicago’s Lash Extension Program or Lash Addict?
Naia: I think it is really cool and exciting that we offer Lash Extensions here because when I was a student, we didn’t offer this service. I think it is really innovative that we implemented it since there is a growing trend in lash extensions within the beauty industry. I love that we are staying up-to-date with the trends and teamed up with a great partner team—Lash Addict.
Our partner schools provide great education opportunities for anyone looking for a future in lash extension artistry. Not only do we provide all the necessary tools and education needed, but we focus on you-- the lash artist’s--success.
Start your journey today as a #labosslady and get started in this successful and fast-growing industry.
Make sure to tag Lash Addict in your lash extension looks using #LashAddict and #labosslady.