Pittsfield Salon Owner Earns Hair-Coloring Certification
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Frank Napolitano, owner of the Hair Studio, which has operated downtown for 30 years, was recently certified by the American Board of Certified Haircolorists.Napolitano became board certified by passing an examination given by a committee of his peers. The American Board of Certified Haircolorists was established in 1996 by a group of hair colorists seeking to establish higher standards for their craft.
Currently, anyone who holds a cosmetology license can perform hair-color services regardless of their experience. The goal of ABCH is to standardize training and to certify haircolorists around the country to ensure quality work and satisfied customers.
"I am honored and proud to be part of such an important group. Consumers need to be able to identify if a well-trained haircolorist is providing their service," said Napolitano. "I have seen consumers come into the salon with hair extremely damaged by a cosmetologist who did not understand hair color. The result is a bad reputation for all haircolorists."
According to the ABCH, manufacturers of dyes teach haircoloring and may not fully instruct colorists about what can go wrong, and the damaging effects that can, and do, occur with misuse of haircolor. They also tend to use unique terms related to their products that has resulted in a fragmented educational curriculum, which has not served the hair-color community well.
The ABCH uses generic terms and teaches more of the chemistry and science of hair coloring so the practitioner has a better understanding of what occurs when haircolor is applied to the hair.
"It is a very difficult examination and fewer than 50 percent of the candidates who take the exam will pass," said Napolitano.
