Getting styled at the Butte College beauty school | It's Your Business

CHICO - As we finished getting our hair curled, Kyra proclaimed, "I look like I fell off a cupcake."

We laughed, shook out our curls and took numerous photos feeling like princesses. The occasion? Simply trying out the services offered at the Butte College Cosmetology and Barbering program. Located in the unassuming Almond Orchard Shopping Center, the facility is bright, clean and bustling. On Tuesday, Taylor Swift played on the speakers as students worked at their respective stations, practicing on mannequin heads and doing everything from pull-through highlights to liberty spikes.

Upon entering, we were warmly greeted and introduced to our student stylists Heidi Castillo and Isabelle Magdalena. Castillo, who lives in Willows and commutes to Chico, was a stay-at-home mom of four for 12 years before enrolling. Magdalena, originally from Martinez, worked as a bridal stylist and in various jobs before she started the course.

Castillo noted the program is more affordable than the private beauty schools that were closer to her. She is also able to get financial aid which she calls "a blessing."

"This program is worth the drive," she said.

The beauty school is the only institution of its kind in Butte County, founded in 2018. For years, the for-profit institution Marinello Schools of Beauty operated in Chico. But in 2016, Marinello shut down all of its schools including 39 in California after an investigation revealed it was defrauding the government.

Butte College offered beauty classes contracted through the now defunct Chico Beauty School, which closed in 2018. Filling the void, Butte moved into the site where Marinello once was and started its own program. The college currently teaches three 25-student cohorts at a time totaling 75 students. Two cohorts are on a day schedule and achieve their license in two semesters. The nighttime cohort studies for fewer hours at a time and finishes in three semesters.

The program is gearing up to expand once its new building at the Chico campus is complete in December, with classes starting in January 2027. The state of the art building will allow the program to add one more day cohort, which is the school says is desperately needed as the popular training program has been impacted for years.

"Teaching has reinforced what I've learned, and I've learned new things," said instructor and Department Chair Felicia Flores, who worked at Marinello before it closed. "I love seeing our students out in the wild doing what we taught them to do."

Glam

For our appointments, we each received hair treatments, a blow dry and styling. Kyra went with a deep conditioning while Molly opted for the scalp treatment. Flores told our stylists to use double the amount of product as we both have Rapunzel hair. All in all it took about two hours, giving us ample time to chat with our friendly cosmetologists in training.

Part of their course work involves learning how to communicate with their clients, and it shows.

"I really like connecting with people," Castillo said. "It makes my day better, and I think it makes their day better too."

With English being her second language and being 39, about 20 years older than most students, Castillo was worried about passing the classes and connecting with others. However, she said the teachers are patient and she feels like a mom to her fellow students.

While the program broadly covers cosmetology, students also study sanitation, safety, infectious diseases and "the science of the body, all the parts, cells, muscles and blood," Castillo said.

Magdalena noted she'd been dying her hair for years, but never knew about the actual science behind the products she was using (something Molly could very much relate to). Taking classes, Magdalena said, was an enlightening experience.

"We learn about the chemistry of the hair and about how the chemicals we use actually work," she said. "I had never thought about any of that."

Magdalena did Molly's scalp treatment, sectioning her hair and brushing the chemical treatment on almost as if she was doing a root touch up. The purpose of the service is to moisturize the scalp, stimulate the hair follicles and promote hair growth. It also comes with a great five-minute massage before being washed out.

"I love working with people and making women beautiful," Magdalena said. "When people feel like their hair looks great, they feel great, and I love it."

Kyra's treatment involved a gentle brushing with an UNbrush and then a pre-conditioner that was rinsed out before the main event - another deeper conditioner. This second conditioner, applied to wet hair, was "thicker than butter," according to Kyra.

"It's got vitamins, minerals and hydrating stuff," Castillo said. "It's conditioner with superhero powers for your hair."

With the treatment fully saturating the ends of her hair, Kyra sat under a dryer to open the follicles with heat, allowing the conditioner to soak in. Then she had a cool rinse to close the follicles.

Before the final blow drying, both stylists applied Redken all soft argan-6 oil to the ends of our hair along with thermal spray. Kyra said her hair was divided into at least eight sections for her thermal curl styling, "giving more bounce for the ounce." By the end, our hair was shiny and felt incredibly soft and healthy, as if our ends had just been trimmed.

The treatments and styling came to a modest $40 for both of us. Anyone who regularly goes to the salon knows that's a beyond decent price. Money from the appointments goes to funding the program, but you can and should tip your stylist. They take clients Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and only do a few at a time so spots fill up quickly. They offer a range of hair treatments along with manicures and pedicures.

To learn more about the program and to see a list of services go to butte.edu/cosmetology. To schedule an appointment call 530-895-2202 and talk to Debra, who is very kind and was a huge help.

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