Community
over Competition
Come as you are.
Learn from real people about how this actually works.
After School Special is where we learn the stuff they forgot to teach us.
We host classes, conversations, and learning experiences for hairstylists who want more
than what traditional beauty education usually gives them.
Sometimes that means learning from guest educators. Sometimes it means learning from the people already in the room. Either way, the goal is the same: sharing useful knowledge generously.
We talk about hair, business, money, boundaries, bodies, self-worth, and all the other stuff that comes with trying to make a living doing work you care about.
This is for people who care about craft, community, and building a career that makes room for being a whole ass human.
A lot gets left out.
Hair school can teach you some fundamentals, but a lot of the real stuff gets learned the hard way: burnout, boundaries, body care, money, client dynamics, self-worth, salon culture, sustainability, and how to build a life in hair without losing yourself along the way.
After School Special exists to fill in some of those gaps.
We’re not interested in pretending there’s one right way to do this, and we’re definitely not interested in regurgitating whatever the brands are selling. We’d rather ask better questions, listen to real people, share what we’ve learned, and make room for the knowledge that comes from actually doing the work.
What we’re actually interested in
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real technical skills for real salon life
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working smarter, not harder
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body care, ergonomics, and longevity
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boundaries, burnout, and being a person
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money stuff nobody taught you
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client relationships without losing yourself
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better ways to lead, teach, and build salons
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less gatekeeping, more shared knowledge
Classes are currently intentionally small, with a max capacity of 20, so things can stay human.
Who's it for?
After School Special is for hairstylists who want to keep learning in a way that feels more useful, more honest, and more human.
After School Special grew out of years behind the chair, a lot of industry questions,
and a shared belief that we can do hair education differently:
more useful, more honest, and a lot less full of shit.
FOUNDERS
Chenoa LeBlanc is the founder of Field Trip Hair Co. and brings a background in queer hair, culture-building, and doing things differently on purpose. Her work is rooted in creating spaces where people can learn, grow, and build a career without having to leave themselves at the door.
Nessa Pineda brings years of experience behind the chair, along with a deep understanding of the emotional realities of salon life. Her perspective is grounded in growth, mentorship, sustainability, and finding better ways to make this industry one people can actually stay in.
Industry Interviews
We talk to real hairstylists about what this industry gives, what it takes, what school skipped, and what might make it better.
These conversations help shape the classes we build and the questions we keep asking. We’re not just spotlighting people for the sake of it. We’re listening for the patterns: what keeps coming up, what hurts, what helps, what should be taught, and what needs to change.
This is one way we listen.
