ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — A lot of training goes into the cosmetologist who gives you that good haircut. If you opt to have your hair colored or permed, the person doing that had better know the right way to use all those chemicals. And if you want your hands and feet done, someone doing those services should know what they are doing. Double ditto for facials.

There’s a lot to learn, a lot to know about, and students at the South Baldwin Center for Technology are busy getting the basics down for a career as licensed cosmetologists.

“We spend many weeks on safety,” said instructor Kenneth McCants. He added that students spend a lot of time studying skin and scalp disorders.

According to McCants, students who maintain a high grade point average in the course can have up to 500 hours taken off the hours needed to earn a license after graduation.

To help students learn, the school offers a number of services, ranging from a manicure to a facial at the school, 192 Carolina Avenue. See the sidebar for a complete menu.

While his students may go on to other careers, McCants believes the training is a good first step.

“It’s something that they can build on,” said McCants, indicating that a person with a cosmetologist, esthetician or manicurist could work, even part-time while going on to pursue another degree or certification.

While McCants is new to SBCT, he’s been doing hair for a long time.

“I have been a cosmetologist for 22 years,” he said “I have been an instructor for six years.”

He first learned the trade in his mother’s beauty salon.

“When I was a kid, my mother had a male cosmetologist,” he said. “I was fascinated to see hair rolled up and then come down curls. I caught the bug when I was seven or eight years old.”

When his father saw that his son was interested in hair care, he thought something might be “wrong.”

“I got exempted from chores for a couple of years,” chuckled McCants. He added that once he became a teenager and “all the girls” started calling, his father realized his fears were groundless and McCants had a full ration of chores.

He’s pleased with his students at SBCT.

“A lot of them are naturally talented,” McCants said, “but they don’t know the correct procedures.”

That is true for student Dominique Adams. The Bay Minette student says she “enjoys doing hair,” and has been doing it for friends and family since she was 14. She plans to attend Remington College after graduation to become a medical assistant.

Heather Brown of Loxley, a junior, says she’s been doing hair “for years.”

“I like making people pretty,” she said. Brown plans to earn her cosmetology license and then perhaps to earn a massage therapy credential.

Latifa Williams of Bromley says she started working with hair when she was 9.

“I like doing things with hair,” she said. “Last Halloween (for a school competition)I spelled the word “Boo” in braids.”