From Dream to Profession: The Story of an 18-Year-Old Hairdresser
Despite stereotypes that hairdressing is a women’s industry, it has become a profession for Andrii. The young man is gaining hands-on experience in a salon, continuing to learn and refine his skills, with support from UNICEF helping him along the way.
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Today, 18-year-old Andrii from Mykolaiv already has two years of experience working in a beauty salon and loyal clients. Yet just a few years ago, he was unsure whether he could master the profession – worried about how others would react to his choice.
“I’ve been interested in hairdressing since childhood. Whenever a girl with long hair came along, I’d be right there beside her with a comb. People were always surprised. At the age of 14 I knew for sure that I wanted to become a hairdresser,” Andrii recalls.
In 2023, he enrolled at Mykolaiv Higher Vocational School of Technology and Design. When he started studying, he was still unsure whether he would be able to build a career in hairdressing, but gradually he began mastering different techniques. Eventually, one of his teachers suggested that he try working in a salon.
Meeting clients for the first time was a challenge for Andrii, and he felt nervous. But over time, his confidence grew, and occasional clients became regulars.
“What I enjoy most is hair colouring, especially complex colouring techniques. Sometimes a single appointment takes five or six hours, but the most exciting part is seeing straight away how it transforms someone’s look,” the young man explains.
Andrii is now in his fourth year of study and works in a beauty salon after classes and at weekends. He believes that a good hairdresser needs more than technical skills: they must also know how to listen to people, understand their mood, and find the right approach to each client.
A first step in entrepreneurship
An important step in developing Andrii’s professional skills was working at a social hair salon already operating at his vocational school. It gives students the opportunity to practise their skills with real clients. Visitors include students and pensioners, and all services are offered at affordable prices.
As part of UNICEF’s social entrepreneurship programme, the salon received additional equipment, including professional salon chairs, a hair-washing station, a hooded hair dryer, and equipment and materials for manicures. The programme also helped young people aged 14–24 gain their first professional experience and learn how to turn their ideas into projects that benefit their communities. Participants took part in practical sessions covering the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, marketing, financial planning, and the legal aspects of running a business.
“We learned about different ways to register a business, including registering as an individual entrepreneur, the principles of running and investing in business, and the taxes,” Andrii explains.
Through the programme, UNICEF, with support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW), supported 11 social entrepreneurship initiatives in Mykolaiv. These included a social photo-printing atelier, a 3D-printing space, an electrical repair workshop, coffee shops and other projects that combine business activities with a social mission.
Succeeding despite the war
The full-scale war has significantly disrupted education. In Mykolaiv, frequent air raid alerts and security risks mean that most theoretical classes take place online, while practical sessions are held in person whenever possible. Despite these challenges, Andrii decided to take part in the Ukrainian Hairdressing Championship.
Preparing his competition entry took four days, partly because of frequent power cuts. Andrii completed a complex hair-colouring technique and won second place in the student category.
“But I told myself that I could do even more,” the young man says.
Natalia, the school’s acting director, believes Andrii’s story shows how important it is to support young people who want to fulfil their potential, particularly during wartime.
“From a shy boy who simply came to pursue his dream, he has become a professional who studies, volunteers, and earns his own money,” Natalia emphasises.
Andrii dreams of the next step in his career: opening his own beauty salon. His advice to those who are just choosing a profession is not to let stereotypes hold them back, but to pursue with confidence what they truly enjoy.
