Turning a knack for grooming into a career with flexible hours, steady pay, and creative freedom starts with learning the craft, and a free online barber training puts those skills within your reach.
Insiderbits put together this guide to Alison’s Barbering Beyond Haircuts course, along with the clippers and shop plans that’ll help your new talent evolve enough to start paying the bills.
Find the best barber training for beginners
Barbering Beyond Haircuts is a free Alison course that teaches you the advanced beard shaping and wet shaving techniques that professional barbers rely on behind the chair.
The course carries an intermediate label, but its lessons start with the fundamentals, and this barber training wraps up in one and a half to three hours of video content.
Completing it adds two new services to your menu, and its CPD accreditation lets you earn a certificate that shows employers and clients you’ve studied industry grooming standards.
Key features within the Alison course
- Two focused modules: the first covers the principles of professional barbering practice, while the second moves on to facial hair design and precision shaving techniques;
- Short video lessons: most lessons take under ten minutes, and a progress bar plus XP points show you how far you’ve come through the material;
- Course assessment: a final test checks what you’ve learned, and an additional resources section gives you material to review when a topic needs more attention;
- Certify Now option: if you know your way around a barber chair, skip ahead to the assessment and claim your certificate without finishing every lesson.
Master beard design for every face shape
Great beard work starts with the client’s face, and the course teaches you to read face shapes, head shapes, and growth patterns before you ever reach for a beard trimmer.
From there, this barber training shows you how to plan reduction and outlining techniques that balance proportions and give your client a beard that flatters their features and personal style.
Perfect the classic straight razor shave
Before a straight razor touches skin, you’ll learn to spot irritation and sensitivity, then pick the right products for before, during, and after the shave to keep your client comfortable.
The lessons then cover how to hold the razor, where to position your strokes, and how to check the finished shave for symmetry, leaving your client happy with the result.
Step-by-step: how to enroll in online barbering classes
Signing up for the Barbering Beyond Haircuts classes on Alison takes less effort than booking a haircut, and all you need is a phone, tablet, or computer with a reliable internet connection.
There’s no application form, entry exam, or enrollment fee involved, and after you register, the barber training stays saved to your profile for you to pick up where you stopped.
Alison offers the course in Spanish as well, a handy option if you or your clients feel at home with that language, and the sign up process works the same way.
Step 1: access the course’s landing page
Go to Alison’s website, and type “Barbering Beyond Haircuts” into the main search bar, or open the Explore menu and browse the Personal Development and Cosmetics categories.
Scroll through the landing page to review the learning outcomes, tap the bookmark icon if you’d like to save the course for later, then press the “Start Course Now” button.
Step 2: create your free Alison account
A sign-up window pops open, where you can choose your preferred language and decide whether to register with your Facebook, Apple, Google, or LinkedIn account for a faster start.
If you’d rather use email, fill in your first name, last name, email address, and a password, then click “Sign Up” to accept Alison’s terms and create your new account.
Step 3: begin Module 1 and track your progress
With your account ready, the course player opens on Module 1 and lists its lessons in a sidebar on the left, starting with a short overview of the learning outcomes.
Click the “Next” button to move through your barber training, and keep an eye on the Module 1 Progress meter in the bottom corner to see what percentage you’ve completed.
Top clipper and trimmer brands for professional barbers
A clipper’s motor decides how it handles your client’s hair, with rotary and pivot motors pushing through thick or curly textures while lighter magnetic motors suit fine or thinning hair.
Look for stainless steel or titanium coated blades, an adjustable lever for blending fades without swapping guards, and a textured grip that won’t slip during long shifts at your station.
Expect to spend at least $100 for a dependable model, and pair your barber training with the habit of oiling and disinfecting your blades before they touch a client’s head.
BaBylissPro clippers built for the barber chair
Barbers trust the BaBylissPro GoldFX+ for its quiet brushless motor, zero-gap blade, and eight guards that top out at three-quarters of an inch for tapers and close fades.
Its battery runs close to three hours, a USB C port works with a standard cable, and the head comes off with two screws when it needs a deep clean.
Andis Master for premium cordless precision
The Andis Master Cordless handles straight, wavy, and curly hair, and its weighty 13-ounce build and zero-gap blade give you steady control on skin fades and crisp lineups.
A charging dock tops up the battery in half an hour between appointments, but you’ll need to buy Andis guards separately, as the kit ships with a zero guard only.
Wahl Color Pro for beginners on a budget
Color-coded guards on the Wahl Color Pro Cordless take the guesswork out of choosing lengths, and the clipper works plugged into the wall or on battery for under $50.
Plan around its twelve-hour charge, and use it to practice simple cuts and neckline touch-ups during your barber training before you invest in a higher-end professional clipper.
How to launch a barbershop in the US
Opening a shop of your own costs between $20,000 and $100,000 for most build-outs, and you can expect three to nine months between your first plan and opening day.
Write a business plan that sets your concept, prices, and clients, then fund it through savings, an SBA loan, or equipment financing while keeping six months of expenses in reserve.
Revenue for a typical shop lands near $357,000 a year, and adding beard and shave services from your barber training lets you raise your average ticket above the basic cut.
Secure your licenses and business paperwork
Every barber who cuts in your shop needs a state license, and the location itself requires a separate establishment license from your state barber board or the local health department.
Register an LLC, request a free EIN from the IRS, pass the health and fire inspections, and buy general and professional liability coverage, plus workers’ comp if you hire employees.
Pick a location that brings clients in
Your regulars will live or work within 15 minutes of the shop, which makes a ground floor spot with foot traffic, easy parking, and sign rights worth the extra rent.
Budget seven by seven feet per chair, check the plumbing and electrical before you sign the lease, and plan a wash station for the close shaves your barber training covered.
Fill your chairs in the first 90 days
Set up your Google Business Profile with photos, hours, and a booking link before opening day, then host a soft launch for friends and neighbors to test your new workflow.
Ask every client to rebook at checkout, reward referrals with a $10 credit, post before and after clips on social media, and offer memberships to your most loyal regulars.
Your next fade could fund your own shop
Alison’s Barbering Beyond Haircuts course helps turn a steady hand into money, whether you cut for friends at home, rent a chair at a shop or hang your own sign.
With this guide, you now know how to enroll in free barber training, which tools belong at your station, and how to open a shop with your name on it.
Stay with Insiderbits and read more about courses and certifications that cost little or nothing, point you toward better-paying work, and teach skills employers love seeing on a resume.
