Coastal Bend College cosmetology students in Kingsville observe student volunteer Mason Schoonover get his hair cut by barber Abel Gonzalez of Corpus Christi. Pictured, left to right, are hair salon managers Shelia Balboa and Sally Rodriguez, cosmetology student Stephanie Kucera, Gonzalez, and Schoonover. (Photo by Erika Hernandez) When it comes to cutting and styling hair, students in the cosmetology program at the Kingsville campus of Coastal Bend College, who are mostly female students, want to enhance their skills to include more training in male haircuts.

Abel Gonzalez of Kain’t Be Faded Barber Shop in Corpus Christi came to the campus Monday to demonstrate male clipper cuts to the cosmetology students.

“Our clientele is 98 percent female, which does not allow for our students to be able to practice male cuts a lot,” cosmetology Instructor Victoria Villarreal said.

Villarreal said that currently the students learn the basic male cuts in the cosmetology program but do not have the opportunity to practice them as often so their skills sometimes fall behind.

She also mentioned that a lot of the modern cuts, such as the faux-hawk, are not in their curriculum so it is essential that they get a male instructor who has experience and is up to date with trends.

“We want our students to be well rounded once they complete the program and are hoping that we can get an instructor who is familiar with these skills soon,” she said.

Smart Style Family Hair Salon, which operates, salons in the Kingsville and Alice Walmarts, dispatched their managers, Shelia Balboa of Kingsville and Sally Rodriguez of Alice, to the demonstration.

“Both Shelia and Sally have hired our stylists once they complete the program, and they expressed their concerns that the stylists are not as strong in the male cuts as they are in the female cuts,” Villarreal said.

“We thought demonstrations such as this could help bridge that gap in the future,” Villarreal said.

The students volunteer frequently at the La Paloma Adult Day Care Center and Canterbury Villa Long Term Nursing Center, both in Kingsville, and cut the patients hair for free in return for experience.

“The students are able to practice their skills on some of the male patients while the patients get a free haircut, so it works out for everybody,” Villarreal said.

The Coastal Bend College cosmetology program currently provides skills and knowledge for entry-level employment as a cosmetologist. The Texas Cosmetology Commission oversees and sets the requirements for the program at Coastal Bend College.

Villarreal has already spoken to her superiors about securing another instructor for the Kingsville program and is hoping that everything will fall into place soon.

The students currently offer haircuts and other salon services on campus to the general public for a small fee.