McKinney barber school started by salon owners who were tired of retraining licensed hires

The people behind Expert Barber Beauty Academy ran salons and barbershops before they ran a school, and they kept running into the same problem. Licensed hires walked in the door, and the owners were still teaching them how to cut hair. "We were having to train licensed professionals to perform even basic haircuts," the school says.

That is where the McKinney school came from. "Expert Barber Beauty Academy was created to provide training to create industry ready professionals," the owners say. "We created the school to provide people with an option to become proficiently skilled to be successful while obtaining their license."

The school's walk-in menu is where students practice. Clients can come in without an appointment and get a haircut for $10, a beard trim for $6, an edge up for $5, or a steam towel shampoo with scalp massage for $10, according to the school's site. A hot-towel straight razor shave is also $10. Every service is done by a student under an instructor. "We want the students to become proficient in most to all services that they will perform in a shop or salon," the school says.

The straight razor shave shows how the instruction works. The instructor watches that the student holds the razor properly and at the correct angle, stretches the skin and glides the razor across with no pressure. Before the service, the student does a hair and skin analysis, and the instructor checks every pre-service, service and post-service step. Nerves are expected. "At first students may be nervous about shaving," the school says. "We try to make them and the client as comfortable as possible, this will give both the student and the client confidence as well as the best outcome."

The license is part of the training. In Texas, people are often surprised to learn they have to pass both a written and a practical state exam. The school prepares every student for both and says test preparation costs nothing extra. It also offers free job placement assistance to every student who completes the program and the licensing exams.

The trade they are training for is a large one. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 670,800 jobs for barbers, hairstylists and cosmetologists in 2025, with a median pay of $35,880, and projects 7 percent growth from 2025 to 2035. Every state requires a license, usually earned after graduating from a state-licensed school.

Asked what brings students to McKinney, the school points to the atmosphere along with the skills. "We provide a stress free learning environment and focus on becoming proficient in the service skills so students will be successful and able to make money with their newly aquired skills and license." Their own summary is shorter: "Excellence does not need to be stressful."