Hair, Make-up & Prosthetic
essential skills requirements
for working with textured hair
and darker skin tones
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This document was created by the Bectu Hair, Make-up and Prosthetic Branch and is supported by Equity, Hair & Beauty Industry Authority, British Beauty Council and The Hair Council.
There is a widespread desire within the hair, make-up and prosthetics community to end this lack of provision and ensure that every actor can rely on the hair, make-up and prosthetics department on every production to deliver the high-quality service that all performers should receive. This guide aims to bridge any skills gaps within the industry. It has been designed by hair and make-up professionals working in film and TV and it sets out the skills that are required to be considered competent to work with performers who have textured hair and darker skin tones.
The guide is for hair, make-up and prosthetics departments, Global Majority performers, producers and anyone else who needs to understand what constitutes proficiency in this area. It contains suggestions for producers and performers to support the process. The guide includes a section covering the BASIC (minimum) skills that EVERY hair, make-up or prosthetics artist should have in their knowledge as they enter or continue in this industry. We have also provided a continuing professional development (CPD) guide that all hair, make-up and prosthetic artists should be working towards completing to become an artist who is competent to work in detail with Global Majority performers.
For producers, the clear set of skills will help them to understand the requirements needed for their production and ensure that they are provided.
This guide is intended as a live document that will be added to and amended over time. If you think we have missed anything, please contact bectuhairmakeup@gmail.com to discuss what you would like to add.
We hope that the widespread use of this guide will help to ensure the proper provision of high-quality service to Global Majority performers and solve this problem once and for all.
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"Training and education are essential to achieving hair and makeup equality in the industry. The Bectu essential skills guide is an exciting step forward that will help us all get on the same page about the knowledge gaps that need to be filled."
Fola Evans-Akingbola - (Actress / Co-director of Untold Stories: Hair on Set)
"There is no place for discrimination in hairdressing and the Hair & Barber Council support the work Bectu is doing to highlight this issue and produce guidelines so that those working in the creative arts are treated equally."
Gareth Penn - Registrar / Chief Executive, Hair & Barber Council
‘’We welcome and endorse this new strategy from BECTU. The document clearly outlines what is expected from hair and makeup artists across the creative industries, so they can meet the needs of all performers. The strategy mentions global majority - curriculum delivery needs to be inclusive, preparing learners to be able to serve all hair types and skin tones, so there isn’t discrimination, and the pipeline of talent coming into the sector can competently work on everybody’
Joan Scott - CEO, HABIA
“For decades, the beauty industry has strived to build a reputation for creating a safe and open space for people of all characteristics to express their true selves as a celebration of all that makes us unique. However, the reality is that the Global Majority remain inadequately catered for when it comes to the skillset of hair and beauty professionals and product accessibility. This became evident last year, when the British Beauty Council took a deep dive into true inclusivity across our industry in our largest ever census: ‘a beauty industry that looks like you’. The findings of the census and subsequent recommendations identified significant work to be done. We are therefore delighted to support BECTU in their work to educate professionals and workplaces in bridging skills gaps within the industry and rightly offer the proper provision of high-quality service to Global Majority professionals across the creative industry.”
Victoria Brownlie - Chief of Policy & Sustainability at the British Beauty Council
"For too long, Global Majority performers have been made to feel that skilled and tailored hair and make-up provision is too much to ask of engagers. Equity is pleased to see this guide from Bectu set out exactly the skills needed to provide hair and make-up for Global Majority performers at the highest standard, which will be vital resource for both hair and make-up artists and producers. Meanwhile, Equity is seeking to strengthen the commitment from engagers on this issue in all our collective agreements. We will continue to hold engagers to account where they are failing to deliver hair and make-up equality.”
Equity
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