Direct answer: Your kit is the professional tool set you use throughout school and keep for your career. It includes your Milady CIMA digital curriculum, a Chromebook, a case or tote, your mannequins or practice hands, and every implement you’ll need on the floor and in your state board bag. Kits are tools only — product for mannequin work and the Aveda product used on guests is provided by the school for you to use, not something you buy in the kit.
Key takeaways
- Kit cost is separate from tuition and is paid as part of your program cost
- Cosmetology $1,900 + tax | Esthetics $1,600 + tax | Nail Tech $1,200 + tax
- You get your kit around day 3, after orientation
- These are professional-grade tools you keep and work with after graduation
- Wear closed-toe, closed-heel shoes from day one
- Kits contain tools only — no product. Mannequin product and the Aveda product used on guests are provided for your use
Why schools issue a kit at all
You cannot learn hair, skin, or nails by watching. From your first weeks you’re doing services — first on mannequins, then on real guests — and you need your own shears, your own implements, sanitized and accounted for. A shared supply closet doesn’t teach you tool care, and tool care is part of the licensing exam.
Cosmetology kit (1,000-hour program)
Your cosmetology kit is the largest of the three. It covers hair, chemical, color, skin and nail work, plus everything you’ll pack for state board. Full checklist:
- Milady CIMA digital curriculum
- Chromebook
- Expandable tote with detachable carry-all bag
- Debra manikin (2)
- Gabriela manikin
- All-metal manikin holder
- BaBylissPRO 2000W porcelain Super Turbo 2800 dryer
- 1″ porcelain ceramic straightening flat iron
- BaBylissPRO porcelain ceramic Marcel iron
- 5-star unicord combo set
- City Lights clipper case
- Collapsible silicone diffuser
- Hair accessory kit
- Round hand-held mirror
- Shears
- Ultra-light microfiber salon cape
- Bamboo fiber salon apron
- Scalpmaster reversible chemical cape
- 6pc bowl and brush set
- Scalpmaster boar/nylon brushes, 3¼” and 2¾”
- Ergo Professional round brushes, 2¼” and 2¾”
- Denman student starter kit
- 6pk clips (2)
- Pin tail comb (2), 8½” cutting comb (3), 7½” cutting combs (4), 3pc comb set
- 16oz designer spray bottle (2)
- Scalpmaster detangling brush (2)
- Scalpmaster nylon comb-out cape, black
- Soft ‘n Style 5oz fine mist spray bottle (8) and 4pc travel bottle set
- 2oz flip-top bottle
- Fantasea jars — 20.5oz (3), 3.4oz, 0.20oz (2)
- Scalpmaster ejector hair razor
- 3pc large clear tint brush set
- 3pc rubber color applicator set
- Duck bill clips (2 boxes)
- Butterfly clamps
- EZ Flow cold wave rods, white
- Scalpmaster terry cloth Velcro spa headband, white
- 2″ small cotton rounds
- Fantasea 40pc waxing kit
- 7″ orange wood stick
- Mountable practice finger
- State board odorless acrylic kit
- DL Pro basic odorless acrylic tool kit
- DL Pro 3g nail glue (4)
- Almond cuticle oil
- 320 pro-grit gold buffing block
Esthetics kit (750-hour program)
Your esthetics kit covers facials, waxing, brows and lashes, plus your state board practical items. Full checklist:
- Milady CIMA digital curriculum
- Chromebook
- City Lights large tote
- Massage and makeup face manikin with holder
- Protective towels with plastic backing (50pk)
- Salon terry towels (2)
- Hand sanitizer
- First aid kit
- Butterfly clamp
- 2.5oz fine mist spray bottles (3)
- 2.5oz classic lotion dispenser bottles (5)
- 30ml jars (2)
- 4oz applicator bottles (4)
- Cellulose cleaning sponges (25pk)
- Disposable headbands with Velcro closure
- 40pc waxing kit and medium waxing applicators (25pk)
- Cotton rounds (2) and cotton gauze
- 3pc mixing bowl sets (2), 1qt bowl, 3.7oz flexible mixing bowl
- Boar bristle oval facial mask brush (2)
- High frequency case
- NuDerma portable handheld high frequency skin therapy wand
- Gugug skin scrubber face spatula
- 6pc esthetics tool kit
- 5pc synthetic body brush set
- 12pc ultra-soft synthetic brush set
- Angled fan brush (2)
- 3pc silicone mask applicator set
- Facial brush (2)
- Non-slip slant tweezer and curved tip tweezer
- Scissors
- Double-ended brow tool
- Double-ended agate roller
- Eyelash curler
- Cameo eyes and face contouring kit
- Press-on clusters, naked natural
- Whispies (4) and ¼oz Lashgrip adhesive
- 3D Beauty replacement eye set
- 3D Beauty tint training kit
- 3D lash lift starter kit
- 3D Beauty brow lamination kit
Nail Tech kit (600-hour program)
Your nail tech kit is the most compact — and it includes both the gel system you’ll use on guests and the acrylic system you’ll practice on hands. Full checklist:
- Milady CIMA digital curriculum
- Chromebook
- Expandable tote with detachable carry-all bag
- Deluxe practice hand with holder
- Replacement hands (7)
- 48-watt LED nail light
- Cuccio Pro brush-on builder gel starter kit
- Gel polish remover tool
- 8″ triple cut nail file
- Basic pro fiberglass kit
- Satin Edge cutter
- Straight blade wrap scissors
- French manicure clean-up brush
- Finger bowl
- Cuticle nipper (2)
- Cuccio nail dehydrator
- Plastic cuticle pusher and metal pusher
- Toenail clipper (2)
- Gold buffing block
- 4oz plastic bottles (2)
- Plastic jars (2)
- Plastic nail brush
- 2.5oz plastic spray bottle
- Brush-on nail glue (3)
- Plastic double dappen dish
- 5pc multi-purpose droppers
- Nail art spoons (6pk)
- Zebra nail files (15)
- Artisan shea and vetiver cuticle softener
- Cuccio Pro 1/3oz non-acid primer
- State board odorless acrylic kit
- Practice finger for acrylic nails
- Hand sanitizer
- Foot paddle
When you get it — and how to protect it
Orientation runs over the first few days of your program, not just the first day. Your kit typically arrives on day 3. From that point, label everything, keep your case locked, and follow the sanitation procedures your instructor gives you. Your implements and sanitation are graded, and a missing tool on a practical day is a real problem.
Total program cost at a glance
| Program |
Hours |
Tuition |
Kit |
| Cosmetology |
1,000 |
$13,500 |
$1,900 + tax |
| Esthetics |
750 |
$10,125 |
$1,600 + tax |
| Nail Tech |
600 |
$6,200 |
$1,200 + tax |
On top of program cost, budget for state exam fees: $25 TDLR permit (collected on your first day of school), $55 theory, $76 practical, $50 license.
Help paying for it
Financial aid is available for those who qualify, and aid averages $8,217 for our cosmetology students. We accept Pell Grants, Texas Workforce Commission funding for those who qualify, and VA benefits (Post-9/11 Chapter 33 and DEA Chapter 35). Our federal school code is 015119. We do not participate in student loan programs.
People also ask
Is the kit included in tuition? No — kit cost is listed separately so you can see exactly what you’re paying for.
Do I keep my kit after graduation? Yes. These are your professional tools.
Can I bring my own tools instead? You’ll use the issued kit for training and grading consistency — it’s also what you’ll pack for state board. Bring questions about specific tools to your instructor.
Do I need to buy products during school? No. Kits are tools only. The school provides the product used on mannequins and the Aveda product used on guests — it isn’t a kit item and it isn’t an extra purchase.
Questions about kit or costs?
Call 830-387-4094 or email admissions@wmedge.com. Next start date: October 13, 2026.
