In person in Edmonton, no entry requirement

Specialty Certifications: six ways to become the braider people book by name

Foundations makes you a braider who can do a bit of everything. A specialty certification makes you the person clients drive across Edmonton for, because you are genuinely excellent at one thing.

Finished cornrows with feed-in braids

Each certification takes a single discipline and goes all the way down: the advanced technique, the variations clients actually request, the speed and consistency that make a service profitable, the troubleshooting for when it goes wrong on a real head, and the pricing, portfolio and service standards of someone who does this for a living.

All six run in person at our Edmonton classroom, twice a week in the late afternoon. All six carry the same tuition, with an early-bird rate for the first registrations in a cohort. All six are open to any braider with the experience to keep up, and Foundations is our recommended starting point rather than a requirement.

Where to start

There is no entry requirement for any of the six. If you are experienced enough to keep up, you can apply to any certification on this page directly. What every one of them assumes is that you can already part cleanly, hold even tension, braid a full head of straight-back cornrows and run a client consultation. Eight weeks of advanced feed-in work, adding extension hair a little at a time as you braid, is wasted on someone still fighting their grip.

If you are not there yet, Foundations is our recommended starting point. It covers all six of these directions at a beginner level, so you can choose your specialty on evidence rather than on a guess. If you are already working to a professional standard and you know which specialty you want, go straight to it. Not sure which describes you? Ask us, and we will tell you honestly.

See the Foundations intensive

Choose your specialty

  • Finished cornrows with feed-in braids
    Cornrows and feed-ins
  • Finished knotless box braids
    Single braids, knotless and regular
  • Finished passion twists with curly ends
    Twists
  • Finished crochet braid install
    Crochet braids
  • Finished wig and weave installation
    Wigs and weave installation
  • Finished locs
    Locs

Specialty certification

Cornrows & Feed-Ins Specialist

Advanced parting and grid artistry, seamless feed-ins, and the stitch, lemonade and tribal styles clients ask for by name.

  • 8 weeks
  • 48 contact hours
  • In person, Edmonton

$1,997

Early-bird $1,497, first 5 registrations, code CORNROWS at checkout

See the full curriculum

Specialty certification

Single Braids (Knotless/Regular) Specialist

Two complete, service-ready offerings taught to full depth: regular box braids at every size, and premium knotless with invisible transitions.

  • 9 weeks
  • 54 contact hours
  • In person, Edmonton

$1,997

Early-bird $1,497, first 5 registrations, code KNOTLESS at checkout

See the full curriculum

Specialty certification

Wigs & Weave Installation Specialist

The highest-ticket service track: install-ready braid-downs, sew-ins, closures and frontals, wig construction and edge-safe glueless installs.

  • 9 weeks
  • 54 contact hours
  • In person, Edmonton

$1,997

Early-bird $1,497, first 5 registrations, code WIGSANDWEAVES at checkout

See the full curriculum

Specialty certification

Locs Specialist

The deepest track we teach: loc creation, maintenance, repair, extensions and the long-term care a years-long client relationship needs.

  • 10 weeks
  • 60 contact hours
  • In person, Edmonton

$1,997

Early-bird $1,497, first 5 registrations, code LOCS at checkout

See the full curriculum

Specialty certification

Crochet Specialist

The five professional install methods and a full style menu, curly, straight, faux locs and boho, built for speed without losing the finish.

  • 9 weeks
  • 54 contact hours
  • In person, Edmonton

$1,997

Early-bird $1,497, first 5 registrations, code CROCHET at checkout

See the full curriculum

Specialty certification

Twists Specialist

Full-head protective twists and flat twists with seamless extensions, plus passion, Senegalese, kinky and spring twists.

  • 8 weeks
  • 48 contact hours
  • In person, Edmonton

$1,997

Early-bird $1,497, first 5 registrations, code TWISTS at checkout

See the full curriculum

The six side by side

Per supervised hour is tuition divided by contact hours, rounded. Early-bird tuition applies to the first registrations in each cohort.
DetailCornrows & Feed-Ins SpecialistSingle Braids (Knotless/Regular) SpecialistWigs & Weave Installation SpecialistLocs SpecialistCrochet SpecialistTwists Specialist
Modules565665
Lessons253126302925
Weeks8991098
Contact hours485454605448
Per supervised hourabout $42about $37about $37about $33about $37about $42
Tuition$1,997$1,997$1,997$1,997$1,997$1,997
Early-bird$1,497$1,497$1,497$1,497$1,497$1,497
Days and timeTue and Wed, 10am to 1pmSat and Sun, 3:30pm to 6:30pmThu and Fri, 10am to 1pmSat and Sun, 10am to 1pmThu and Fri, 3:30pm to 6:30pmPublished when enrolment opens
Next intake1 March 20271 June 20271 March 20271 June 20271 March 20271 June 2027
Entry requirementNoneNoneNoneNoneNoneNone
Class sizeMax 8, 2 instructorsMax 8, 2 instructorsMax 8, 2 instructorsMax 8, 2 instructorsMax 8, 2 instructorsMax 8, 2 instructors

Cornrows & Feed-Ins Specialist

Modules
5
Lessons
25
Weeks
8
Contact hours
48
Per supervised hour
about $42
Tuition
$1,997
Early-bird
$1,497
Days and time
Tue and Wed, 10am to 1pm
Next intake
1 March 2027
Entry requirement
None
Class size
Max 8, 2 instructors

Single Braids (Knotless/Regular) Specialist

Modules
6
Lessons
31
Weeks
9
Contact hours
54
Per supervised hour
about $37
Tuition
$1,997
Early-bird
$1,497
Days and time
Sat and Sun, 3:30pm to 6:30pm
Next intake
1 June 2027
Entry requirement
None
Class size
Max 8, 2 instructors

Wigs & Weave Installation Specialist

Modules
5
Lessons
26
Weeks
9
Contact hours
54
Per supervised hour
about $37
Tuition
$1,997
Early-bird
$1,497
Days and time
Thu and Fri, 10am to 1pm
Next intake
1 March 2027
Entry requirement
None
Class size
Max 8, 2 instructors

Locs Specialist

Modules
6
Lessons
30
Weeks
10
Contact hours
60
Per supervised hour
about $33
Tuition
$1,997
Early-bird
$1,497
Days and time
Sat and Sun, 10am to 1pm
Next intake
1 June 2027
Entry requirement
None
Class size
Max 8, 2 instructors

Crochet Specialist

Modules
6
Lessons
29
Weeks
9
Contact hours
54
Per supervised hour
about $37
Tuition
$1,997
Early-bird
$1,497
Days and time
Thu and Fri, 3:30pm to 6:30pm
Next intake
1 March 2027
Entry requirement
None
Class size
Max 8, 2 instructors

Twists Specialist

Modules
5
Lessons
25
Weeks
8
Contact hours
48
Per supervised hour
about $42
Tuition
$1,997
Early-bird
$1,497
Days and time
Published when enrolment opens
Next intake
1 June 2027
Entry requirement
None
Class size
Max 8, 2 instructors
  • No certification has an entry requirement. Foundations is recommended for beginners, not required.
  • All are in person at our Edmonton classroom, two days a week. Each certification runs on its own days and times, listed on its own page.
  • Per supervised hour is tuition divided by contact hours, rounded.

Compare these against Foundations and the business course

How to pick

There is no wrong answer, but there are patterns.

  • You want the highest ticket per service. Wigs & Weave Installation. It is also the one with the most safety responsibility attached.
  • You want the most bookings per day. Crochet. Fast installs mean more clients in a week without more hours in a chair.
  • You want repeat clients on a schedule. Locs, then Twists. Locs are maintenance revenue measured in years; twists are gentle enough that clients come back often.
  • You want to be requested by name. Cornrows & Feed-Ins. Grid artistry is the most visibly individual skill in braiding.
  • You want the widest client base. Single Braids. Knotless and box braids are the two most-requested protective styles, full stop.
  • You genuinely do not know. Finish Foundations. You will have done all six at beginner level by week ten, and you will know which one your hands like.

Talk to a braider, fifteen minutes with your instructor to talk it through.

What is in all six

  • In-person, coached sessions, twice a week in the late afternoon, at our Edmonton classroom
  • A single discipline taken to service-ready depth: technique, speed, variations and troubleshooting
  • Pricing and portfolio work. Every certification ends with the business of that specific service: what to charge, how long to book, how to photograph and present it
  • A certification capstone, assessed in person to a published standard
  • A Professional Specialist Certificate in your chosen specialty on passing

To complete any certification you need at least 80% attendance and at least 70% on your assessments, which are assignment based. Your kit is included in the tuition: Mannequin head with human hair, tripod stand, hair clips, rat tail comb and braiding hair, included at no extra cost. If you already own some of it, bring what you have and we will supply the rest.

All prices include GST. There is no deposit. Pay in full, or split the cost into 4 interest-free instalments with Afterpay at the Square checkout, at no extra cost to you. Finish one certification and 20% off your next specialty certification when you enrol within 90 days of completing one.

What a Celegant certification is, and what it is not

Celegant Braiding Academy issues a professional skills certificate. It is awarded by us, based on assessed practical work. It is not a provincial trade certificate, not a government licence, and not an apprenticeship credential.

In Alberta, Hairstylist is a compulsory-certification designated trade. Braiding is not named specifically in the government sources we reviewed, and we will not guess on your behalf. The authoritative answers live with the province:

  • Restricted Activities List, Hairstylist, Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training: tradesecrets.alberta.ca
  • Barber and Hairstylist certification in Alberta: alis.alberta.ca
  • Apprenticeship and Industry Training Client Service Offices: call them and ask about your exact situation.

If your plan is to cut and chemically treat hair as a licensed hairstylist, the apprenticeship route is the one you want, and we will tell you that plainly. Our program is for braiding, twisting, locing, crochet and install work, and for the business skills that go with them.

Educational information only. This is not legal advice.

Read the Foundations curriculum first

Every path on this page begins in the same room. Read the Foundations curriculum first. It covers all six directions at a beginner level, and it will tell you honestly which specialty is likely to suit you. No payment is taken on this website.