Although there are several states with interesting laws, Utah, South Carolina, Illinois, and Nevada are among the states that have laws on hair braiding. That’s right — hair braiding.
This may seem like a strange set of laws to have, but in actuality, it makes a lot of sense. Hair braiding state laws are imposed to detail an already established set of laws and tradition for all hair care professionals.
Professional Hair Braiding History
Originally, hair braiders in multiple states suffered greatly. Just a few years ago, laws in many states indicated that every hair braider must take between 1500 and 2500 hours of cosmetology schooling to receive their cosmetology certificate. However, the cosmetology education was not only a lot of money, but lacked education on braiding hair. The choice for hair braiders was a tough one; either they endured thousands of hours of expensive education or worked under the radar of hair braiding state laws and therefore, illegally.
Changes in the Hair Care System
Hair braiders across the nation protested the regulations in place for a more logical and affordable approach. As recently as last October, The Chicago Tribune posted an article about newly imposed regulations on hair braiders. The laws would benefit hair braiders state wide by regulating a system and making education more affordable and detailed oriented. Last year, a lawsuit challenged the regulations on hair braiders due to the excessive amount of hours (and money”> of education to become a cosmetologist when there’s little training on hair braiding.
Like Illinois, the hair braiding state laws in Nevada were altered to accommodate hair braiders. South Carolina and Mississippi both already had new regulations imposed. These states are perfect examples of the structure of regulations for hair care specifics.
New Laws for Hair Braiders
In Illinois and several other states, new laws remove the old 1500-2500 hours of cosmetology education for something that directly correlates with the hair braiding profession. If education is included, the new hair braiding curriculums involve everything from proper technique to hair care and even sanitation and safety. Instead of the expensive cosmetology education, many states are opting for new and improved hair braiding state laws in which hair braiders are required to complete just 6 hours of education, as in the case of South Carolina, of hair braider education and, as in Mississippi, a simple test.
Hair Braiders Rejoice
To some, this set of hair care regulations are the kind that go along with the crazy laws such as, “don’t have the donkey in the bathtub past 6 p.m. on Thursday night.”
That being said, the consensus in many states is now the same. Hair braiders nationwide have the opportunity to continue in their profession with a bit of education and a test. In turn, the brand new hair braiding state laws not only provide a certificate or license, but peace of mind as well.
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Final Thoughts
If you’re interested in becoming a hair braider, it’s often now as simple as logging onto your state government’s website to find the requirements for certification in your area.
