California governor signs bill mandating 'inclusive' hair education

(The Center Square) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an unopposed bill requiring barber, cosmetology, and hairstyling instruction and licensing to include “all hair types and textures,” which a supportive lobbying coalition including L’ Oréal and hair instructors celebrated as an effort to include “textured” and "diverse” hair.

The state legislature’s analysis noted that other states are increasingly favoring reducing barriers to licensure; while California requires 1,000 hours of training, and bill supporters lobbied for an increase to 1,500 hours to accommodate the new curriculum, Rhode Island requires only 600.

“California licensing authorities do not require substantive training and competency for styling textured hair,” wrote a coalition including hair products firm L’ Oréal and vertically integrated product, salon, and training corporation Aveda in support of the bill. “As of today, it is possible for students attending schools of cosmetology or natural hair styling to complete training programs without a full understanding of how to maintain, treat and style a diverse range of hair textures.”

“This institutionalized gap in knowledge can result in damage to the hair of clients from varying cultural and ethnic backgrounds, as well as such individuals being unable to obtain appropriate services from their stylists,” continued the coalition. “The absence of inclusive hair education not only perpetuates narrow beauty standards, but also has practical implications for professionals and for the beauty industry as a whole.”

Bellus Academy, a hair education institute, and the Professional Beauty Federation of California requested that the curriculum change include an expansion of required pre-licensure hours from 1,000 to 1,200 in barbering and 1,500 in cosmetology.

California required 1,600 hours for cosmetology licensure until SB 803 passed in 2021, reducing overall training to 1,000 hours, and increasing included health and safety training to 100 hours.

According to Fash , a beauty and event services platform that says it leverages millions of estimates to calculate price ranges for fashion-related services, a typical haircut is $25 to $60 in Rhode Island, or the same price as in Arkansas. California, meanwhile, is tied with Washington state in the $50 to $120 range, and is behind only New York, where typical haircuts cost between $60 and $160.