Beauty Schools & HB 1874 Why it's important and what you need to do

House Bill 1874-2025-26 would require training for cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians and hair designers on the care, styling and treatment of textured hair. 

Don't they already learn that in beauty school?

Technically yes, but not really all the time. There are a lot of factors that go into what a student does and does not learn in beauty school things like: 

1. The predominant hair textures of the community surrounding the beauty 
    school.  This matters because this is how students practice. If no one with textured hair goes to the beauty schools then they don't practice and retain the information. Yes there are great curly mannequins from companies like Pivot Point but mannequins can't help a student with the empathy & cultural aspects of a service like interacting with a real person does.
2. Access to instructors who are knowledgeable (to teach the theory)
3. Access to instructors who are also capable (to teach the hands on)

Students go to beauty school to acquire a license. This license says that they are safe, sanitary and knowledgeable enough to be a part of this profession and practice on the public. This is what we call "entry level" not what we call a good stylist. Beauty schools don't make people into good stylists.

The explicit job of the beauty school is to produce entry level ready candidates for licensure. 

This bill redefines what it means to be "entry level" which is a good thing! Entry level should include being able to do ALL four basic haircut forms on all four hair types. That's just good math right there. It's also good for business. This opens the learner up to earning more income by serving a more diverse clientele. 

I believe students should learn how to wash, style and do basic maintenance on kinky curly hair beyond the wash and flat iron. If you agree here is how you can support this bill.

1. Support beauty schools. You don't have to let them cut it but a wash is pretty harmless. This is also an opportunity for you coach a student and infuse some of that cultural knowledge behind why you like your hair the way you do. Share with them what it means to see this change. 
2. Reach out to to the legislators who are sponsoring this bill. Let them know that. you support this bill.
3. Sign up to testify or submit written testimony. This is how things get changed. Don't not do anything then be mad if it doesn't get put into law. Do your part, be a part of history and just say a little something about why this is important to you.
4. Sign up to get email notifications about the bill. The more they see people watching the better

This bill will not force stylists to recognize or serve a community of people they do not want to. Also keep the numbers in mind so that you can keep your expectations realistic and your feelings from bad things. There are just more white people here. It's just math.