NY orders salon schools to treat curly hair, cut out discrimination
New York is now requiring cosmetology and hair-styling schools to include training for kinky and curly hair if they want their students to qualify for licensure.
The Department of State has issued new rules mandating that this updated curriculum, aimed at reducing racial discrimination in salons, must be implemented by September. State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages (D-Nassau), who helped sponsor the legislation, emphasized the need for the change. “I have curly hair. Not everyone has straight hair. Teaching this in beauty schools will help those with textured hair,” she said, noting that early in her political career she was advised to “straighten her hair” to appear professional.
Solages described salons that refuse to provide these services as engaging in a form of discrimination. She added that both she and her daughter have had negative experiences in salons when their hair was mishandled. “The person behind the chair should understand your hair,” she said.
The law, co-authored by Solages and state Sen. Jamaal Bailey (D-Bronx) in 2023, requires all cosmetology and hair schools to incorporate “textured” hair education into their standard programs.
The updated regulations were published earlier this month, shortly after a Black woman and her daughter filed a federal discrimination lawsuit against an Ulta Beauty on the Upper East Side, alleging stylists told them they don’t handle “your kind of hair.” New York Human Rights Law prohibits discrimination based on traits linked to race, including hair texture.
In 2024, New York received 622 applications for cosmetology licenses and 89 for natural hair-styling licenses.
Solages clarified that current licensed stylists will not have to complete the new training to renew their licenses; the mandate applies only to new students. The revisions also do not add extra hours to the licensing programs. Instead, instruction on kinky and curly hair will be integrated into the existing curriculum.
Under the revised law, the 300 to 1,000 hours of training required for licensure will now include:
- Ten hours on hair analysis covering curly, coily, kinky, wavy, wiry, and straight hair.
- Twenty hours on shampooing and treatment, including understanding hair products for natural hair care and hydration and moisture steam treatments.
- Expanded instruction on hair braiding, including crochet needles, bead threaders, and care or removal of hair extensions.
- Eighteen hours on textured hair styling, covering curl and coil hairstyles, blow-dry prep for braids and natural hair, and ironing natural hair.
The New York State Beauty School Association stated it does not expect any major obstacles for schools to meet the new standards within the allotted timeframe and believes the changes can be integrated without undue burden.
These updates are the culmination of nearly a decade of work to modernize hair salon regulations in New York. After the legislature approved a law in 2017 establishing the Appearance Enhancement Advisory Committee, the panel has been developing guidance on cultural and ethnic awareness for a wide variety of hair types, including different curl patterns, strand thickness, and volume.
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