New York Mandates Curly Hair Training in Salons to Combat Discrimination
New York Introduces Mandatory Training for Kinky and Curly Hair in Cosmetology Schools
New York is taking a significant step forward in addressing racial discrimination within the beauty industry by requiring cosmetology and hair-styling schools to include training on how to handle kinky and curly hair. This new mandate, set to be implemented by September, aims to ensure that all students, regardless of their hair type, receive proper education and services.
State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages (D-Nassau), who co-authored the bill, emphasized the importance of this change. “I have curly hair. Not everyone has straight hair. The new training at the beauty schools will benefit those who don’t have straight hair,” she said. Solages shared her personal experience of being advised to “straighten her hair” when she first entered politics, highlighting how such advice can be a form of discrimination.
“The person behind the chair should understand your hair,” the lawmaker added, noting that she and her daughter have both faced challenges with salons mishandling their hair. She co-authored the law with state Sen. Jamaal Bailey (D-Bronx) in 2023, which requires all hair and cosmetology schools to incorporate “textured” hair education into their general curriculum.
This move comes after a black woman and her daughter filed a federal discrimination suit against an Ulta Beauty salon on the Upper East Side, claiming stylists there told them they don’t cut “your kind of hair.” The New York Human Rights Law already bars discrimination based on traits associated with race, including hair texture.
In 2024, the state received 622 cosmetology license applications and 89 natural-hair-styling license applications. However, current hair cutters can renew their licenses without undergoing continuing education, meaning they are not covered by the new mandate. The courses will only apply to new students.
The amendments do not increase the number of study hours required to obtain a license. Instead, the new instruction on natural kinky or curly hair will be woven into current curriculum hours. Under the revamped law, the 300 to 1,000 hours of instruction needed for licenses from hair-treatment and cosmetology schools will include:
- Ten hours of hair analysis that includes the study of curly, coily, kinky, wavey, wiry and straight hair.
- Twenty hours of treatment and shampooing that includes “Understanding Hair Products as it Relates to Natural Hair Care and Styling” and a “Hydration and Moisture Steam Treatment.”
- Much more extensive instruction on hair braiding, including the use of crochet needles and bead threaders, and treating or removing hair extensions.
- Eighteen hours on textured-hair-styling services, including treatment of “Curl and Coil Hairstyles,” blow-dry preparation for braid styling and natural hair and ironing natural hair.
The New York State Beauty School Association stated that it does not foresee any significant barriers preventing schools from fully complying with the revised requirements within the proposed timeframe. They believe institutions will be able to integrate these changes without undue burden.
The state has been working on updating its regulations for hair salons for nearly a decade, following the legislature’s 2017 approval of a law that created an “Appearance Enhancement Advisory Committee.” This panel was tasked with developing recommendations regarding cultural and ethnic awareness for various hair types, including curl patterns, strand thickness, and volume.
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