UPDATE (August 7, 2024): After New York passed a law at the end of 2023 requiring all cosmetology schools in the state to make textured hair education part of the general curriculum, two other states followed suit. Minnesota governor (and Kamala Harris’s vice presidential pick) Tim Walz signed similar legislation into law on May 24 of this year. On June 17, Connecticut governor Ned Lamont did the same.
Ease is a concept not generally normalized in the Black community, especially when it comes to getting our hair done. From birth, we’re often told our natural textures are “bad” and “unmanageable,” notions many hair-care professionals of all races have long believed, much to our detriment. As a result, having the privilege of being able to walk into any salon and expect adequate service is unfathomable, even in 2023. Even more than a decade into the second wave natural hair movement. Even after the racial reckoning of 2020.
Things have slowly started to improve, however. For example, the CROWN Act — which makes race-based hair discrimination illegal — was first signed into law in California in July 2019. Since then, 23 states, including New York, have joined the movement. Now, New York State is continuing the momentum with a new law that requires all cosmetology schools in the region to make natural hair education a part of the general curriculum.
“It’s not only common sense, it’s the right thing to do,” New York State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey, who introduced Bill S6528A in April, tells Allure. “It’s personal.”
How have cosmetology schools gotten a pass for such blatant exclusion for this long? And how will this new law help to create more inclusive salons? We speak with Sen. Bailey, New York State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, who carried the legislation in the Assembly, and a few hair-care professionals to find out more.
What You Need to Know About Bill S6528A
Bill S6528A’s main goal is to diversify cosmetology school education in order to equip all students — regardless of race — with the knowledge to work across every hair texture. As the bill states, graduates should have the ability to provide styling and hair-care services “to individuals with all hair types and textures, including, but not limited to, various curl or wave patterns, hair strand thicknesses, and volumes of hair.”
Introduced in April, Bill S6528A was officially signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul on November 17, and will take full effect in approximately six months. This gives cosmetology schools in New York State time to adapt their courses and overall curriculums to ensure they’re in alignment with the new law, Sen. Bailey explains.
This law, while vital, is not the first of its kind in New York: “In 2017, New York Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow spearheaded legislation which mandated New York add a professional hairstylist to the state’s Appearance Enhancement Advisory Committee to advise on matters concerning curriculums inclusive of all textured hair,” says Myra Reddy, director of government affairs at the Professional Beauty Association (PBA). The advisory committee gives counsel to the secretary of state “on all matters relating to the appearance-enhancement business,” with this particular law helping to raise standards for Black New Yorkers.
Reddy continues, “Senator Bailey and Assemblywoman Solages’ legislation to mandate texture hair education builds upon the important work Assemblyman Pretlow put in motion.”
For Assemblywoman Solages, supporting Bill S6528A was a no-brainer. As a Black woman with textured hair, she is plenty familiar with prejudice — that’s why she knows these types of laws are essential. “It provides a legal framework to address longstanding issues of discrimination and bias related to textured hair,” she explains.
Furthermore, in the beauty sphere many of the industry-wide pledges for increased inclusivity after 2020’s racial reckoning have fallen flat, just three years later. For example, WWD’s Beauty Inc. recently reported that while major beauty companies had ambitious goals to diversify their boards, many have yet to hit their targets. But that doesn’t mean legislators forgot.
“It became clear that more concrete steps were necessary to address the specific challenges faced by individuals with textured hair,” Solages says. “The introduction of Bill S6528A was a response to the ongoing need for diversity and inclusion in the cosmetology industry, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their hair type, receives the attention and expertise they deserve in salons.”
Racism in Cosmetology Schools and Bill S6528A’s Potential Impact
Historically, cosmetology schools across the US, including in New York, have not featured natural hair education as a part of the general curriculum — and if they did, training was typically minimal.
For the most part, the only way students could learn how to work with textured hair was to seek additional training, which requires access to extra funds for tuition and the bandwidth to take on more courses. Over time, this has created a permanent blind spot for most stylists when it comes to properly serving Black clients.
Matt King, Bumble and bumble’s director of global flagship salons, says, “In my nearly 20 years of working in the salon and hair industry, both as a stylist and an educator, I, like many of my peers, have seen firsthand the pervasive education gap when it comes to textured hair training.” (Bumble and bumble is a member of the Professional Beauty Association’s Texture Education Collective, or TEC.)
So how has this type of brazen exclusion been normalized for so long? For Keya Neal, a former hairstylist, founder of Texture vs. Race, and supporting member of the TEC, the answer is simple: It comes down to racism.
“The exclusion of texture from the general curriculum is a direct result of the salon’s history of segregation,” Neal says. Historically, she explains, cosmetology literature has only included depictions of white women, which can be seen in vintage textbooks, along with tutorials solely focused on working with straight or slightly wavy hair. “This set the industry’s tone and standard in relation to texture, inclusion, and race.”
As for the new law’s potential impact, according to Sen. Bailey, Bill S6528A will be forward-focused, meaning that it will apply to current and future cosmetology students who have yet to graduate.
Each school will be responsible for updating its own curriculum, but classes must include natural hair education to meet New York State’s new standards. The PBA’s Texture Education Collective will provide additional support. Says Reddy, “[We’re] working toward offering supplemental materials, resources, and guidance to cosmetology programs and/or regulators, with added focus on textured hair, to support the transition.”
The state board exam will also need to be updated to include questions that reflect knowledge of textured hair care, and traditional mannequins and hair models will need to be diversified to ensure students get adequate hands-on training.
“The TEC is engaged in conversations with testing company PSI’s National Barber and Cosmetology Program Testing, which is a supporting member of the TEC,” Reddy says. “PSI provides an opportunity for volunteer engagement and feedback regarding testing and has allowed the TEC to learn more about the process for exam research, inclusive of licensed and trained subject matter experts.”
Schools that fail to comply with the new law may face “disciplinary actions or other measures,” notes Assemblywoman Solages. This could include civil penalties, such as a fine for noncompliance.
Licensed stylists who are currently practicing won’t be required to go back to school, but they are encouraged to seek additional courses. “[The law] emphasizes the ongoing need for education and training to ensure that professionals in the field are equipped with the knowledge and skills to work with all hair types, including textured hair,” says Solages.
Through enforcing this legislation, the hope is that New York State will eventually become a place where all salons are inclusive, safe, and trusted spaces for anyone with textured hair, whether they want a curly cut or a fade and line-up. And it could create a nationwide movement. Says Reddy, “The momentum of this law, coupled with its implementation, will serve as a blueprint for other states, hopefully, to swiftly adopt similar laws.”
The Unspoken Double Standard in Salons and Barbershops
Many white stylists are not equipped to work with textured hair, but most Black hair-care professionals have the skills to style all hair types — and are expected to. “Throughout my career, there has always been an expectation for me to know everything while being presented with lesser opportunities,” says Neal. “My white counterparts were not expected to know how to apply their niche to all textures, yet I was.”
Despite an obvious education gap among white stylists, though, a 2022 report published by Unilever found this demographic was still paid the highest annual salary compared with hairstylists of all other races.
“There is an inequitable expectation of excellence applied to all Black artists in any segment of the industry,” Neal says. “I see this in how Black stylists migrate to white salons to expand their textural skills, while their white counterparts very rarely take the same opportunity to learn from Black salons.”
The same can be said for barbers too. During the 19th century, the first Black barbers in America were still enslaved and groomed solely white men. Today, Black-owned barbershops primarily serve Black clientele, but it’s not necessarily uncommon for a white person to walk in and be able to get a proper cut.
At the same time, many white barbers are not trained in the basics of Black grooming, such as knowing which razors are suitable to use to prevent common concerns specific to textured hair, like ingrowns. In the event that a Black person is unable to see their regular barber, things can get tricky — especially if you’re in a predominantly white area.
“The struggle is real,” Sen. Bailey says with a sigh. “If I can’t get in to see my barber, I’ll go back and forth as to whether somebody’s going to know how to line me up properly. I live in the Bronx, and I often have to travel to Albany for a [congressional] session. There are times where I feel like I need a line-up or a tape-up in Albany, and I’m not necessarily comfortable.”
Whether it’s a salon or barbershop, the lack of education about textured hair comes with a human cost. In these scenarios, Black people either have to risk potential denial of service or hair/scalp damage if stylists are not equipped to work with them.
The Future of Hairstyling in New York State
Despite the bill’s good intentions, only time will tell if all salons within New York truly become more inclusive. Beyond enforcing education of textured hair in cosmetology schools, though, Bill S6528A serves an even larger purpose: acknowledging that Black people deserve to feel at ease in any salon chair. “Embracing the idea that all individuals are worthy of professional services that are safe, provided in a sanitary environment by a trained and licensed individual feels necessary,” Reddy says. “We are all deserving of equal access to hair-care services.”
Although hairstyling is sometimes deemed an indulgent practice, it’s important to remember that moments of rest, relaxation, and pampering can have a positive impact on our overall wellbeing. “When we talk about mental health and how we feel,” says Sen. Bailey, “I think that we should understand that hair care and personal care are a part of that overall feeling of wellness.”
But let’s be clear: Bill S6528A is not a quick-fix — and it sure won’t instantly alleviate Black people’s generational distrust of non-Black stylists. It does, however, have the potential to open new doors.
“There’s no one state law or any law that [can] solve societal ills,” says Sen. Bailey. “But when people that are not necessarily of your culture take the time out to learn something, I think it is looked upon favorably. But if you feel more comfortable with your Black stylist, you should continue to go see a Black stylist. If you feel comfortable going to someone else, by all means…”
Overall, though, this bill has the potential to lead the state into a better future, one where Black people no longer feel ashamed of their natural features, and one where, as highly engaged beauty spenders, we understand our buying power and only enter salons where we feel safe and welcome.
Keep reading:
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