The Department of Licensing (DOL) regulates cosmetology, barbering, esthetics, hair design, and the instructors of these professions.  The DOL issues licenses to practice these professions, and ensures compliance with professional standards and laws.

A barber license allows the cutting, trimming, arranging, dressing, curling, shampooing, shaving, and mustache and beard design of the hair of the face, neck, and scalp.  A cosmetology license allows all these practices and, in addition, allows the following practices involving chemicals:  permanent waving, relaxing, straightening, bleaching, lightening, and coloring.  The license also allows waxing and tweezing, and some of the practices permitted for manicurists and estheticians.  An esthetician license allows for skin care for compensation using products, devices, and techniques such as cleansing, conditioning, exfoliation, light peels, wraps, and pore extraction.  It also includes temporary hair removal by waxing, threading, tweezing, and chemical methods, as well as eyelash and eyebrow treatments like extensions, tinting, and lightening.  It does not include administering injections.  A hair design license allows for the arranging, dressing, cutting, trimming, styling, shampooing, permanent waving, chemical relaxing, straightening, curling, bleaching, lightening, coloring, mustache and beard design, and superficial skin stimulation of the scalp.

To be eligible for these licenses, an applicant must pass an exam and meet the following training requirements for school curriculum or apprenticeship curriculum:

The specific content and breakdown of these minimum training requirements are established in rule by the DOL.  While the DOL rules specify various skills and theoretical knowledge that students must acquire—such as hair cutting, styling, chemical treatments, and scalp analysis—they do not explicitly mention training on different hair types, such as straight versus curly hair, or hair characteristics across different races.  The focus in rule is on general techniques and services without specific reference to diverse hair textures or cultural hair practices.

In establishing curricula for the training of cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians, and hair designers, the DOL must include training on the care, styling, and treatment of textured hair which must include:

• techniques for cutting, styling, and chemically treating textured hair;
• instruction on products and tools specifically designed for textured hair;
• best practices for hair health and scalp care for clients with textured hair; and
• cultural competency and historical education on the significance of textured hair in diverse communities.

The number of training hours required under these licenses is not increased.

Textured hair is defined as hair that, rather than lying straight, naturally has a distinct shape or pattern such as coils, curls, kinks, spirals, or waves that make it harder for natural scalp oils to travel down the hair shaft, creates potential breakage points at each twist or bend, and tends to have high porosity requiring hydration, sealing, and protection.  Textured hair also includes hair that has historically been styled in cornrows, locs, twists, box braids, afros, and bantu knots.