Bill would exempt hair braiders from licensing requirements

By Daniel Montaño, KUNM

A bill aimed at exempting hair braiders and locticians (people who specialize in dreadlocks) from requiring a cosmetology license will be heading to the house floor for a full vote after passing its second committee this weekend. Its supporters say it’s both an economically and culturally significant bill.

The city of Albuquerque’s African American Community and Business Leader Liaison, Neema Pickett, spoke at the committee vote.

She said her mom calls her “the ologist”, because she’s an anthropologist, a clinical psychologist, and a licensed cosmetologist of 24 years, and she said House Bill 281 is about breaking down cultural barriers.

Pickett said that even though cosmetology schools don’t offer specific training on braiding or dreadlocking textured hair, braiders are still required to spend up to $20,000 and 24 months getting a license before they can legally perform their work.

“When I was 19 years old here in New Mexico and was told that I would be required to obtain a cosmetology license for a skill set that I learned at my mother’s feet and from folks in the community and my own neighborhood – it was not recognized as something permissible to practice to generate income for my family,” she said.

If the bill passes into law, braiders and locticians would still need a business license, but they would be allowed to charge for their services while operating out of their homes, which is something Pickett said is important to African American and immigrant cultures of all kinds who grow up with textured hair.

The bIll’s sponsor, Janelle Anyanonu (D-Bernalillo), said its opponents simply don’t understand braiding and dreadlock culture.

She pointed to a letter from the chair of the New Mexico Barbers and Cosmetologists Board that states braiders use chemicals like hair relaxers that pose “significant health risks” and can “cause scalp burns, allergic reactions, and other serious health concerns.”

But Anyanonu said braiders specifically never use relaxers, as that would negate the entire point of the braiding, which is to protect the hair’s natural texture.

“The natural texture is what makes braiding the hair easier. That kinkiness of the hair keeps the braids in place,” she said. “The fact that this person chose to write this letter completely demonstrates the fact that they have no idea. They do not understand the process of African American or textured hair, or how to treat it, or how to style it.”

In the bill’s fiscal analysis, the Regulation and Licensing Division notes that excepting braiders from licensing makes it “it impossible to inspect a hair-braiding-only establishment to ensure that the practice is done in line with public health and safety regulations.”

If the House passes the bill it will head to the Senate for approval next.

Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation