New York requires salon schools to teach curly and kinky hair care.

New rules from the New York Department of State require cosmetology and hair-styling schools to teach care for kinky and curly hair by September, implementing a 2023 law intended to address discrimination linked to hair texture.

New rules from the New York Department of State require cosmetology and hair-styling schools to include instruction on kinky and curly hair as part of their curriculum if they want to qualify students for licensing. The requirement must be in place by September. The change follows a 2023 law co-authored by Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and Senator Jamaal Bailey and is framed as a response to discrimination tied to hair texture. The state has worked on updating salon regulations since a 2017 law created an Appearance Enhancement Advisory Committee. Key details: - The updated coursework must teach care for textured, kinky and curly hair and be integrated into existing program hours rather than increasing total study hours. - The requirement applies to new students at hair-treatment and cosmetology schools; current licensees who renew without continuing education are not covered by the mandate. - The rules were published earlier this month, shortly after a federal discrimination lawsuit was filed against an Ulta Beauty salon where plaintiffs said stylists refused to cut “your kind of hair.” - New York Human Rights Law bars discrimination based on traits associated with race, including hair texture, which lawmakers cited in support of the change. - The New York State Beauty School Association said it does not foresee significant barriers to schools integrating the revised requirements within the proposed timeframe. Summary: The update weaves natural kinky and curly hair instruction into the 300 to 1,000 hours required for cosmetology and hair-treatment licenses without adding extra hours, and it is intended to address discrimination linked to hair texture. Schools are expected to integrate the changes by September; other details about enforcement and long-term effects are undetermined at this time.