Deregulation: An Industry Curse

It is easier for people to enter the workforce. When you take away the requirement for higher education to obtain a license it is easier for those who are unemployed to find gainful work. To put it bluntly, deregulation is aimed at breaking the barriers down for people to become professionals.

Small government. Eliminating the requirement to be licensed in order to be a cosmetologist, barber, nail technician, or esthetician eliminates the need for governing boards. In turn, this means ultimately fewer people to pay with American tax dollars and less restrictive market.

Better for the economy. To an extent, occupational licenses, like our cosmetology license, allows us to charge consumers more than they otherwise might be charged. They’re state-sanctioned protectionism. They help limit the supply of whatever profession or occupation that requires a license. And, when you limit supply, the price goes up. Some proponents of these bills are pushing to lower the number of required education hours to obtain a license because they claim that the current requirements are overburdensome and that lowering hour requirements will lead to less debt. No one will argue that less debt is a bad thing, however requiring less time in school doesn’t make cosmetology or barbering education any cheaper, it simply removes half of the education. Buying a car for 50% off seems like a great deal until you realize that the car you bought is missing half of its parts.

It will have a negative impact on the beauty industry. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that cosmetology can’t be taught and it’s not something that everyone born with an eye for beauty can understand. Here’s the thing, this is why people go to school to learn this trade. The very, very basics of cosmetology aren’t something you just inherently know. Unless you have someone you’re apprenticing under who knows the very basics of cosmetology, you’re missing out on the building blocks of the education. Worse, you could be promoting unhealthy or inaccurate techniques, methods, or advice.

It gives a less than appealing outlook for beauty professionals. Yes- our industry is ever-changing because of technological advances and revolving fashion trends, so that means cosmetology regulations and licensing requirements should be continuously looked at, amended, and bettered. To do away with regulations, or even to dramatically reduce licensing requirements, creates enormous problems for both existing professionals as well as up-and-coming professionals, too. Dramatically reducing the hours of education required to become licensed has been a trend of the past few years. This creates “professionals” who are less than prepared or the industry they’ll be launched into, diluting the field and creating a less legitimate industry overall, as well as a worse work environment for professionals, both novice and seasoned, in this industry.

Legit Dangers. Let’s put aside for a second that clients will undoubtedly deal with less-than-wonderful results if they’re dealing with untrained, unlicensed cosmetologists. ​Cosmetologists without licensing, experience, or required formal training who are doing hair, makeup, esthetics and more could leave consumers at risk for burns, infections, and worst of all, diseases like hepatitis, MRSA, chlamydia, gonorrhea, Covid-19 and yes- even death due to unsanitary practices. Infection can be spread easily and seamlessly.