Oregon Legislature Passes Natural Hair care Bill



Amber Starks - Natural hairstylist and advocate for the new Oregon Natural Hair Legislation.

This is a really cool story.

In many states, it is illegal for people to practice natural hair care (braiding, twisting, locking, cornrowing etc.), without a cosmetology license.   Any one who has a cosmetology license,  knows the rigors of prep, study, and testing to become certified. It's no joke - 1,700 hours of training at a minimum.

These requirements have stopped many Africans and African-Americans from practicing something that has been passed down from generation to generation.  It has stopped black women from running these types of businesses, and has driven the respective revenue out of the state.  If you think about it, there are no chemicals involved, no clippers, no heat, no scissors....so is it really fair to require so much training?  I think not...and the lawmakers of Oregon agree.

Democrats and Republicans came together unanimously to strike down the current requirements, and instead have implemented a much less intensive online certification.  This is a very smart move on the legislators' part.  More small businesses = more revenue for the state.  Win-Win. Read more about the decision here.  - YB