I’ve been a licensed cosmetologist in the state of Arizona for about three years now. Finishing beauty school was no easy task for me, since it is so time-consuming.
But I did it, along with thousands of others, because this is what I love.
This is all I’ve ever wanted to do. And having a license proves to our clients that we aren’t only going to keep them safe, but also that we’re committed and passionate about our chosen profession.
That’s why I oppose HB 2011, introduced by state Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, a Scottsdale Republican, which would repeal a state law that says you can’t style hair in Arizona without at least 1,100 hours of training at a state-licensed school.
A lot can happen while just “styling hair.” It’s not just blow-dries and shampooing.
What happens when you get a client with lice, and you don’t know the proper procedure to deal with that? Or, God forbid, you don’t even realize your client has lice, and you use those same tools on your next client? And your next client. ...
There are very specific ways that we are trained to clean and disinfect our tools so we don’t spread diseases. And if it’s not something that you put in the time and effort to learn, it’s not something you’re going to take as seriously as you should.
A lot of things can spread in shampoo bowls, too. There is also have a procedure for disinfecting them. Everything in the salon has a procedure for proper disinfection, all the way down to the styling capes.
I cannot reiterate enough how important it is to put the time in to learn these things.
Then there’s the topic of our industry’s integrity. The stylists that are licensed. That have put in the time. And that do care about the well-being of their clients.
We lose so much faith from the public if not everyone has to be licensed to do what we do. And let’s not even mention how upset we would all be for wasting $20,000-plus on our education.
Beauty school and licensing requirements are long and difficult for a reason. And they need to stay that way.
Scissors and chemicals are not the only way to hurt someone. There is a plethora of scalp diseases that can easily be transferred and are hard to recognize if you haven’t been trained properly.
There’s also proper blood-spill procedure. I’ve had clients come in with such bad scalp problems that their scalp had open wounds and was bleeding.
What happens if you get a client like that and they have a transmittable disease in their blood, and you don’t even know that you’re supposed to watch out for that, let alone what to do to disinfect everything properly if something like that does happen?
Long story short: HB 2011 is an awful proposal. Not everyone should be behind the chair, it’s as simple as that.
If you don’t care enough to invest the time and get licensed, you don’t care about your clients. And you don’t care about this industry, so find a different profession. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. So please don’t make my industry easy for everyone. Because my industry isn’t right for everyone.
I care about the health and safety of my community. And you should, too.
