Hair Braiders and Community Activists Praise Passage of Bill Removing Barriers to Work

ARLINGTON, Va. –Yesterday, New Mexico Governor Grisham signed HB 281 into law, a bill that removes the requirement that hair braiders hold a full-service hairstylist license before they can legally work. The Institute for Justice (IJ) joins the hair braiders and community activists that supported this bill in praising its passage.   

New Mexico was one of only two remaining states that forced hair braiders to hold a full-service hair stylist license, which forced African-style, natural hair braiders to get at least 1,200 hours of traditional cosmetology training on how to use chemicals, dyes, and heat—practices they don’t engage in and outright reject. New Mexico has now become the 37^th state to exempt natural hair braiders from having to obtain a license. 

The passage of HB 281 will create tremendous opportunity for New Mexico’s hair braiders, many of whom are immigrant and minority women. “New Mexico’s regulations made it one of the worst states in the country for natural hair braiders,” said Rachel Gonzalez, activism associate at the Institute for Justice. “Braiding and bleaching hair are very different things. This is a commonsense reform that will ensure that this industry dominated by African American women isn’t stifled by a law that’s been forcing them to spend thousands of dollars on over a thousand hours of coursework that has nothing to do with the services they provide.”  

HB 281—sponsored by Rep. Janelle Anyanonu–empowers braiders to build and grow their businesses freely, transforming the state from one of the most restrictive to one that fosters opportunity and economic growth.Local braiders and activists partnered with IJ, a national public interest law firm that has worked with braiders nationwide for over 30 years since its founding to challenge these types of laws in courtrooms and state capitals.  

“It brings my heart profound joy to know that we now live in a state where braiders, locticians and natural hair artists are welcomed to do business in New Mexico. I am proud to celebrate this historic moment, when legislation corrects and protects one’s right to earn a living,” said Neema Pickett, licensed cosmetologist and Liaison of the Albuquerque Office of Black Community Engagement. 

“Natural hair care is a cultural practice, not a chemical-based service, and requiring a full cosmetology license creates unnecessary obstacles for talented stylists,” says Ashley Williams, an aspiring natural hair stylist from Albuquerque who has been braiding hair since childhood. “The signing of HB 281 into law will change the lives of natural stylists across our state and patrons of our craft. Braiding is our heritage, and should be handed down through the generations, not taught in a classroom.” 

Nationwide, state-mandated cosmetology school is expensive and time-consuming. On average, it costs more than $16,000 and takes about a year. Many students are lower-income, and most take on sizable student debt, borrowing over $7,300 in federal loans on average. Cosmetology schools also do a poor job of graduating students on time—or even at all. On average, fewer than a third of students graduate on time. As a result, students are delayed or even blocked from working and may have to pay the schools even more money. 

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To arrange interviews on this subject, journalists may contact Phillip Suderman, IJ’s Communications Project Manager, at [email protected] or (850) 376-4110. More information on the case is available at: https://beautynotbarriers.com/