arizona beauty professionals deserve​

Beauty,

Not Barriers.

Finding and keeping talented beauty professionals can be hard. We want salon owners and managers to have the flexibility to hire and train based on their needs.

We are the Institute for Justice, a non-profit that is working with beauty professionals and salon owners to open opportunities in the industry.

Cosmetology school is a BIG investment, and in Arizona, can require up to 1,500 hours in school. So many beauty professionals are required to take on this burden and debt – even if an apprenticeship or learning from a trusted mentor makes more sense.

If salon owners in Arizona want to be in charge of their own hiring and training, they should be allowed to hire who they want, and not have to wait on the government to grant a license.

The Arizona legislature is considering H.B. 2525, that expands apprenticeships and creates the “Shop and Salon Inspection Program,” which would allow licensed salons to opt-in – if they want – and be able to hire and train beauty professionals without first requiring them to get a cosmetology license. Interested? Please read on and tell us what you think!

the “Shop and Salon Inspection Program” would allow Licensed salons that opt-in to hire and retain the beauty professionals they want – without waiting on the state’s permission.

these salons would still be regulated, but not everyone working there would be. this is just like the restaurant industry. chefs aren’t licensed; instead, the restaurants they work in are licensed and inspected. why aren’t beauty professionals afforded the same opportunities?

arizona salon owners and managers:

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.

  • Arizona already exempts hairstyling, shampooing, makeup application, threading, and natural hair braiding from cosmetology licensure. The state is trailblazing opportunity for beauty professionals and salon owners nationwide.
  • This is a commonsense next step to fully empower salon owners and aspiring professionals alike to design their careers in the industry.
  • If a salon decides to participate in this program, they would be subject to additional inspections, to ensure all sanitation standards are being met – while enjoying full flexibility to hire and train who they see fit.
  • Do you own or manage a salon, and would like to participate in this program?

would you benefit from the “Shop and Salon Inspection Program”?

Please fill out the below form if you have questions or want to support this legislation, and we will reach out with additional information about the bill.

AVERAGE OF

tuition to attend cosmetology school

Aspiring beauty professionals spend, on average, $16,000 to attend state-required cosmetology school. And after spending all this money, many still have to get additional training because their school didn’t teach them what they needed to learn.

average of

borrowed to attend cosmetology school

Students often go into a lot of student loan debt to afford school.  But programs rarely graduate students on time, delaying—or even blocking—aspiring beauty professionals’ entry into the workforce, and increasing their debt burden. 

IN ARIZONA

hours to obtain a full-service cosmetology license

Arizona already exempts blow-dry styling, shampooing, makeup application, threading, and natural hair braiding – let’s expand that opportunity to all aspiring beauty professionals, who would benefit from designing their own pathways in the industry alongside trusted mentors.

It’s not fair that beauty professionals face steeper and more costly licensing requirements than so many other fields.

Education

Chefs prepare food that is ingested by customers and aren’t required to get a license or go to school. They take a short, simple sanitation course, and the restaurant is subject to inspections. It’s up to the chef whether they want to go to culinary school.  

Time

In Arizona, EMTs – who administer life-saving aid -have to get 130 hours of training to get a license to work. Compare that to 1,500 hours for beauty professionals.

Regulations

Personal trainers aren’t required to have a license. Tattooing is arguably riskier and more invasive than what cosmetologists do, but Arizona does not require a license or certification.

While aspiring beauty professionals are in school—spending money and not making money—those in other occupations are learning on the job or practicing their crafts while earning a living from day one. That’s not fair.
Beauty, Not Barriers is an initiative of the nonprofit institute for justice, dedicated to uplifting the beauty industry by breaking down barriers that force far too many beauty professionals into debt, out of work, or unable to hire. 
Beauty professionals deserve flexibility and options, like so many other occupations enjoy—not a one-size-fits-all approach that demands up to 1,500 hours of expensive training, regardless of one’s interests, goals, or background – or willingness of a salon owner to hire them.

Beauty professionals deserve more options and flexibility.

Arizona already exempts many beauty services from cosmetology licensing, like blow-dry styling, shampooing, makeup application, threading, and natural hair braiding.

The Shop and Salon Inspection Program would fully empower salons to decide who they want to hire and how they want to train them, while being subject to regular inspections to ensure safety standards are being maintained. This is a commonsense next step that will give aspiring beauty professionals and salon owners alike the ability to design their own paths in the industry.

We believe that beauty professionals deserve better.

learn More

The Institute for Justice is a non-profit organization that works alongside beauty professionals and other workers nationwide to change laws that make it hard to earn a living.  So often, state laws require way too much to work in an occupation—like expensive training that can teach things that are not necessary.  

  • There are better, affordable, less challenging alternatives to these kinds of laws.
  • The alternatives would make it easier for existing and aspiring beauty professionals alike to work in the industry.  
  • We support beauty, opportunity, entrepreneurship, professionalism, and safety.  We are against barriers.