Kentucky Senate Votes Unanimously for Blow Drying Services License

Last week in Kentucky, the Senate Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations Committee favorably reported a Committee Substitute to SB 106.  As initially drafted this bipartisan bill would establish a 300 hour blow drying services license.  The Committee Substitute however lengthened the course of instruction to 450 hours to allow students to qualify for financial aid.  SB 106 defines "blow drying services" to include any of the following services performed on an individual's hair: arranging; cleaning; curling; dressing; blow drying; and performing any other similar procedure.  The bill was subsequently unanimously approved by the full Senate and sent to the House, where a committee referral is pending.     

Next door in Tennessee, companion bills – HB 2551 and SB 2712 – were introduced to exempt persons whose occupation or practice is confined solely to natural hair styling or hair wrapping from licensure.  The measures define "natural hair styling" as twisting, wrapping, weaving, extending, locking, or natural hair braiding by hand or with mechanical devices and permits "minor trimming of natural hair or hair extensions incidental to twisting, wrapping, weaving, extending, locking, or braiding hair."