Hair braiding license exemption advanced

Natural hair braiding would be exempt from cosmetology credentialing requirements under a bill given first-round approval Feb. 16.

Omaha Sen. Nicole Fox, sponsor of LB898, said the bill would remove a regulatory barrier for potential operators of natural hair braiding businesses.

“This is a bill that removes one of the hurdles facing entrepreneurs in some of the poorest areas of our state,” Fox said.

LB898 defines natural hair braiding as a service of twisting, wrapping, weaving, extending, locking or braiding hair by hand or with mechanical devices without the application of dyes, reactive chemicals, chemical joining agents or other preparations to alter the color or structure of the hair.

Currently in Nebraska, operators who braid natural hair must graduate from a school of cosmetology and complete 2,100 hours of training.

Fox said that 15 states do not require licensure for hair braiding, including Colorado and Kansas. In addition, she said, there have been no public health issues related to braiding in those states.

A Health and Human Services Committee amendment, adopted 35-0, would add crochet hooks to the list of allowable hair braiding tools, clarify that needles used must be blunt tipped and clarify that topical agents may be used only in conjunction with hair braiding.

Lawmakers voted 31-0 to advance the bill to select file.