The hope is to require cosmetology schools to have more inclusivity in their curriculums
When Ashley Lee, owner of Best-Tressed in Fargo, ND, heard of a client’s difficulty in finding someone who could do her hair in cornrows, she decided to take action.
Just a month later, she boasts a petition to the North Dakota Board of Cosmetology with several hundred signatures advocating for education inclusivity on all hair and skin types in cosmetology courses. Joined by Whitney Walker – the client in question – and Christina McNeal, another Fargo stylist, the trio hopes to introduce legislation on the state level.
“An estimated 65% of the US population has curly, coily, or wavy hair,” reads the petition, “and many people struggle to find a stylist they trust with their hair texture. Too many people leave cosmetology school without the proper knowledge to take care of the people who need the most guidance dealing with their hair. With nobody there to educate them, many people with looser textures don’t even realize they have curl, thinking that they just have “frizzy” hair.”
The petition maintains that the following points, among others, must be included in the curriculum:
-An equal representation of concerns and solutions for EVERY hair and skin type
-More styling and product options for highly textured hair
-More options for all skin types
With a more diverse curriculum in cosmetology and esthetics courses, a huge percentage of the population that is currently overlooked will be acknowledged and taken care of.
“Almost every person with curly hair who has sat in my chair for the first time has told me about all the bad experiences they’ve had with getting their hair done and how nervous they were to try anyone else,” wrote Lee. “If it’s taught in school, less people will have to worry about being turned away or having their hair messed up by a stylist who wasn’t properly prepared to do hair out of school. If you’re going to school to do hair or skincare services, you should be trained in ALL hair and skin types.”
