State accused of being behind times in hairstylist licensing
By JANETTE RODRIGUES
Houston Chronicle MARCH 30,2001
Houstonian Georgette Johnson shelled out more than $1,200 in fees for months of cosmetology training she didn't need to take a daylong test in techniques she doesn't use.Some would call that odd, but that's what the Texas Cosmetology Commission requires of beauticians, even those like Johnson, a natural hair-care stylist."In order to work in a salon in Texas you have to have a license, so I went through the motions," said Johnson, who works at Soul Scissors on Almeda.
"The commission doesn't offer anything on natural hair care besides how to use a pressing comb. The curriculum is archaic."Nothing in the training or exam Johnson took to get a license in 1997 pertains to the afro-centric hairstyles - dreadlocks, twists, Bantu knots - she does for black clients who choose to leave their hair free of straightening perms.
And the state has no plans to include such training in its curriculum, despite the popularity of locks, or dreads, as the strands of untreated hair are called."The commission has had no discussion on it," said Don Nall, interim director of enforcement for the agency in Austin.A growing number of African-Americans are spurning perms so their helix curls can be coaxed into chemical-free hairstyles.
Over-processing can damage hair, causing it to break off or fall out.
On average, black women get their hair treated every six weeks to have the curl taken out of new growth.Johnson has a lot of clients like Trischelle George, who go natural to give their hair a rest from chemicals but continue to wear styles that put them in touch with their ancestral roots."I was getting my hair permed too much and it was falling out," said George, who now has a healthy head of thick, long, springy hair.
George sits in a chair as Johnson separates a lock, rolls it from the base of her palm to the tips of her fingers like a pretzel maker and then twists it with another lock of hair. Twists last up to three weeks and can be pulled apart when needed. Dreadlocks on the other hand can last years and have to be cut off to be removed. Johnson believes Texas is behind the times when it comes to cosmetology, even when it comes to hairstyles favored by other ethnic groups.
"They teach you how to do old-lady-bouffant hairstyles and wet sets," she said.None of which comes in handy when clients want to look like singer Lauryn Hill, New Orleans Saints running back Ricky Williams or actress Whoopi Goldberg. Johnson, who also takes exception at having to renew her license every two years, said the state is so out-of-touch with what has become mainstream that it still requires applicants, who want to use a black model for the license exam, to bring one with chemically straightened hair.
Some hairstylists say the state needs to exempt natural hair-care specialists from the license statue or update the cosmetology curriculum to address changes in hair care and styles. Commission Executive Director Henry O'Neal Holifield said the state offers a well-rounded curriculum that includes braiding and hair weaving. Both are included in the state law.Nall, however, acknowledged that licensing statutes doesn't mention dreadlocks. "There been so many innovations in hair care period," Johnson said. "What happens at most places is that once a person graduates they have to retrain once they get a job in a salon."
By JANETTE RODRIGUES
Houston Chronicle MARCH 30,2001
Houstonian Georgette Johnson shelled out more than $1,200 in fees for months of cosmetology training she didn't need to take a daylong test in techniques she doesn't use.Some would call that odd, but that's what the Texas Cosmetology Commission requires of beauticians, even those like Johnson, a natural hair-care stylist."In order to work in a salon in Texas you have to have a license, so I went through the motions," said Johnson, who works at Soul Scissors on Almeda.
"The commission doesn't offer anything on natural hair care besides how to use a pressing comb. The curriculum is archaic."Nothing in the training or exam Johnson took to get a license in 1997 pertains to the afro-centric hairstyles - dreadlocks, twists, Bantu knots - she does for black clients who choose to leave their hair free of straightening perms.
And the state has no plans to include such training in its curriculum, despite the popularity of locks, or dreads, as the strands of untreated hair are called."The commission has had no discussion on it," said Don Nall, interim director of enforcement for the agency in Austin.A growing number of African-Americans are spurning perms so their helix curls can be coaxed into chemical-free hairstyles.
Over-processing can damage hair, causing it to break off or fall out.
On average, black women get their hair treated every six weeks to have the curl taken out of new growth.Johnson has a lot of clients like Trischelle George, who go natural to give their hair a rest from chemicals but continue to wear styles that put them in touch with their ancestral roots."I was getting my hair permed too much and it was falling out," said George, who now has a healthy head of thick, long, springy hair.
George sits in a chair as Johnson separates a lock, rolls it from the base of her palm to the tips of her fingers like a pretzel maker and then twists it with another lock of hair. Twists last up to three weeks and can be pulled apart when needed. Dreadlocks on the other hand can last years and have to be cut off to be removed. Johnson believes Texas is behind the times when it comes to cosmetology, even when it comes to hairstyles favored by other ethnic groups.
"They teach you how to do old-lady-bouffant hairstyles and wet sets," she said.None of which comes in handy when clients want to look like singer Lauryn Hill, New Orleans Saints running back Ricky Williams or actress Whoopi Goldberg. Johnson, who also takes exception at having to renew her license every two years, said the state is so out-of-touch with what has become mainstream that it still requires applicants, who want to use a black model for the license exam, to bring one with chemically straightened hair.
Some hairstylists say the state needs to exempt natural hair-care specialists from the license statue or update the cosmetology curriculum to address changes in hair care and styles. Commission Executive Director Henry O'Neal Holifield said the state offers a well-rounded curriculum that includes braiding and hair weaving. Both are included in the state law.Nall, however, acknowledged that licensing statutes doesn't mention dreadlocks. "There been so many innovations in hair care period," Johnson said. "What happens at most places is that once a person graduates they have to retrain once they get a job in a salon."
Houston Chronicle March 30, 2001
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