HOLLAND, Mich. — On Wednesday, we reported on a Holland woman who's working to change licensing laws for natural hair braiders in Michigan.
Since then, Shaketra Payne, who owns and operates Ketra Braids & Beauty, has had tremendous support from people across West Michigan.
Licensed cosmetologists in West Michigan were shocked to hear that natural hair culturists couldn't wash their clients' hair under state licensing laws.
"I actually didn't know that as a hair braider you couldn't wash hair prior to the service," said Ereinne Smith, a licensed cosmetologist in Allegan, "because especially with braiding and locing, having clean hair is just essential to providing a quality service."
"I wasn't sure why they wouldn't be able to work with hair like that," added Jess Feldpausch, who's also a cosmetologist in Allegan, "because they're already putting products on the hair, and they're already touching their client."
Jess Feldpausch is also a licensed cosmetology instructor in the State Of Michigan, and has a Bachelor's for teaching in career tech field for cosmetology, so she offered her expertise on the training and education that's needed for both a cosmetology and natural hair cultivation license.
"In general, a cosmetology license is a lot bigger and encompasses more things," Feldpausch said. "It's skin, hair and nails, plus your license includes chemical services."
"As far as for a natural hair culturist, they basically get trained in braiding, extending, locing, twisting, weaving and wrapping," she added. "That is exactly what's on their license and that's it."
She also said that for natural hair culturists, their curriculum does already include material that would be important for hair washing or shampooing.
"They talk about chemical safety, diseases and disorders, laws and rules, plus personal hygiene and sanitation," Feldpausch said.
Feldpausch said she understands the frustration with the inability for natural hair culturists to shampoo their clients, but also explained that it could be a little more complicated than just the washing.
"Because after their hair is wet, then you have to blow dry it," she said, "and then you get into the hot tools issues and offering those services."
So while she agrees with modifying the license to allow shampooing, she thinks the wording needs to be detailed and specific.
"I personally think there is a way to present it in that way where it's not trying to diminish someone else's license or someone else's education," Feldpausch said, "but that they just want the opportunity to take care of their clients the way they're supposed to."
"So if that means you're only allowed to shampoo and blow dry if you are putting braids or locs in, or doing some sort of protective hairstyle, I could understand that," she said.
"I think she should push for at least modifying the license," said Erienne Smith, "because I agree that if you don't want to do things that involve chemicals or nails or things like that, you shouldn't have to get a whole separate license just to do a shampoo."
So how does modifying the licensing law even work?
According to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, "allowing natural hair culturists to wash hair would take legislative action to change." They said that contacting local legislators to find someone who would sponsor the bill would be the next step.
"What if you could just grandfather those people in that already have their natural hair cultivation license," said Feldpausch, "like maybe send them something out that says this is what you need to do, or this is how it has to happen and from then on, you add that in to what's required when you get your license."
You can learn more about the differences between the two licenses in the State of Michigan by clicking here. You can also learn more about how a bill becomes a law or a law can be modified by clicking here.
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