BEAUTY SCHOOL DEBT AND DROP-OUTS - How Utah Cosmetology Licensing Fails Aspiring Beauty Workers

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Damian

Policy brief examining how Utah’s cosmetology licensing rules impose high costs on aspiring beauty workers. It describes a 2021 effort to reduce licensing barriers through SB 87, sometimes called the “Blow Dry Bar Bill,” and explains why exemptions remain limited. Key findings show expensive, time-consuming education; frequent program delays; persistent student loan burdens; and low wages after licensure. Evidence links long schooling to licensing-hour requirements and suggests rules are weakly tied to public health and safety goals.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Key Findings

Background

BEAUTY SCHOOL DEBT AND DROP-OUTS How Utah Cosmetology Licensing Fails Aspiring Beauty Workers By Michael Bednarczuk, Ph.D. June 2021 PAGE 1 INTRODUCTION On January 4, 2021, newly sworn-in Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued hisfirst executive order. The order requires all executive branch agencies that establish administrative rulesfor occupational or professional licensing to review and identify those rules and regulations “that are no longer necessary or can be amended to reduce barriers to working while still protecting the health, safety, and well-being of Utah residents.” 1 Just a couple of weeks after Governor Cox’s call to action, Sen. Curtis Bramble introduced SB 87.2 The bill’s House floor sponsor, Rep. Candice Pierucci, said,“The impetus for this [bill] is looking at how often government overregulates industries and businesses.”3 The bill, which quickly became known as the “Blow Dry Bar Bill,” sought an exemption from the state’s cosmetology/barber license for any individual who“only dries, styles, arranges, dresses, curls, hot irons, shampoos, or conditions hair.”4 In lieu of a cosmetology/barber license, the bill ultimately required that stylists complete a “hair safety program” of no more than two hours and pass a corresponding exam with a score of at least 75% .5 In explaining the bill, Bramble said,“Shampooing and blow drying hair is something that everybody is familiar with. The idea that you need to have a license to do what is a common practice is a challenge.”6 This is in line with a Utah Supreme Court precedent holding that the state can license only occupations that “require special skill, learning and experience, and [where] the public ordinarily does not have suffi- cient knowledge to determine the qualifications of the practitioner.”7 Despite some pushback from the cosmetology industry, including a protest at the Salt Lake City-County Building,8 the bill garnered majority support in both houses of the Legislature and was signed into law on March 16, 2021.9 Utah’s Blow Dry Bar Bill is only one of the latest examples of how cosmetology licensing has attracted concern in recent years for the costs it imposes on workers, consumers and the wider economy.10 But while much research has been done on the costs and benefits of occupational licensing in general, 11 little work has been done to systematically analyze the experiences of people pursuing cosmetology careers. A forthcoming Institute for Justice study aims to change that with a detailed analysis of federal educational data, including a large, and largely untapped, dataset on nondegree credentials and work experience programs.12 This policy brief draws on that national study to explore the experiences of people pursuing cosmetology careers in Utah. PAGE 2 Keyfindings include: The education required for cosmetology licensure in Utah is expensive and time-consuming, and students typically incur significant student loan debt to finance it. Cosmetology programs in Utah rarely graduate people on time, delaying aspiring cosmetologists’ entry into the workforce and increasing their debt burden. If aspiring cosmetologists become licensed in Utah, they frequently end up in jobs where they earn low wages, likely making it difficult to repay loans. Our data suggest Utah’s licensure requirements largely explain why cosmetology school takes as long as it does. After Utah reduced required education hours in 2013, over 90% of cosmetology schools in the state shortened their programs to match. Unfortunately, Utah’s cosmetology schooling requirements appear disconnected from the government’s interest in protecting public health and safety—the justification for restricting occupational entry through licensing.13 Not only do many niche cosmetology services—such as those provided by blow dry bars—pose little or no threat to the public, but licensing requirements for cosmetologists outstrip those for other occupations that present greater ris

FAQs

What policy change did Utah pursue through SB 87 in 2021?

Utah considered an exemption from full cosmetology/barber licensing for individuals who only dry, style, arrange, dress, curl, hot iron, shampoo, or condition hair, requiring instead completion of a short “hair safety program” and an exam.

What are the key findings about the burden of cosmetology licensure in Utah?

The brief finds that required education is costly and time-consuming, programs often do not graduate students on time, and licensed workers commonly face low wages that make loan repayment difficult.

How do the findings connect Utah’s licensing requirements to delays and safety justification?

The data suggest licensing-hour requirements largely explain why cosmetology school takes as long as it does, and that requirements appear disconnected from protecting public health and safety, with limited time spent on health and safety in programs.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Damian