Finally, Ohio lawmakers have a chance to eliminate unneeded licensure to blow-dry hair: Kimberly Cline (2024)

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio -- Clients who come to me for a Japanese head spa hydrotherapy treatment receive a scalp, neck, shoulder, and face massage while relaxing beneath a warm trickling waterfall. But when they finish, they face a dilemma.

They must decide how they will get their hair dry because I am legally prohibited from performing the service. Due to current Ohio regulations, my clients have three options. They can leave with wet hair, blow-dry their own hair at a self-service station, or book a separate appointment with an onsite licensed cosmetologist to dry.

If I dare to dry my client’s hair myself, I would risk fines and even jail time.

The restrictions make little sense, considering my background. As a state-licensed massage therapist, I have completed 600 hours of coursework and passed a national exam. I understand the sanitary considerations.

To qualify to dry my client’s hair, I would have to graduate from an approved state cosmetology program and learn irrelevant skills like cutting and coloring hair. I also would have to pass an exam, pay multiple fees, and show proof of continuing education.

This is what Ohio requires just to pick up a blow-dryer — a safe tool that most people learn to use in childhood.

It is difficult to explain to my clients the reasons I cannot blow-dry their hair. The act of drying hair is such a normal everyday activity that it blows their minds (pun intended) when I explain the money and hassle I would have to endure to make sure their heads were dry.

Other licensed professionals from around the world are also in disbelief when I explain Ohio regulations in the online group I joined for professional support. Even within the United States, Ohio is falling behind. Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, Utah, and Virginia already exempt blow-dry stylists from licensure.

Ohio could be next. House Bill 58, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester), would end occupational licensure for blow-dry stylists. Instead of spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars learning skills they will never use, people like me could register with the state Board of Cosmetology and move forward.

There are many new businesses popping up, such as head spas offering hydrotherapy massage services and blow-dry bars that focus on washing, drying, and styling hair. None of these boutique service providers uses dangerous tools or harsh chemicals. Their work is safe, and they would benefit greatly by reducing barriers.

Some industry insiders prefer the status quo instead. As things stand, licensing creates barriers to enter the market, which helps shield established salon owners from competition. Cosmetology schools also benefit from licensing blow dry stylists. They not only get free labor in student salons, but tuition.

The result for aspiring beauty professionals is a debt trap that can spill over into unrelated fields like massage therapy. Research from the Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm that opposes unnecessary licensing, shows that forced schooling rarely pays off in terms of earnings.

The ultimate losers in this battle are customers seeking niche beauty services. Requiring occupational licensing for an activity that even teenagers perform on a daily basis without any problems raises costs and reduces choice without increasing safety.

I could easily pull out a blow-dryer at the end of a spa treatment and give my clients dry hair. I just need Ohio regulators to allow me to use an everyday beauty tool, so my clients can savor their relaxing spa experience. Lawmakers can do their part by passing HB58.

Kimberly Cline is a licensed massage therapist in Saint Clairsville, Ohio.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com