A provision in LD1861, signed into law in June 2025, requires Maine's cosmetology and barbering schools to add textured hair styling to their curricula—and that change affects your hiring and training
Most salon and personal care business owners in Maine haven't heard about a requirement that could reshape their hiring and training decisions within the next year or two. It's buried in LD1861, a bill signed into law on June 11, 2025, that mandates textured hair styling and treatment education in all state-licensed cosmetology, barbering, and related programs.
Under Section 1 of LD1861, Maine's Department of Professional and Financial Regulation must update its educational program standards to require that all cosmetology, barbering, hair design, and aesthetician licensing schools include textured hair styling and treatment in their curricula. This isn't optional or advisory—it's a mandate that schools must comply with once the department issues formal rules.
The law was approved June 11, 2025, and becomes effective once the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation completes its rulemaking process. That means the timeline is not yet fixed, but schools and business owners should expect implementation guidance within the coming months.
If you own or operate a cosmetology, barbering, hair design, or aesthetician school in Maine, this directly impacts you. You'll need to:
If you own a salon or personal care business that hires graduates from Maine schools, this matters too. It means future employees will have foundational training in textured hair care that current graduates may lack—a shift that could affect your own training timelines and service offerings.
Schools will bear the primary cost of compliance: curriculum development, instructor training or hiring, and potential facility updates. There is no state funding attached to this mandate. Business owners should plan for:
If you operate a school, contact the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation's Division of Licensing and Regulatory Services to learn when rulemaking will begin and what standards are being considered. If you're a salon owner, monitor these changes so you understand what skills new hires will bring to your team.
For a more detailed breakdown of how this law affects your specific business model, industry resources and trade associations have prepared guidance tailored to salon owners and school operators.
Source: LD1861, An Act to Require Training on Textured Hair for Aestheticians, Barber Hair Stylists, Cosmetologists and Hair Designers, approved June 11, 2025, Section 1.