A new Maine law mandates textured hair training in professional beauty schools—and it affects how you run your programs starting now.
Most salon and personal care business owners in Maine don't realize that a provision buried in a new state law directly affects how they operate—if they run a cosmetology, barbering, or hair design school.
Here's what happened: On June 11, 2025, Maine approved LD1861, An Act to Require Training on Textured Hair for Aestheticians, Barber Hair Stylists, Cosmetologists and Hair Designers. While the bill's title focuses on training requirements, Section 1 contains a mandate that applies immediately to educational institutions: schools must now include textured hair styling and treatment in their educational program standards.
If you own or operate a cosmetology, barbering, hair styling, or related licensing school in Maine, you are now required by law to incorporate textured hair styling and treatment into your curriculum. This isn't optional, and it's not a suggestion—it's a mandate that took effect upon approval of the bill.
The practical impact breaks down into three areas:
Curriculum Updates: Your school's educational program standards must be revised to include textured hair techniques, products, and best practices. This means reviewing existing course materials, lesson plans, and hands-on training components.
Instructor Qualifications: You may need to hire or train instructors who have demonstrated expertise in textured hair styling and care. Existing staff may require professional development to meet the new standard.
Regulatory Compliance: The Department of Professional and Financial Regulation will issue rulemaking to define how these standards are implemented. Your school will need to comply with those rules once they're published.
The law doesn't specify a grace period or phase-in timeline—it became effective immediately upon approval on June 11, 2025.
Textured hair care and styling is a specialized skill set that has historically been underrepresented in many cosmetology and barbering curricula. This law corrects that gap by requiring schools to teach it as part of standard professional training. For your business, that means planning ahead: identifying qualified instructors, budgeting for curriculum development, and ensuring your school is ready for any compliance checks by the state licensing board.
Schools that delay updating their programs risk operating out of compliance with state law. Conversely, schools that move quickly can position themselves as leaders in comprehensive, inclusive professional training—an advantage when recruiting students and instructors.
The specific requirement is found in Section 1, Page 1 of LD1861. The Department of Professional and Financial Regulation will provide guidance on implementation standards, so monitoring their website for rulemaking notices is important.
If you operate a school and need help understanding how this applies to your specific program, the Maine Professional Beauty Association and your state licensing board are good starting points for clarification.
Source: LD1861, An Act to Require Training on Textured Hair for Aestheticians, Barber Hair Stylists, Cosmetologists and Hair Designers, approved June 11, 2025.