DES MOINES, Iowa — A bill moving through the Iowa Legislature has the attention of those working in the barber and cosmetology industry.

House File 711 aims to create an apprenticeship that would allow unlicensed individuals to learn how to cut, color, shampoo, and style hair under a licensed cosmetologist. After the apprenticeship, those individuals have the opportunity to obtain their license, but the bill doesn’t require that they do.

Those in the industry are divided on the bill, with one side saying the bill deregulates the industry and allows for employers to take advantage of those in their apprenticeship, while others say the bill increases accessibility, and that licensing doesn’t automatically mean better services behind the chair.

“For the future of this industry, giving people the opportunity to just start doing hair, it’s not going to help strengthen our industry as a whole. I think it will diminish the professionalism of it to, but that’s my biggest concern,” said Kristen Van Hauen, owner of Van Hair Collective.

Hauen also says that licensing allows stylists to move around the state and nation to different salons, whereas an unlicensed stylist could be trapped at a certain salon due to not having the ability to leave. Hauen says HF 711 doesn’t ensure the longevity of careers for those who undergo an apprenticeship without obtaining their licensing.

Meanwhile, Lindsey Mollenhauer, owner of Elevencherry Salon, feels differently and says that the bill allows for better-specialized education.

“If anyone had a bad haircut, which a lot of us have. I think we need to consider that it was given by a licensed cosmetologist or a licensed barber. So, the license doesn’t necessarily speak to quality or craftsmanship,” said Mollenhauer.

Mollenhauer says she does agree that sanitation guidelines should continue to be prioritized, and says that she is glad that education is still in HF 711, as the bill requires two hours of education related to barbering and cosmetology laws in the state and rules of sanitation.

Currently, Iowa does have apprenticeships as a pathway to licensure registered under the United States Department of Labor. However, through this program, apprenticeships are not the primary route to becoming a hairstylist, and education must be received in a board-approved school.

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