Do You Need a License to Make Dreadlocks in the USA?

This is the question I get most often from future locticians in the US. And it is the one where I most want to be careful, because the answer depends on where you live, and because getting it wrong can cost you.

I am not a lawyer, and laws change. Please read this as an overview to help you ask the right questions, not as legal advice.

The short answer

There is no national license for locticians in the USA. Each state makes its own rules. In most states today, you do not need a full cosmetology license to make dreadlocks. In a smaller number of states, you need a specialty license for natural hair care or braiding.

States that exempt natural hair braiding

Over the last ten years, state after state has exempted natural hair braiding from cosmetology licensing. The Institute for Justice, which has worked on this issue for many years, counts 38 states that now completely exempt braiders.

The important question is whether your state's definition of braiding includes dreadlocks. In many states it does. Arkansas, for example, defines natural hair braiding to include locking and extending, with the hands or with a mechanical device. But not every state words it that way, so read the definition in your own state's law, or ask your state board.

Even in exempt states, you will usually still need to register your business, get a local business license where your city or county requires one, and pay your taxes.

States that require a specialty license

According to the Institute for Justice, ten states still require a specialty license to braid hair: Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina and Tennessee.

New York's law is a clear example of how this can apply to dreadlocks. It describes natural hair care as including locking and crochet locking, and it even mentions the loctician by name. In states like these, you need to complete the required training hours and get licensed before you work on paying clients.

Several of these states have had bills to change their rules, and some may have changed by the time you read this. Always check the current situation.

What about extensions?

Dreadlocks with extensions can sit in a grey area. Some states' braiding definitions include extending the hair, and some don't. If extensions are part of what you want to offer, ask your state board specifically about them.

How to check what applies to you

1. Find your state board of cosmetology (sometimes called the board of barbering and cosmetology).
2. Look for "natural hair braiding" or "natural hair care" in the law or on the board's website.
3. Read the definition. Does it include locking, twisting and extending?
4. Ask directly. Email or call the board and describe exactly what you will do: creating, maintaining and extending dreadlocks with a crochet hook, with no chemicals.
5. Check your city and county. Business licenses and zoning rules for home salons are often local.

Where my training fits

The Professional Loctician In-Person Training teaches you the craft of making dreadlocks and how to build a practice around it. The Seienstyle certification shows you have learned my method to my standard. It is not a state license, and it does not replace one.

If you live in an exempt state, my training can be your main path into the work. If you live in a state that requires a license, you need the license to work legally, and many people choose a craft training too, because a licensing program may spend very few hours on dreadlocks.

The training costs $4,599, and I come to you in the capital of your state.

Read more about The Professional Loctician In-Person Training

You can read the bigger picture in How to Become a Loctician and Dreadlock Artist in the USA, and about setting up your business in How to Start Your Own Dreadlock Salon in the USA.

Do you need a hairdressing background?

No. Many of the strongest locticians I have trained had never worked with hair before. Licensing is about the law in your state. Skill is about your hands, your heart and your willingness to learn properly.

Do you have questions about where you live? Send me an email at [email protected]. I can't give you legal advice, but I will answer honestly, even if I think the time is not right for you yet.

With love,
Ann-Marie