Committee advances bill to let aestheticians perform blow-drying; cosmetology board and practitioners raise training concerns

Senate Bill 54, which would add blow-drying to services allowed for estheticians, was reported favorable by the House Commerce Committee on May 11 after extensive public testimony for and against the change.

Sponsor Senator Kathy framed the bill as a practical fix: customers who receive scalp or head-spa treatments sometimes leave with damp hair and would benefit from a permit allowing the esthetician to blow-dry the client. "I bought my wife a gift certificate... and she said, 'I'm never gonna use it, because the lady that does it is an aesthetician and she can't dry my hair,'" the sponsor said.

Sarah Harbison of the Pelican Institute testified in support, arguing that allowing estheticians to perform blow-drying at a lower-hour threshold than cosmetology would reduce training costs and open opportunities. "This bill gets entrepreneurs to work faster and at a lower cost," Harbison said.

Board and industry witnesses cautioned lawmakers that blow-drying is currently treated as a hair service and that esthetician curricula do not include shampooing, styling or hair-health training. Aaron Marceau, executive director of the Louisiana Board of Cosmetology, and Keywan Wade, the board’s compliance investigator, said the existing blow-dry permit was created by statute at 1,000 hours and that aesthetics programs do not teach the necessary hair techniques. "An aesthetician should not have been providing hair services from the get-go," Wade said, noting concerns about facility requirements and curriculum gaps.

Licensed cosmetologists and instructors described potential safety and training gaps and urged either retaining higher-hour requirements or creating a lower-hour permit tied to explicit curriculum and training. "To put that blow dryer and curling in their hand to somebody they've never met before without that training... they get the training while they're in school," said Paula Downing, a cosmetology instructor.

Committee members asked for and received clarifications about existing permits and curricula; cosmetology representatives said a lower-hour permit in the 100–200 hour range might be workable if schools can deliver the coursework. The committee ultimately reported SB54 favorable; the record includes multiple opposing and informational witnesses.