N.J. proposes new rules for cosmetology schools to expand textured-hair training and inclusive facilities

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs on Tuesday announced proposed rule changes aimed at expanding curriculum requirements and promoting more inclusive spaces at cosmetology schools across the state.

The proposal, published in the New Jersey Register, would amend existing rules governing the roughly 31 schools licensed by the State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, which set training-hour and curriculum standards for students preparing for careers in the beauty industry, officials said.

Among other changes, the proposed rules would require schools to train all students to provide services to people with “hair of all types, textures, and porosities,” including hair that is “tightly coiled, coiled, curly, wavy, and straight,” according to the announcement. The proposal would also remove an existing requirement that schools maintain separate lavatories for men and women, a mandate the state said treats non-binary students differently from other students.

“New Jersey is a national leader in promoting equal access to services and opportunities for all,” said Attorney General Platkin. “The rules we are proposing today advance equal access by requiring cosmetology schools throughout our state to better serve students and patrons who have historically been denied service.”

“Together with our Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, we are taking steps to recognize, welcome, and fully embrace the diverse student populations in New Jersey’s cosmetology schools,” said Elizabeth M. Harris, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “The rules will promote a more inclusive educational experience that will provide all graduates with an opportunity to serve a diverse clientele reflected in communities throughout New Jersey.”

Officials said the proposed rules align with P.L.2025, c.207, signed into law Jan. 12, 2026. The statute codifies into law the board’s proposed requirement for training on textured hair and also requires the cosmetology licensing exam to include textured hair, according to the announcement.

The state’s summary of key provisions includes curriculum requirements to ensure students become proficient, within their scope of practice, in working with varying hair strand thickness, volume and patterns, including coiled, curly and wavy hair. It also calls for expanding required training tools to include items such as hair picks, wide-tooth combs, hair weaving kits and braiding packages, and for schools to maintain enough equipment — including mannequins with tightly coiled, curly, wavy and straight hair — to train students across hair types.

The proposal would also lift requirements for gender-specific bathrooms and for a separate teachers’ lavatory at schools with three or more teachers, giving schools more flexibility in how bathrooms are configured, the state said. Another provision would require schools to provide each student with a full copy of the board’s rules.

The attorney general’s office said the proposal is part of broader work tied to the CROWN Act — the 2019 state law that clarifies that prohibited race discrimination under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination includes discrimination based on traits historically associated with race, including hair texture, type and styles such as braids, locks and twists.

As an example, officials pointed to an October 2023 agreement announced by the attorney general’s office and the Division on Civil Rights with the Gloucester County Vocational-Technical School District, which operates the Gloucester County Institute of Technology. The agreement required the school’s cosmetology program to instruct all students in the theory and practice of styling Black and other textured hair, resolving an investigation into allegations that non-Black students were not required to learn those skills and that the program lacked sufficient mannequins for training, officials said.

Public comments on the proposed amendments and new rule must be submitted by March 21, 2026, officials said.