Hairstylists and barbers often build close, trusting connections with their clients, sometimes seeing them more often than doctors or therapists do. More and more states appear to be realizing this and are turning to the practice of cosmetology and barbershops to spot early signs of domestic violence.
How are states doing this? By enacting laws that require cosmetologist and barber licensees to complete domestic or intimate partner violence awareness training as a condition of licensure or license renewal. There’s even a federal bill that’s been introduced in the US Senate to encourage more states to adopt similar rules and regulations.
Let’s talk about these new cosmetology rules and how they’re making hairdressers and other types of estheticians add a whole new skill to their styling toolkits.
What Is Domestic Abuse?
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior that one partner uses to control another in a relationship. It can happen to anyone and isn’t only physical. It can be verbal, emotional, psychological, sexual, or financial. For example, an abuser may use insults, threats, or fear to control their partner, limit their access to money, or monitor them with phones and other kinds of technology.
Domestic abuse can occur between spouses, dating partners, family members, or people who live together. Recognizing signs of abuse is important because victims often don’t realize they are in a harmful situation.
States with Training Requirements
Rulemaking for the domestic violence or abuse awareness training has already happened in several states, including Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, and most recently, Maryland. Each state has its own procedures, but typically the laws require barbers and cosmetologists to complete a domestic violence awareness course as part of the eligibility process to apply for or renew their licenses. Arkansas cosmetology laws mandate the training as part of cosmetology school. The class can usually be taken in person or online, but it must be from a state‑approved provider, and workers keep their certificates to show they have finished it.
The training teaches them how to recognize common warning signs of abuse, such as unexplained injuries, extreme anxiety, or controlling behavior from a partner, and how to respond in a safe, supportive way without trying to act like law enforcement. It also covers local hotlines, shelters, and other resources they can quietly share with clients, along with basic confidentiality guidelines so they understand what they can say, what they should keep private, and that they are generally not required to report abuse.
So, if beauty workers don’t report the suspected abuse, will some kind of disciplinary action be taken against them? Probably not because usually the state laws specifically say they are not “mandated reporters.” Mandated reporting is typically reserved to the health care industry when it comes to reporting domestic or intimate partner violence. If health care workers fail to report suspected domestic abuse, they can face criminal charges, fines, and professional discipline. Professionals in the salon industry are protected from civil or criminal liability if they act in good faith or decide not to act. Instead of forcing them to call the police, the goal is for them to recognize warning signs, support the client, and quietly share information about hotlines and shelters when it feels safe to do so.
How Will These Laws Impact Cosmetologists?
It seems like the board of cosmetology and cosmetologist examiners in most states that have adopted these requirements support the laws, but there are questions about whether salon workers will be pulled into family conflicts, face pressure to testify in court, or be blamed if something goes wrong. There’s also the argument that a short, one‑hour course is not enough to handle such a serious issue, and that beauty professionals may feel unprepared or anxious about saying the wrong thing to a victim.
Additionally, there are concerns that these laws shift responsibility from well‑funded systems like health care and criminal justice onto low‑wage workers, and that not all clients will trust or use the outside services stylists are told to recommend.
If you need help, you can find more information on FindLaw’s Domestic Violence Law and Resource Center.
Related Resources:
- 8 Steps To Open a Barbershop (FindLaw’s Learn About The Law)
- Domestic Violence Criminal Charges (FindLaw’s Learn About The Law)
- How To Open a Nail Salon (FindLaw’s Learn About The Law)
