Aspiring cosmetologists in Virginia may soon become licensed without working as many hours as their more seasoned peers once did.

On July 11, The Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology reduced the number of hours required to obtain a cosmetology license by 33 percent from 1,500 required hours to 1,000.

In announcing the change, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said “Reducing regulatory obstacles that get in the way of both businesses and talented Virginians entering the workforce has been a priority of mine since day one.”

A press release states that the 1,500-hour training requirement was established in 1963.

While the reduced hours may appeal to new students eager to break into the cosmetology field, several local cosmetologists and salon owners believe such a drastic reduction will only increase the risk of students making mistakes and increased customer dissatisfaction.

“Young people want to get done fast, and, want to work for themselves,” said LaFarn “LB” Burton, who owned the LB Beauty Academy, a cosmetology school in Scott’s Addition, for 18 years. Her school trained students in cosmetology, barbering, aesthetics, tattooing, waxing, nails and permanent cosmetics.

“Reducing the hours of training will only adequately prepare them for the test, but not the workforce,” she said. Students will lack the practical experience of working with diverse communities and services such as different skin and hair types and various conditions that can afflict diverse populations, she added.

The traditional path for students interested in cosmetology begins with school, and working with an experienced cosmetologist for one to two years, Mrs. Burton said.

Haywood Watkins, owner of Haywood’s Hair Images on Semmes Avenue, agrees. He has served men and women customers for 47 years, trained more than 50 professional cosmetologists, and currently works with four other contractors at his hair studio. He said if a new cosmetology student applied for training under him, having met the new certification of 1,000 hours, the applicant would face scrutiny from him.

“I will pause in working with them because they haven’t learned how to offer high quality service,” he said. For example, while a student may grasp the basics in applying a relaxer to a client’s hair, Mr. Watkins said, they will not necessarily know best prac- tices in preventing a client from experiencing hair damage and breakage.

“If you are licensed to only render cutting and designing, that’s fine, but if you are using any chemicals for straightening or changing the pattern of the hair, you will need extra training [beyond the 1,000 hours],” he continued. “The training needs to be as thorough as possible - otherwise, the fabric of the profession is weakened.”

Dionne Montise Hughes also trains cosmetology students at her salon, the Image Enhancement Center. She said that the reduced hours required for licensure is good for students who want to get licensed more quickly, and may encourage more students to join the profession. But, she believes the curriculum needs to be adjusted to meet the reduction in required hours.

“When I was learning and getting trained, it was difficult to learn all that I needed in the 1,500-hour curriculum,” she said.” I learned just enough to pass the test.”

Mrs. Burton and Ms. Hughes both said they believe that by focusing on the 1,000 hours of training on hair care and styling only, moving all additional training- such as manicuring, pedicuring, skin care and other aspects of training - to separate certifications is one way to adapt and meet the new reduced hours without sacrificing quality of training.

Before the proposal becomes official there is a public comment period. Mrs. Burton, Mr. Watkins and Ms. Hughes each said they plan to make their objections known, and encourage other cosmetologists to do the same.