LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Victory on Tuesday was joined by Shaketra Payne, who owns Ketra Braids and Beauty in Holland Township, to testify before the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee on his legislation to allow licensed natural hair culturists like Payne to wash their clients’ hair.
“This commonsense reform shouldn’t be necessary. The fact that we need to amend the law to simply allow someone to wash her clients’ hair is frustrating and illustrative of unnecessary regulations Michigan continues to put on small business owners,” said Victory, R-Hudsonville. “I want to thank Shaketra for bringing this issue to me. The current regulations have limited her business and forced her to turn clients away if their hair is not clean enough to properly braid.
“I hope we can pass this measure soon and that the governor will sign it into law — allowing natural hair culturists to provide hair cleansings as part of doing their jobs for their clients.”
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs offers a license for “natural hair cultivation,” which means techniques that result in tension on hair strands such as twisting, wrapping, weaving, extending, locking, or braiding of the hair by hand, if that work does not include the application of dyes, reactive chemicals, or other preparations to alter the color or to straighten, curl, or alter the structure of the hair.
Michigan’s definition of natural hair cultivation does not include hair cleansing, and current state law prohibits an individual who is licensed as a manicurist, natural hair culturist, or esthetician from performing any other cosmetology service unless they are licensed for that service.
Senate Bill 1113 would allow for a natural hair culturist to engage in hair cleansing as long as the hair cleansing is for the purpose performing natural hair cultivation.
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Editor’s note: The above photograph is available by clicking on the image or by visiting https://www.SenatorRogerVictory.com/photos/.
Photo caption: Sen. Roger Victory, R-Hudsonville, listens to Shaketra Payne, who owns Ketra Braids and Beauty in Holland Township, testify before the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee on his legislation, Senate Bill 1113, to allow licensed natural hair culturists like Payne to wash their clients’ hair as long as the hair cleansing is for the purpose of performing natural hair cultivation.