The Ethics Behind Public Relations and Letting States License Barbers
Why do we license barbers and cosmetologists, asks Daniel Akst. It is a matter of public health!
I am a licensed cosmetologist and received my education and training at Cerritos Community College in 1961. The 1,600 hours were not solely for learning to cut hair.
Several months before I ever picked up a pair of scissors, we sat at a desk with a textbook. We were tested on our knowledge of the human body. The blood system, the skeletal system, the nerve and muscle system and all the diseases of those systems.
We learned how to use hair color solutions properly so as to avoid severe allergic reactions in our customers. We learned to recognize skin diseases of the face, scalp and nails. We learned to recognize lice.
We learned the importance of sterilizing our equipment so that when you have your hair cut you can be assured you will not get some disease from a previous customer.
What you take for granted in the barber’s chair is a system that is there to protect your health. License fees also pay for the cost of periodic inspections by the state to examine the cleanliness of the shop and to check that it sterilizes its equipment. I question whether the state is too lax in this area.
MOONYEAN KISTLER
La Habra
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