British Beauty Council urges mandatory textured and Afro hair training

The British Beauty Council’s Hair Equity Taskforce has called on the UK Government to urgently update hairdressing and barbering qualifications so they include mandatory training for textured and Afro hair. The move seeks to ensure that stylists across the country are consistently trained to serve all hair types safely and skillfully, closing long-standing gaps in education and access to quality services for Black and textured-hair clients. While textured and Afro hair education is available in parts of the sector, it is not uniformly embedded as a compulsory element across all qualifications and providers. The Council’s intervention aims to change that, signalling a pivotal moment for inclusivity, consumer protection, and professional standards in UK hair.

Why mandatory textured and Afro hair training matters

Hair is a deeply personal part of identity. For clients with curls, coils, kinks and waves, finding a stylist who understands the characteristics of textured and Afro hair can determine whether a service feels empowering—or risky. Without robust, mandatory training, clients may face inconsistent consultations, limited service options, or techniques that do not reflect best practice for their hair type. For stylists, a gap in education can undermine confidence, narrow career opportunities, and limit the breadth of services they can safely offer.

Embedding textured and Afro hair into core qualifications would help standardise knowledge of curl patterns, porosity, shrinkage, density, and protective styling principles. It also promotes safer practice in areas such as chemical relaxers, colouring on textured hair, silk presses, and natural hair care—disciplines where mistakes can lead to breakage, scalp irritation, or long-term damage.

• Improves client safety and reduces the risk of damage caused by unsuitable techniques or products.
• Supports equality of access so every client can book services with confidence.
• Raises professional standards by aligning training with the reality of UK hair diversity.
• Expands stylists’ skill sets and employability across salons and freelance work.
• Helps salons meet demand for textured-hair services and build inclusive client communities.

What could change in qualifications and assessments

The Council’s call is centred on making textured and Afro hair education a compulsory, assessed component of hairdressing and barbering qualifications. In practice, that would mean learners demonstrating competence across consultation, cutting, styling, and aftercare for a range of textures—not as an optional module, but as a core standard. It would also encourage education providers to invest in relevant mannequins, tools, and specialist educators, ensuring assessments reflect real-world client needs across coils, curls, and waves.

While some awarding organisations and training centres already offer strong textured-hair pathways, provision remains inconsistent and, in many cases, optional. A system-wide requirement would make learning universal and verifiable, providing clarity for employers and reassurance for clients. It would also create a shared language and framework for educators to teach texture with the same rigour applied to any other fundamental skill.

Impact on salons, barbers and clients across the UK

For salons and barbershops, the shift towards mandatory texture education represents both responsibility and opportunity. Teams equipped to serve all hair types can schedule more diverse services—from natural cuts and twist-outs to fades, shape-ups, and colour services on curls and coils—while enhancing client loyalty through inclusive practice. Employers benefit from clearer expectations of what a newly qualified stylist knows, simplifying recruitment and training plans.

Clients, in turn, gain better access to safe, skilled services in their local communities. Booking a trim, silk press, protective style refresh, or colour consultation shouldn’t require a postcode lottery or specialist referral. With consistency in training, more high-street salons would be able to meet textured-hair needs as standard, reducing travel distances, wait times, and the emotional labour often involved in finding the “right” stylist.

There are knock-on benefits for industry reputation, too. Inclusivity isn’t just a value; it’s a marker of professionalism. By embedding texture as a core competency, UK hairdressing can more accurately reflect the clients it serves and set a global benchmark for excellence.

How education providers and stylists can prepare now

While policy discussions advance, educators and professionals do not have to wait to make meaningful progress. Centres and salons can begin to audit their current provision, materials, and service menus to identify gaps and opportunities. For many, this will include ensuring access to practice mannequins with coils and curls, updating consultation forms to capture texture-specific needs, and refreshing aftercare guidance to reflect textured-hair best practice.

• Review curricula and lesson plans to ensure texture knowledge is threaded through theory and practical sessions.
• Invest in continued professional development (CPD) that covers cutting, colouring, and styling on curls and coils.
• Ensure assessment opportunities include a range of hair types, not just straight or wavy textures.
• Equip training spaces and salons with suitable tools, from diffusers and wide-tooth combs to heat protection and gentle detangling protocols.
• Foster an inclusive culture—clear signage, representative imagery, and service menus that speak to all clients.

For learners and working stylists, building texture literacy is a career investment. The ability to analyse curl patterns, recommend protective maintenance strategies, adapt cutting approaches to shrinkage, and colour textured hair safely is increasingly non-negotiable. As qualifications evolve, practitioners who have embraced this learning early will be well placed to lead.

Key Takeaways

• The British Beauty Council’s Hair Equity Taskforce is urging Government to make textured and Afro hair training mandatory in UK hairdressing and barbering qualifications.
• Mandatory training would standardise competence in serving curls, coils, kinks and waves, improving safety and client experience.
• Education providers would need to embed texture across curricula, assessments, and resources—not as optional extras.
• Salons and barbers gain clearer hiring benchmarks and the ability to offer broader, more inclusive services.
• Stylists who proactively build texture expertise now will be well positioned as qualification standards evolve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What has the British Beauty Council called for?
Its Hair Equity Taskforce has urged the UK Government to update hairdressing and barbering qualifications so training in textured and Afro hair becomes compulsory and consistently assessed.

Why isn’t this already standard everywhere?
While textured-hair education exists, provision varies. In many courses it remains optional or limited, leading to inconsistent skills among newly qualified professionals.

Who would be affected by a change?
Learners, training providers, and salons across the UK. Students would be assessed on texture competencies as part of their core qualification; providers would integrate texture into teaching and resources; employers would gain clearer expectations of graduate skills.

How would this benefit clients?
Clients with textured and Afro hair would have greater access to safe, skilled services across more locations, with improved consultations, technique choices, and aftercare guidance tailored to their hair type.

What can salons and educators do now?
Audit current provision, invest in CPD focused on curls and coils, diversify mannequins and assessment models, update consultation forms, and ensure service menus and imagery reflect all hair types.

Does this mean specialist services won’t be needed?
No. Specialist expertise will remain important, especially for advanced techniques. Mandatory training would set a baseline of competence so all clients receive respectful, safe, and informed care.