Jason Victorino grew up when beauty industry standards were focused on straight, glossy hair.
It took the Native Hawaiian hairstylist many years to love his ringlet curls, which now have a purple hue. When he was younger, he would cut it short, then spike it.
“I don’t think I chose to wear my hair curly because I never saw it in the styling books,” he said.
While styling curly hair is in, there are not enough hairdressers who specialize in cutting textured hair. Hawaiʻi is behind other states in teaching hairstylists how to service those clients.
Hawaiʻi is one of dozens of states not required by law to educate hairdressers on textured hair.
Curly hair comes in multiple patterns: loose waves, tight curls, or coils. Some clients might hear hairdressers use terms like “2B,” which is a curly hair pattern that has an S-shaped wave, and “3C,” which are curls that resemble tight corkscrews and have volume.
Salon 808 on Oʻahu has about 30 hairstylists on staff, but only about 16% specialize in textured hair, according to Victorino, adding that he’s one of five hairstylists who can do the job.
“It’s intimidating for stylists, I suppose,” he said. “In hair school, it wasn’t necessarily something that we were taught right away.”
Victorino didn’t start learning how to work on curly hair until it became a demand. He learned how to cut and style textured hair on his own because it was hardly covered when he went to beauty school in Chinatown. That’s when he really started embracing his natural locks.
“I would love to see more people be able to take care of textured hair,” he said. “It’s becoming a demand because we are seeing it more in the mainstream now. People are wearing their hair more natural. Here, we have a diverse community, so there’s a need for it.”
But Hawaiʻi lacks hairstylists who can teach the craft. Salon and barber shops often rely on people coming from the continental U.S. to teach other hairdressers how to work on textured hair. Some hair schools updated their curriculum to adapt to the need.
Honolulu Community College is the only accredited public school in Hawaiʻi to teach hair cutting and styling.
Kevin Murata, an assistant professor at HCC, said it can be difficult for students to find test subjects. Sometimes clients come in randomly or students may have to walk around campus searching for their models.
“It's a gamble because we don't know who's going to come in. We don't know what kind of textured hair they have,” Murata said. “So a lot of times we tell our students, if you know someone who has textured hair, bring them in.”
There’s an issue with continuing education for licensed barbers and cosmetologists, according to Murata. Currently curly hair is trending, and perms, a chemical hair treatment that turns naturally straight hair to curly or wavy, are in.
He said hairstylists need to adapt to the trends and be able to work with all types of hair.
“You have to be flexible,” he said.
Unlike other states, Hawaiʻi hairdressers are not required to take a practical exam. They only take a written test.
Students in Hawaiʻi’s cosmetology schools need at least 1,800 hours before they can take the state board exam. It’s double the hours if a student learns through an apprenticeship with a licenseholder.
Hairdressers in Hawaiʻi are also not required by law to learn how to cut textured hair.
In 2021, Louisiana became the first state to pass a law that requires textured hair training for cosmetologists. Other states like Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Washington and California followed.
The new laws came after horror stories emerged from clients leaving salons with botched haircuts, prompting hairstylists to push for change.
Erin Marceaux, executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology, said students need to take a practical and a written exam in order to obtain their license.
She said the board created a task force last year to review their board exams and hopes to make adjustments by this year.
In their current assessment, students need to do finger waves to show they can control the hair, a traditional comb out, roller placement, pin curls, perms, virgin lightener and more.
She added that the board received money from the Louisiana State Legislature to help with upgrading technology to work on the assessment changes.
“Cutting is not going to cut it,” Marceaux said. “We know that somebody needs to be able to do everything on any type of hair to help relieve some of that intimidation. And really, what it's about is creating successful license holders in the state that can provide better services to anyone.”
The Hawaiʻi Board of Barbering and Cosmetology has not created any rules or requirements for licensed beauty schools to train students specifically for textured hair.
Embracing natural curls
Most stories from people with textured hair are the same. They straightened their hair to avoid being teased in school; sometimes they straightened with an ironing board; people insist on touching their curls; and shampoo commercials highlight mostly straight hair.
Victorino said it’s generational.
But for Hawaiʻi residents like Justice Tiberi, 20, she grew up with Victorino cutting her hair and watching others on social media show her how to style it.
Tiberi, who is Hawaiian and Ukrainian, has thick hair with natural curls. Her brother and father have curly hair, too.
She said people are more appreciative of curly hair, adding that her friend would try to achieve the same curl pattern as her with a curling iron.
“Just realize that even though we all had bad hair days, it’s a blessing that you’re able to have these natural curls,” she said. “You already have a new hairstyle in your pocket, and you can dress it up or down in so many ways that a lot of people wish and dream for.”
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