Natural Hair Care Specialist License

Hi YouTube, so I recently took the practical and written exam for the natural hair care specialist license, I'm in North Carolina and I passed both exams and then put in the application for my license. So I am now a licensed natural haircare specialist. I know that there were some blogs and some discussion and debates about different states initiating a licensure process for natural hair. Definitely the natural hair care world has made its presence known. A lot of women are going natural for various reasons, and it has impacted the beauty care products. People wanted to see more organic products in their hair care supplies, moisturizing agents that cater to natural hair. So it definitely has caught the attention of certain cosmetic licensure boards, and I it'll be interesting to see how it plays out when it comes to. You know somewhat certain lines being able to stay open. If some people don't pass the exam or just you know how they will enforce, having to have a license now to be a natural hair care specialist and in North Carolina prior to July 1st of this year, you could pass the exams and not have to take The 300 hours of class time, so I got past those magazines before July 1st, so I do not have to take 300 hours, but I did was, if I studied from work books that my styles allowed me to borrow on North Carolina's cosmetology website. They do detail the textbook that they suggest, as well as an outline of the exam complete with certain definitions that you may want to look up different topics that will be addressed on the exam, as well as what percentage of those topics will make up the exam. So if you're able to see that I certain toppings only 20 % and you're kind of struggling with that, you may not have to worry as much as you know, whatever's gon na be 70 percent of Dignam. We want to make sure you know that a little bit more thoroughly, in my case, the written exam, a large portion of it, had to do without a care for locks which, even in practice, if you don't deal with any one particular thing when the other. You know this is a general exam, so you will have to read up on things that you may not be using in practice. The exam was pretty basic when it came to sanitation and really from talking to people prior to who had cosmetology license. There are barber and licensed their suggestion was if you get stuck on something especially relevant to the practical clean, because they really want to see that yours, your sanitary station is clean. Your hands are clean when it came to the materials to study. I mean the North Carolina cosmetology board. They had practice questions as well as told you, the definitions that you'll need to study so following through on the guide that they supplied really beneficial as well. As you know me reviewing the theory workbook as well as the practical workbook would be, because these are my cosmic, my stylus news books, the answers. Some of the answers were already in here. So for those who don't have access to, you know workbook with answers. Pretty much filled in then the textbook may be beneficial to you. I I don't know how people feel about purchasing textbook the day may or may not use again. I feel, like you know, a textbook would be a good addition to have your library. If you do plan on using your license as well as you know, especially if you're a salon owner and you know maybe having to get staff prepares to take exam, it could be good to have one. You know in the salon, but you know that's each personal preference. My experience on taking the exam was. It was really nerve-racking for me because I didn't take the classes. You know. Typically, when you go through a course, there are staff there to kind of help. Prep you on what the exam will be like now being that this is North Carolina. It'S just initiating this license. I don't think the the staff would have been able to tell you verbatim what the experience would have been like, but as far as like how to go through a practical, simple things like you know, you have to bring a first aid kit in, like a biodegradable Type bag that you may put hazardous things and they're like and blood spills, or things like that. So I was unsure the process of really setting up and if I would have taken a course, even though I had everything in my kid just to know like when the directions, the opening directions are read, they say take out your basic supplies. Well, I didn't know that they wouldn't check my kit before, because I was thinking like you aren't supposed to bring certain things into the area, so I was think they're going to check everybody's kit and that's when they would see that I had my first aid kit In my um, my bag, for you know the double bag for a contaminant thing like that. Well, they did so when I first did my initial set up. I didn't take out my first aid kit. Well, that's something you need to take out during your initial setup. So just you know little things like that. That affected my score, even though I passed I feel like, especially for the practical. I could have gotten a higher score if I would have known just the process of taking the exam, and I was privy to the instructions um that I would have that. I was given prior to the exam, but I just didn't know like you really have limits it on how many questions you can ask if they don't really encourage you during the practical to ask questions, I'm they basically say these. Are the directions we're gon na read them twice, they're in English, only and you'll need to know what to do from there. I do also feel like they're with a huge language barrier. When I was taking my computer-based, you know the written portion. There was um a middle-aged lady there, who let it be known that she was nervous about taking computer-based text because she wasn't familiar with really how to even operate a computer as well as it's only offered, at least in North Carolina in English, which is very biased And it does not cater to a very large population that it's gon na need to take these exams. I mean, although there are a lot of African hair, braiding shops, and although you know verbal communication, you know, may not be a huge problem whenever we go get our hair done when it comes to taking an exam. That can be a problem and actually, when I went both on the computer-based exam as well as the practical, there were women there who struggle with understanding the directions and therefore did not follow through with what was being asked, because they didn't understand the questions being asked. Even though I know if they work in a shop, you know, day and day out like they know how to do it, but you know that language barrier surely affected their their score and these are people's livelihood. It'S, like you know. My main job is not being a natural hair care specialist. I found that would be something beneficial that I have, but for some people who that's their bread and butter, I feel like the the board, needs to figure out how to really cater to the people. Who are impacted by these new bylaws? I also feel like it is a ploy to get into the money that is produced off of natural hair care. You know there is a fee for the computer-based exam. There is a fee for the practical exam and then after you pass both of those there's a fee to apply for your license and then, even though I have this license for a year after that time, then I would have to pay for the continuing education courses And then pay for a renew license. I do think it's important that you know when people provide a service to the public, that there be certain sanitation guidelines and and things of that nature, but do I feel like having to have people license to do natural hair? Really attends to the need for people to be educated, about sanitation and general care of natural hair, or to maintain its health. No, because you can pass this exam and still, you know not know anything about how to really care for natural hair. So I feel like this is a this is being called a way to address a gap, which is the fact that you know there are no regulations and as far as sanitation goes, if you I'm not gon na make overall an assumption. But if it's not regulated, you don't know if you're going into a shop who the owner or manager has made sure that everyone working in there is really aware of how to keep everyone safe. The fact that there should be a first-aid kit on hand it there. You know all these be washed and sanitized in between. You know different customers and things of that nature. So definitely it doesn't need to be increased annotation because I have been in shops where you know a comb will drop on the floor II kind of brush it off, put it back in someone's head or not take the time to wash it sanitize it all right. In between customers - and things like that, so I definitely see some some bad habits in some natural hair care. Shops um but, like I said, it'll, be interesting to see how it is enforced. I do think that I'm going to benefit a lot from this license. As far as I've been able to access some wholesale prices when it comes to beauty products, certain websites, I've been able to register for with my license, and I you know, get certain discounts that aren't available to everyone. As far as like wholesale prices on hair and things like that, so it definitely is helping me in the networking process as well, but just overall, it just really seems like a ploy to get and into the pot of money that is being made off of natural Haircare, so if you have any information about your state and its license your process - and you want to provide the links below so that people who watch the video can look below and look to see how to find more information, please feel free feel free to do That, if you've taken it and once talked about your experience, you know please feel free to comment below, but people