California Board of Barbering & Cosmetology
California scope of practice
Six licences, and the line between them is not where most people assume. Shaving belongs to barbering and not cosmetology. Nails belong to cosmetology and not barbering. Hairstyling excludes every chemical service. All of it is one statute — Business and Professions Code section 7316 — and this is the six of them side by side.
The three boundaries nobody guesses right
- Shaving is barbering only. It appears in 7316(a) and not in 7316(b). Cosmetology does not enumerate it.
- Nails are cosmetology, not barbering. Nail work, hand and foot treatment and hair removal are all in the cosmetology definition and absent from barbering.
- Hairstyling is chemical-free. 7316(h) says “nonchemically” straightening and lists no colour, no perm, no relaxer.
Neither barbering nor cosmetology contains the other, which is why the board runs a crossover course between exactly those two and no other pair.
Cosmetologist
1,000 hrs · BPC 7316(b)May perform
- All hair services — cutting, colouring, bleaching, tinting, straightening, permanent waving, relaxing, shampooing and styling
- Massaging, cleansing and stimulating the scalp, face, neck, arms and upper body
- Beautifying the face, neck, arms and upper body with cosmetic preparations
- Removing superfluous hair by depilatory, tweezers, chemicals or devices
- Nails — cutting, trimming, polishing, tinting, colouring, cleansing, manicuring
- Massaging, cleansing, treating and beautifying the hands and feet
Outside the licence
- Shaving — it is not enumerated here
- Lasers or light waves for hair removal
- Electrolysis
Barber
1,000 hrs · BPC 7316(a)May perform
- Shaving or trimming the beard, and cutting the hair
- Facial and scalp massage and treatments, by hand or mechanical appliance
- Singeing, shampooing, arranging, dressing, curling, waving, chemical waving, hair relaxing and dyeing
- Applying cosmetic preparations, antiseptics, powders, oils, clays or lotions to the scalp, face or neck
- Hairstyling of all textures by current standard methods
Outside the licence
- Nail work
- Treating the hands and feet
- Hair removal (waxing, depilatories, tweezing)
Esthetician
600 hrs · BPC 7316(c)May perform
- Facials, massage, stimulation, exfoliation, cleansing and beautifying of the face, scalp, neck, hands, arms, feet, legs and upper body
- Tinting and perming eyelashes and brows, and applying lashes
- Hair removal by depilatory, tweezers, sugaring, nonprescription chemical, waxing or device
Outside the licence
- Anything resulting in “the ablation or destruction of the live tissue”
- Lasers or light waves — a misdemeanour under BPC 7320.5
- Hair services, nail services
Hairstylist
600 hrs · BPC 7316(h)May perform
- Styling all textures of hair by current standard methods
- Arranging, blow drying, cleansing, curling, cutting, dressing, extending, shampooing and waving
- “Nonchemically” straightening the hair, using electrical and non-electrical devices
Outside the licence
- Haircolour, bleach, tint or dye
- Permanent waving or chemical relaxing
- Skin care, nails, hair removal
Manicurist
400 hrs · BPC 7316(d)May perform
- Trimming, polishing, colouring, tinting, cleansing, manicuring and pedicuring the nails
- Massaging, cleansing and beautifying from the elbow to the fingertips
- Massaging, cleansing and beautifying from the knee to the toes
Outside the licence
- Anything above the elbow or above the knee
- Hair services
- Facials or skin treatments
Electrologist
600 hrs · BPC 7316(g)May perform
- Removing hair from, or destroying hair on, the body by “the use of an electric needle only”
- Electrolysis and thermolysis, both of which the section includes
Outside the licence
- Lasers or any light-based hair removal — a misdemeanour under BPC 7320.5
- Waxing, sugaring, depilatories
- Any hair, skin or nail service
One rule binds every licence: no lasers
Section 7320.5 runs to a single sentence — any licensee who uses a laser in the treatment of any human being is guilty of a misdemeanor. A criminal offence, not a licensing matter, and the word is licensee: it applies to all six. That includes electrologists, whose practice is hair removal and who are confined by 7316(g) to “the use of an electric needle only” while laser hair removal is advertised on every high street under an entirely different body of law.
Three things California does not license at all
Section 7316(e) puts these outside the practices of barbering, cosmetology and hairstyling entirely — no licence required.
Natural hair braiding
Twisting, wrapping, weaving, extending, locking or braiding by hand or device — provided it involves no haircutting and no dyes, reactive chemicals or other preparations that alter colour or hair structure. No licence required.
Threading
Removing hair by twisting thread around it and pulling it from the skin, plus the incidental trimming of eyebrow hair. No licence required.
Wigs and hairpieces
The mere sale, fitting or styling of wigs or hairpieces sits outside all three practices.
The catch, at 7316(f): braiding combined with any regulated service — cutting, colour, chemicals — is “natural hairstyling”, and that does require a barbering or cosmetology licence. The exemption covers braiding on its own, not a braider who also trims.
Common questions
Can a California cosmetologist shave a client?
Shaving is enumerated in the barbering definition at 7316(a) and is not enumerated in the cosmetology definition at 7316(b). The board runs a crossover course between barbering and cosmetology — and between no other pair of licences — which is the clearest indication that neither scope contains the other.
Can a California barber do nails?
Nail work, and treating the hands and feet, are enumerated in the cosmetology definition and not in the barbering one. A barber who wants that scope takes the cosmetology crossover course rather than a second full 1,000-hour programme.
Do you need a license to braid hair in California?
Not for natural hair braiding on its own. Section 7316(e)(2) puts it outside the practices of barbering, cosmetology and hairstyling entirely. But 7316(f) is the catch: combine braiding with any regulated service — cutting, colour, chemicals — and that is “natural hairstyling”, which does require a barbering or cosmetology licence.
Can any California beauty licensee use a laser?
No. Business and Professions Code section 7320.5 is one sentence: any licensee who uses a laser in the treatment of any human being is guilty of a misdemeanor. Note the word licensee — it binds every licence the board issues, including electrologists, whose entire practice is hair removal.
What is the difference between a hairstylist and a cosmetologist in California?
Chemicals. The hairstylist licence takes 600 hours against cosmetology's 1,000, and section 7316(h) permits cutting, styling, blow drying, extending and “nonchemically” straightening — with no colour, no perming and no chemical relaxing anywhere in the definition. There is also no crossover course from hairstyling into cosmetology, so it cannot be topped up later.
Can an esthetician do chemical peels in California?
The statutory boundary is stated as a result rather than a product list: skin care means improving the appearance or well-being of the skin by means “that do not result in the ablation or destruction of the live tissue”. Any treatment is judged against that line. This is a summary of the statute, not legal advice — confirm with the board before offering a service you are unsure of.