Pennsylvania hair braiding rules
Do you need a license to braid hair in Pennsylvania?
No license needed. Braiding alone needs no license in Pennsylvania; braiders who also do other cosmetology work fall outside that exemption. Below: locs (no license needed), hair extensions and sew-ins (license needed) and wig installs (license needed), each answered from Pennsylvania's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 29, 2026, with the state's own words.
- Braiding
- No license needed
- Locs
- No license needed
- Extensions
- License needed
- Wig installs
- License needed
Licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology.The board's site Hours and fees for each licenseThe state's own words
Hair braiding
Do you need a license to braid hair in Pennsylvania?
No license needed. Braiding alone needs no license in Pennsylvania; braiders who also do other cosmetology work fall outside that exemption.
- License needed
- No license needed
- Exemption
- Natural hair braiding is not regulated if the person or business does not engage in any other practices that constitute the practice of cosmetology.
Pennsylvania is one of 35 states whose official pages exempt hair braiding from licensing.
Locs
Do you need a license to do locs in Pennsylvania?
No license needed. Starting and maintaining locs does not require a Pennsylvania cosmetology license when the person or business does no other cosmetology work.
- License needed
- No license needed
- Exemption
- Starting and maintaining locs is exempt when it counts as natural hair braiding, which the statute defines to include 'locking', and the person or business does not engage in any other practices or activities that constitute the practice of cosmetology.
Pennsylvania is one of 25 states whose official pages exempt starting and maintaining locs from licensing.
Hair extensions and sew-ins
Do you need a license to do hair extensions or sew-ins in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Hair weaving is named in the barbering definition, so weaves need a Barber license.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Barber
- License for this work alone
- None
- Exemption
- Barbering services, including weaving and wig services, do not count when a member of one's immediate household performs them.
Wig installs
Do you need a license to install wigs in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Services on a wig or hairpiece are named in the barbering definition, so wig work needs a Barber license.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Barber
- License for this work alone
- None
- Exemption
- Barbering services, including weaving and wig services, do not count when a member of one's immediate household performs them.
Good to know
What else Pennsylvania asks of braiders
- Natural hair braider licenses are no longer issued: the board will not accept applications for initial licensure, renewals, reactivations or changes for those license types.
- The braiding exemption covers only braiding. The Cosmetology Law names cutting, singeing, bleaching and coloring hair as cosmetology work.
- Weaving and wig services done by a member of one's immediate household are not counted as barbering.
Sources
What Pennsylvania's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of Pennsylvania's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 29, 2026. Rules change: confirm with the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology before you start charging for a service.
- Hair braiding
“Natural Hair Braiders, Natural Hair Braider Teachers and Natural Hair Braiding Salons in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are no longer required to be licensed.”
dos.pa.gov “NOTHING IN THIS ACT SHALL PROHIBIT OR REGULATE THE PRACTICE OF NATURAL HAIR BRAIDING BY A PERSON WHO DESIRES TO”
legis.state.pa.us “NATURAL HAIR BRAIDING IF THE PERSON OR BUSINESS DOES NOT ENGAGE IN ANY OTHER PRACTICES OR ACTIVITIES THAT CONSTITUTE THE PRACTICE OF COSMETOLOGY.”
legis.state.pa.us - Locs
“Nothing in this act shall prohibit or regulate the practice of natural hair braiding by a person who desires to engage in the practice of natural hair braiding”
legis.state.pa.us “if the person or business does not engage in any other practices or activities that constitute the practice of cosmetology.”
legis.state.pa.us “"Natural hair braiding" means the practice of utilizing techniques that result in tension on hair roots of individuals, such as twisting, wrapping, weaving, extending, locking or braiding of the hair.”
legis.state.pa.us - Hair extensions and sew-ins
“hair weaving, hair waving and curling”
pa.gov “An individual who is engaged in the practice of barbering.”
pa.gov “any or all of the above services when performed by a member of one's immediate household.”
pa.gov - Wig installs
“to perform any service on a wig or hairpiece; to style and to render hair straightening, hair processing,”
pa.gov “An individual who is engaged in the practice of barbering.”
pa.gov “any or all of the above services when performed by a member of one's immediate household.”
pa.gov - Also good to know
“the State Board of Cosmetology will no longer be accepting applications for initial licensure, renewals, reactivations, or changes for the above license types.”
dos.pa.gov - Also good to know
“cleansing, cutting, singeing, bleaching, coloring, pressing,”
legis.state.pa.us - Also good to know
“any or all of the above services when performed by a member of one's immediate household.”
pa.gov
Questions
Pennsylvania hair braiding licenses, answered
Do you need a license to braid hair in Pennsylvania?
Do you need a license to do locs in Pennsylvania?
Do you need a license to do hair extensions or sew-ins in Pennsylvania?
Do you need a license to install wigs in Pennsylvania?
What do you need to open a braiding salon in Pennsylvania?
Plan the rest
Ready to fill your book
- Hours, exams and fees for each Pennsylvania cosmetology and barber license
- What Pennsylvania requires to open a salon or shop of your own
- What Pennsylvania inspectors check in a salon
- Renewing a Pennsylvania cosmetology or barber license
- Renting a chair or a suite? Start from a booth rental agreement
- A deposit and cancellation policy for long appointments
Hair braiding rules in other states
Ready when you are
Braiding legally? Fill the book next
SalonAI plans the business side of a braiding practice in Pennsylvania: a website with your styles and prices that clients book from in one tap, deposits for long appointments, prep reminders, your Google profile and Instagram, reviews and rebooking. Founden builds and runs it while you braid.
Built with Founden. Review your setup and running costs before activation.