New Mexico lash and brow rules
Do you need a license to do lashes in New Mexico?
Yes. Lash extensions need a barber, cosmetologist, esthetician or manicurist/esthetician license; no eyelash-only license was found. Below: lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination (license needed), waxing (license needed) and eyebrow threading (no license needed), each answered from New Mexico's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 23, 2026, with the state's own words.
- Lash extensions
- License needed
- Lifts and tints
- License needed
- Waxing
- License needed
- Threading
- No license needed
Licensed by the New Mexico Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists.The board's site Hours and fees for each licenseThe state's own words
Lash extensions
Do you need a license to do lash extensions in New Mexico?
Yes. Lash extensions need a barber, cosmetologist, esthetician or manicurist/esthetician license; no eyelash-only license was found.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Barber, Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Manicurist/Esthetician
- License for this work alone
- None
Lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination
Do you need a license to do lash lifts, tinting or brow lamination in New Mexico?
Yes. Lash and brow tinting need a barber, cosmetologist, esthetician or manicurist/esthetician license; lash lifts and brow lamination are not named in the rules.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Barber, Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Manicurist/Esthetician
- License for this work alone
- None
Waxing
Do you need a license to do waxing in New Mexico?
Yes. Waxing is hair removal, which needs a barber, cosmetologist, esthetician or manicurist/esthetician license; no waxing-only license was found.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Barber, Cosmetologist, Esthetician, Manicurist/Esthetician
- License for this work alone
- None
Eyebrow threading
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in New Mexico?
No license needed. Eyebrow threading does not require a license under New Mexico's Barbers and Cosmetologists Act.
- License needed
- No license needed
- Exemption
- A person who engages in eyebrow threading is not required to have a board license (61-17A-5(E), added by 2025 HB 281).
Good to know
What else New Mexico asks of lash and brow artists
- An esthetician may perform only the services listed in the esthetician license, so an esthetician cannot add other services.
- Manicurists/pedicurists may not do hair removal (waxing) without the appropriate license.
- HB 281 (2025), which exempts eyebrow threading from licensing, was signed and chaptered; its provisions took effect July 1, 2025.
Sources
What New Mexico's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of New Mexico's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 23, 2026. Rules change: confirm with the New Mexico Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists before you start offering a service.
- Lash extensions
“application of product to eyelashes and eyebrows, including eyelash extensions and lash”
srca.nm.gov - Lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination
“and brow tinting procedures”
srca.nm.gov - Waxing
“remove superfluous or unwanted hair from the body of a person by any means except”
srca.nm.gov - Eyebrow threading
“A person who engages in eyebrow threading or hair braiding shall not be required to have a license issued by the board.”
nmlegis.gov - Also good to know
“An esthetician shall not perform any services other than those listed above”
srca.nm.gov - Also good to know
“A manicurist/pedicurist shall not perform any type of temporary or permanent hair removal”
srca.nm.gov - Also good to know
“Signed by Governor - Chapter 39”
nmlegis.gov
Questions
New Mexico lash and brow licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do lash extensions in New Mexico?
Do you need a license to do lash lifts, tinting or brow lamination in New Mexico?
Do you need a license to do waxing in New Mexico?
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in New Mexico?
What do you need to open a lash or brow studio in New Mexico?
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
- Hours, exams and fees for each New Mexico license
- What New Mexico requires to open a studio of your own
- What New Mexico inspectors check in a salon or studio
- Microblading or permanent makeup in New Mexico: the license it needs
- Can estheticians do microneedling, peels or laser in New Mexico?
- Renting a room or a chair? Start from a booth rental agreement
Lash and brow rules in other states
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