Tennessee lash and brow rules
Do you need a license to do lashes in Tennessee?
Yes. Lash extensions need a cosmetologist, aesthetician or eyelash specialist license; the eyelash specialist license requires 300 hours of training and a $60 original license fee. Below: lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination (not stated), waxing (license needed) and eyebrow threading (license needed), each answered from Tennessee'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
- Not stated
- Waxing
- License needed
- Threading
- License needed
Licensed by the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners.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 Tennessee?
Yes. Lash extensions need a cosmetologist, aesthetician or eyelash specialist license; the eyelash specialist license requires 300 hours of training and a $60 original license fee.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Cosmetologist, Aesthetician, Eyelash Specialist
- License for this work alone
- Eyelash Specialist, 300 hours of training, $60
Tennessee is one of 9 states with a license for lash extensions alone.
Lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination
Do you need a license to do lash lifts, tinting or brow lamination in Tennessee?
Not stated. Tennessee's official pages we read do not say whether lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination need a license. Ask the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners before you offer them.
- License needed
- Not stated
Waxing
Do you need a license to do waxing in Tennessee?
Yes. Waxing needs a cosmetologist or aesthetician license.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Cosmetologist, Aesthetician
- License for this work alone
- None
Eyebrow threading
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in Tennessee?
Yes. Tennessee's aesthetics rule covers removing superfluous hair by all customary means, so threading needs an aesthetician license; threading is not named, so confirm with the board.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Aesthetician
- License for this work alone
- None
Good to know
What else Tennessee asks of lash and brow artists
- An eyelash specialist course must be at least 300 hours, including at least 8 hours of theory, and cover eyelash extension application and isolation procedures.
- A place where a licensee performs only eyelash services is an eyelash services shop.
- A license is not required for makeup services alone, but any other cosmetologist, eyelash specialist or aesthetician work requires one of those licenses.
Sources
What Tennessee's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of Tennessee's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 23, 2026. Rules change: confirm with the Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners before you start offering a service.
- Lash extensions
“(K) Providing eyelash services;”
publications.tnsosfiles.com “Cosmetologist, Eyelash Specialist, or an Aesthetician, you must hold one of those licenses.”
support.commerce.tn.gov “place or apply artificial eyelashes”
tn.gov “places or applies artificial eyelashes”
tn.gov “(300) hours in classroom instruction and practical experience, including at least eight”
publications.tnsosfiles.com “Eyelash Specialist$60”
tn.gov - Waxing
“remove superfluous hair by tweezing, depilatories, or waxing”
tn.gov “Removal of superfluous hair by all customary means not including electrolysis.”
publications.tnsosfiles.com “removes superfluous hair by tweezing, depilatories or waxing”
tn.gov - Eyebrow threading
“Removal of superfluous hair by all customary means not including electrolysis.”
publications.tnsosfiles.com - Also good to know
“(300) hours in classroom instruction and practical experience, including at least eight”
publications.tnsosfiles.com - Also good to know
“"Eyelash services shop" means a place of business where a person licensed”
publications.tnsosfiles.com - Also good to know
“If you are _just_ doing makeup services, whether for a fee or not, a license is not required.”
support.commerce.tn.gov
Questions
Tennessee lash and brow licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do lash extensions in Tennessee?
Do you need a license to do lash lifts, tinting or brow lamination in Tennessee?
Do you need a license to do waxing in Tennessee?
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in Tennessee?
What do you need to open a lash or brow studio in Tennessee?
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
- Hours, exams and fees for each Tennessee license
- What Tennessee requires to open a studio of your own
- What Tennessee inspectors check in a salon or studio
- Microblading or permanent makeup in Tennessee: the license it needs
- Can estheticians do microneedling, peels or laser in Tennessee?
- Renting a room or a chair? Start from a booth rental agreement
Lash and brow rules in other states
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