Texas lash and brow rules
Do you need a license to do lashes in Texas?
Yes. Lash extensions need a Cosmetology Operator, Esthetician or Eyelash Extension Specialist license, and the specialist license requires 320 hours of school training. Below: lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination (not stated), waxing (license needed) and eyebrow threading (no license needed), each answered from Texas'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
- No license needed
Licensed by TDLR.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 Texas?
Yes. Lash extensions need a Cosmetology Operator, Esthetician or Eyelash Extension Specialist license, and the specialist license requires 320 hours of school training.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Cosmetology Operator, Esthetician, Eyelash Extension Specialist
- License for this work alone
- Eyelash Extension Specialist, 320 hours of training, $50
Texas 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 Texas?
Not stated. Texas's official pages we read do not say whether lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination need a license. Ask TDLR before you offer them.
- License needed
- Not stated
Waxing
Do you need a license to do waxing in Texas?
Yes. Waxing (removing body hair) needs a Class A Barber, Cosmetology Operator or Esthetician license.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Class A Barber, Cosmetology Operator, Esthetician
- License for this work alone
- None
Eyebrow threading
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in Texas?
No license needed. Eyebrow threading needs no Texas license, because the statute excludes threading from barbering and cosmetology.
- License needed
- No license needed
- Exemption
- Threading is excluded from barbering and cosmetology, so it needs no license.
Good to know
What else Texas asks of lash and brow artists
- Lash extension and waxing work may be done only at a licensed establishment or school.
- The Eyelash Extension Specialist license requires passing written and practical exams.
- The Eyelash Extension Specialist license does not cover body hair removal (waxing).
Sources
What Texas's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of Texas's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 23, 2026. Rules change: confirm with TDLR before you start offering a service.
- Lash extensions
“the practice of cosmetology includes performing or offering to perform for compensation the service of applying semipermanent, thread-like extensions composed of single fibers to a person's eyelashes”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov “may not perform or offer or attempt to perform any act of barbering or cosmetology unless the person holds a license or permit issued under this subchapter to perform that act.”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov “TDLR (Requires a Cosmetology Operator , Esthetician , or Eyelash Extension Specialist )”
tdlr.texas.gov “a cosmetology operator license may perform any cosmetology service;”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov “an esthetician license may perform any service described by Section”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov “an eyelash extension specialist license may perform any service described by Section”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov “Before applying for an Eyelash Extension Specialist license, you must complete an Eyelash Extension Specialist course consisting of 320 hours of instruction at a licensed school.”
tdlr.texas.gov “There is a non-refundable application fee of $50.”
tdlr.texas.gov - Waxing
“removing superfluous hair from a person's body using depilatories, preparations or chemicals, tweezers, or other devices or appliances of any kind or description”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov “may not perform or offer or attempt to perform any act of barbering or cosmetology unless the person holds a license or permit issued under this subchapter to perform that act.”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov “TDLR (Requires a Class A Barber , Cosmetology Operator , or Esthetician license)”
tdlr.texas.gov “a Class A barber license may perform any barbering service;”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov “a cosmetology operator license may perform any cosmetology service;”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov “an esthetician license may perform any service described by Section”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov - Eyebrow threading
“Not regulated and does not require a license in Texas. Threading was de-regulated in 2017.”
tdlr.texas.gov “threading, which involves removing unwanted hair from a person by using a piece of thread that is looped around the hair and pulled to remove the hair and includes the incidental trimming of eyebrow hair”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov - Also good to know
“may practice barbering or cosmetology only at a licensed establishment or school.”
statutes.capitol.texas.gov - Also good to know
“You must pass written and practical exams to obtain an Eyelash Extension Specialist license.”
tdlr.texas.gov - Also good to know
“Body hair removal using depilatories, preparations or chemicals, tweezers, or other devices or appliances of any kind”
tdlr.texas.gov
Questions
Texas lash and brow licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do lash extensions in Texas?
Do you need a license to do lash lifts, tinting or brow lamination in Texas?
Do you need a license to do waxing in Texas?
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in Texas?
What do you need to open a lash or brow studio in Texas?
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
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- What Texas requires to open a studio of your own
- What Texas inspectors check in a salon or studio
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- Can estheticians do microneedling, peels or laser in Texas?
- Renting a room or a chair? Start from a booth rental agreement
Lash and brow rules in other states
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