Virginia lash and brow rules
Do you need a license to do lashes in Virginia?
Yes. Eyelash extensions need a cosmetology or esthetics license under the Board's guidance. Applying strip, band, or bundle lashes that adhere to the skin is exempt as ancillary to makeup. Below: lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination (license needed), waxing (license needed) and eyebrow threading (not stated), each answered from Virginia'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
- Not stated
Licensed by the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology.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 Virginia?
Yes. Eyelash extensions need a cosmetology or esthetics license under the Board's guidance. Applying strip, band, or bundle lashes that adhere to the skin is exempt as ancillary to makeup.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Cosmetologist, Esthetician
- License for this work alone
- None
- Exemption
- Applying strip, band, or bundle lashes that adhere to the skin is exempt as ancillary to makeup.
Lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination
Do you need a license to do lash lifts, tinting or brow lamination in Virginia?
Yes. Eyelash and eyebrow tinting and eyelash perming are named as esthetics practices, so they need an esthetician license; brow lamination is not named in the official text.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Esthetician
- License for this work alone
- None
Waxing
Do you need a license to do waxing in Virginia?
Yes. Waxing needs a license, and Virginia has a Wax Technician license for this work alone (at least 115 clock hours of training). Waxing done without compensation is exempt as a gratuitous service.
- License needed
- License needed
- Licenses that allow it
- Wax Technician
- License for this work alone
- Wax Technician, 115 hours of training
- Exemption
- Waxing done without compensation is exempt as a gratuitous service.
Virginia is one of 3 states with a license for waxing alone.
Eyebrow threading
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in Virginia?
Not stated. Virginia's official pages we read do not say whether eyebrow threading needs a license. Ask the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology before you offer it.
- License needed
- Not stated
Good to know
What else Virginia asks of lash and brow artists
- Operating a waxing salon or esthetics spa requires a Board license.
- The Board treats applying any extension to natural eyelashes as an eyelash extension service.
- Esthetics regulations list false lash and lash extension application as a training topic.
Sources
What Virginia's official pages say
Each answer above, in the words of Virginia's own statutes, rules or board pages, read on October 23, 2026. Rules change: confirm with the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology before you start offering a service.
- Lash extensions
“These services require a cosmetology or esthetics license.”
townhall.virginia.gov “Applying eyelashes, as referenced in §54.1-700, refers to applying any natural or synthetic extension to an individual’s natural eyelashes.”
townhall.virginia.gov “Strip, band, or bundle eyelashes, which adhere to the skin, are services that are ancillary to makeup, and exempted under §54.1-701.10.”
townhall.virginia.gov - Lash lifts, tinting and brow lamination
“applying make-up or eyelashes to any person, tinting or perming eyelashes and eyebrows”
law.lis.virginia.gov “Any individual wishing to engage in esthetics or master esthetics must obtain a license”
law.lis.virginia.gov - Waxing
“"Waxing" means the temporary removal of superfluous hair from the hair follicle on any area of the human body”
law.lis.virginia.gov “"Wax technician" means any person licensed by the Board who removes hair from the hair follicle”
law.lis.virginia.gov “Wax technician curricula must be based on a minimum of 115 clock hours”
law.lis.virginia.gov “115 hours in licensed Virginia school”
dpor.virginia.gov “any individual who engages in barbering, master barbering, cosmetology, nail care, or waxing without receiving compensation, reward, or obligation is considered to be performing gratuitous services and is exempt from the provisions of this chapter”
law.lis.virginia.gov - Also good to know
“No individual or entity shall operate a barbershop, cosmetology salon, nail care salon, waxing salon, tattoo parlor, body-piercing salon, ear-piercing salon, or esthetics spa without a valid license issued by the Board.”
law.lis.virginia.gov - Also good to know
“Applying eyelashes, as referenced in §54.1-700, refers to applying any natural or synthetic extension to an individual’s natural eyelashes.”
townhall.virginia.gov - Also good to know
“Application of false lashes and lash extensions”
law.lis.virginia.gov
Questions
Virginia lash and brow licenses, answered
Do you need a license to do lash extensions in Virginia?
Do you need a license to do lash lifts, tinting or brow lamination in Virginia?
Do you need a license to do waxing in Virginia?
Do you need a license to do eyebrow threading in Virginia?
What do you need to open a lash or brow studio in Virginia?
Plan the rest
Licensed and ready to book clients
- Hours, exams and fees for each Virginia license
- What Virginia requires to open a studio of your own
- What Virginia inspectors check in a salon or studio
- Microblading or permanent makeup in Virginia: the license it needs
- Can estheticians do microneedling, peels or laser in Virginia?
- Renting a room or a chair? Start from a booth rental agreement
Lash and brow rules in other states
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