For many consumers, finding a stylist who understands their hair type is still a challenge. Too often, people with textured and Afro hair are turned away, charged more, or receive services that risk damaging their hair due to a lack of proper training.

The Hair Equity Taskforce brings together educators, stylists, accreditation bodies, cultural voices and industry leaders with a shared mission: to ensure everyone – and every hair type – is properly represented in UK education and employment.

In an open letter to The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern, Minister of State for Skills, the Taskforce warns that current training standards are leaving thousands of students graduating each year without the skills needed to serve the full diversity of the UK population.

Back in 2020, industry experts, lead by the British Beauty Council, managed to update the National Occupational Standards (NOS) to ensure all hair types were represented. However, five years later, these updates still haven’t been implemented across all current qualifications. This gap has real-world consequences. For consumers, it means fewer salons that can confidently and safely work with textured and Afro hair. For students, it means entering the workforce unprepared and without the skills needed to meet client demand.

The open letter highlights the wider impact of this lack of inclusive training:

Access and equality: Everyone should be able to walk into a salon and feel confident they will be cared for, regardless of their hair type.

Safety and wellbeing: Without proper education, clients with textured and Afro hair face a higher risk of damage, poor results and negative experiences.

Career barriers: Students who invest in training deserve qualifications that reflect today’s reality and support their earning potential.

Economic impact: Skills shortages mean major productions in film, TV and fashion often look overseas for talent, limiting opportunities for UK professionals.

The Taskforce also raises concerns that excluding textured and Afro hair training could amount to indirect race discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. To address this, the British Beauty Council is urging the Government to commit to a clear timeline for change; prioritising the implementation of the updated standards as well as providing resources and setting expectations with colleges to ensure staff have the expertise and equipment to teach about all types.

Antoinette Ale, the Council’s Hair Equity Lead and founder of Tressly, said: “I see how the lack of textured-hair education affects real people – their safety, their dignity, and their access to quality services. By bringing the industry together, we’re creating the momentum needed to finally embed textured-hair competence across all education and training pathways.”

Millie Kendall O.B.E., CEO of the British Beauty Council, added: “We have written to Baroness Smith countless times and are yet to receive an adequate response. The fact is that hairdressing is not being taught to incorporate inclusive techniques and methods and this is simply unacceptable given the fact that in 2021 we managed to ensure the Occupational Standards were current. Five years later we are no closer to ensuring our hair and beauty education is fit for purpose.”

The British Beauty Council and its Hair Equity Taskforce remain committed to driving meaningful change across education and the wider industry. Inclusive hair training is a necessary professional standard not only to ensure equity, but to reflect modern Britain, support safer salon experiences, strengthen career opportunities and ensures the next generation of hair professionals are equipped to serve every client with confidence and expertise.