The Texture Positive Act: New Grants Mandate Specialized Training for Cosmetology Students

This new legislation, the Texture Positive Act of 2025, sets up a competitive grant program run by the Secretary of Labor to fix a recognized gap in the beauty industry: the lack of standardized, high-quality training for textured hair care. Essentially, the federal government is offering states four-year, renewable grants to ensure that cosmetology students learn how to properly shampoo, deep condition, braid, twist, and style hair that is naturally coiled, curly, or wavy. If a state wants this money, they have to prove they’ll pass it down to qualified local training providers who will integrate this specialized education into the standard curriculum.

The Training Mandate: What Students Will Learn

For anyone with textured hair—or anyone who has ever tried to find a stylist who truly understands their hair type—this bill aims to professionalize the industry standard. The money states receive must be used to award subgrants to entities that will teach these specific skills to cosmetology students. Think of it as upgrading the required toolkit for every new stylist entering the workforce. This isn't just about adding an elective; it’s about making these essential skills part of the core training. The funds can also be used to develop the training materials and hire or train instructors, ensuring the quality of the education is high.

Who Gets the Cash, and Why It’s Complicated

This is where the bill gets specific about who benefits. To receive a subgrant from the state, a local organization must meet some strict requirements. They need to have been established for at least five years and, critically, must hold a Minority- or Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) certificate. This is a clear move to prioritize established, diverse businesses that already have experience in this specialized area (SEC. 2). However, the bill explicitly excludes two groups that you might expect to be involved: individual trainers and, perhaps surprisingly, cosmetology schools themselves.

This exclusion is a major point of friction. If you're running a cosmetology school, you can't apply for the money directly to update your own curriculum. Instead, you'll need to partner with—or pay—one of these MWBE-certified entities. While this supports established diverse businesses, it makes the process of integrating the new training more complex and potentially more expensive for the schools that actually deliver the education day-to-day. For small, local schools, this added administrative layer could be a significant hurdle.

The Paperwork and the Clock

Another interesting detail is the timeline for the funding. While the federal grant to the state lasts four years, the subgrants the state gives to the local training providers only last six months (SEC. 2). Six months is a very short window for developing curriculum, hiring specialized staff, and delivering sustained training programs. This short cycle means these training providers will be constantly reapplying for renewals, which creates administrative instability. It’s like having to renew your business license every six months—it makes long-term planning difficult, even if the funding is generally expected to continue. Both the states and the local entities have strict reporting requirements, detailing exactly how many instructors were trained and how many students received the new textured hair education, ensuring accountability for the funds spent.