Alabama Hair Braiding School and Requirements
If you want to become a braider in Alabama, you need to complete a short Natural Hair Stylist licensure program and pass exams. With this license, you can offer services like braids, extensions, and shampooing.
Working as a hair braider in Alabama would allow you to meet a need that many others can't. While cosmetologists may undergo some natural hair coursework, they don't get the amount of specialized training this licensure track offers.
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How to Become a Hair Braider in Alabama
- 210 education hours or 420 apprenticeship hours are required for licensure
- Average salary for hair braiding in Alabama is $39,457
Hair braiders in Alabama must complete natural hair school or an apprenticeship, pass two tests, and get a natural hair stylist license. Natural hair licenses focus on the care and treatment of natural Black hair, making it a highly specialized license meeting a specific need.
You should consider obtaining a cosmetology license if you want to offer a broader range of services.
How Do I Become a Natural Hair Stylist and Braider in Alabama?
Required to earn a hair braiding license
Alabama requires natural hairstylists and hair braiders to undergo a 210-hour school program or 420-hour apprenticeship, pass two tests, and be at least 16 with a 10th-grade education to get a Natural Hair Stylist license.
Your hair braiding program should teach you about everything on the licensure test, including:
- Client Relations: Consultations, hair analysis, etc.
- Tools and supplies
- Hair Services and Procedures: Shampooing, braiding, twisting, locking, design principles, etc.
- Hygiene and Sanitation
If you go through hands-on training in a shop, you have a maximum of six months to complete your 420 hours. Your studies need to include:
- Braiding, weaving, extending, and locking: 270 hours
- Science and sanitation: 130 hours
- Shampooing: 20 hours
Alabama Natural Hair Stylist License Exams
Once you're done with training, you need to take your Alabama natural hair stylist license exams: a practical test and a theory test.
The Alabama natural hair practical exam lasts 1.25 hours and is divided into four parts:
- Workstation Prep: 10 minutes
- Braid-in Hair Extensions: 25 minutes
- Sew-in Weft and Weft Removal: 35 minutes
- End-of-Day Clean-Up: 10 minutes
You also need to remove anything you added to the hair.
The 85-question theory exam is a 1.5-hour written test covering six topics:
- Safety and Infection Control: 40%
- Client Consultation: 10%
- Hair and Scalp Analysis: 10%
- Hairstyling: 8%
- Braids and Extensions: 10%
- Twists and Twist Extensions: 5%
What Can Natural Hairstylists in Alabama Do?
Alabama's natural hairstylists and braiders may only provide services that are unlikely to significantly alter the hair. Braiding, weaving, extending, and other such styling treatments are allowed, as is cleansing. They may not cut, dye, or chemically straighten or curl hair.
If you want to use chemicals and cutting tools on hair in Alabama, you should get a cosmetology license. As a licensed cosmetologist in Alabama, you could provide an array of hair, nail, and skincare services.
READ MORE: Learn More About Alabama Cosmetology School
Alabama Hair Braiding Salary
Average yearly salary for hair braiding in Alabama
According to ZipRecruiter, hair braiders in Alabama earn $23,566 to $43,960 per year as of August 2025. Pay varies based on years of work, skill level, location, workplace, and more.
Governmental reports don't distinguish between hair braiding and other hair-related careers. However, they say Alabama hairstylists, hairdressers, and cosmetologists earned a median of $29,660 per year as of 2024.
Contact the Alabama State Board of Cosmetology
- 100 North Union Street, Montgomery, AL 36130
- Website: Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering
- Email: cosmetology@aboc.alabama.gov
- Call: 334-242-1918
- Fax: 334-242-1926