We’ve been talking quite a bit about beauty professional licensing and the threat of deregulation lately. Many of you know my opinion on the subject already, but for the record, I want to say again that I think licensing is hugely important for consumer safety. And 94% of general election voters across the U.S. agree with me, according to a poll by the Professional Beauty Association (PBA).

With the threat of deregulation still looming as state legislatures continue to consider bills that would deregulate or detrimentally alter state licensing or regulation of the cosmetology industry, the PBA has started an awareness campaign that I encourage all of you to participate in.

The PBA’s "I Am A Professional. I Am Licensed." movement aims to build a stronger, more united front of licensed professionals, and arm them with information to share with their clients on why licensing is important to protect the public from potential harm and the spread of communicable diseases.

To participate, fill out the form on probeauty.org/iam. That will get you a free window cling and helpful talking points to share with your clients about the risks associated with unlicensed service providers.

And, for your client’s sake, share the website Your Safety First on all your salon’s social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

—Sree