Indiana Hair Braiding School and Requirements

You can become a braider in Indiana without going to hair braiding school. To offer other beauty services, you should consider getting a cosmetology license.

This article discusses what hair braiders in Indiana can do, why you might want to consider getting a cosmetology license, and how much money you could earn as a hair braider in the state. Browse our directory of hair braiding schools in Indiana, or skip ahead to learn about the state's hair braiding licensing requirements and job outlook.

What Hair Braiders in Indiana Can Do

In Indiana, hair braiders can style hair as long as they don't alter the hair itself. No major cutting or chemical treatments are allowed, but you can twist, wrap, weave, extend, braid, or use styling tools. You may also:

• Use natural or synthetic hair extensions or fibers
• Use decorative beads or other accessories
• Provide tiny trims when necessary for proper wrapping, weaving, etc.
• Make wigs
• Use topical products like shampoo, gel, and oils as necessary

Indiana hair braiders can't:

• Dye hair
• Chemically straighten or curl hair
• Chemically join hair (synthetic tape, keratin, etc.)

To provide services hair braiders can't, you should consider a cosmetology license. Cosmetology school doesn't teach braiding, but it does teach about other hair, makeup, and skincare topics.

READ MORE: Learn About Cosmetology School in Indiana

How Do I Learn Without Hair Braiding School?

You can attend a hair braiding school course that doesn't lead to licensure since there isn't a braiding license in Indiana. Or, you can learn informally. While these options aren't regulated by the state, they're still great routes to becoming the best hair braider you can be! Many people who learn to braid hair do so because their families do it at home, so they learn throughout their lives. Others use YouTube videos, get help from friends, or take online courses.

On the other hand, if you want to go to hair braiding school in Indiana, you have options! Look for schools that offer classes in braiding, natural hair, or any other topic that interests you.

Even if you consider yourself an expert braider, learning new techniques and getting feedback on your current ones can make you more marketable, improve your skills, and help you better your portfolio and become a more well-rounded stylist who can work with different hair textures and styles.

Tempest Golden, assistant campus director at Tricoci University of Beauty Culture, said it well: "When hairstylists of any race only learn how to do one type of hair, they're doing nothing but limiting themselves…and at any given moment, I can do any type of hair; I can do any type of makeup because I market myself, and I'm not limiting myself."

Indiana Hair Braider Salary

In Indiana, according to ZipRecruiter, work-from-home hair braiders earn an average of nearly $40,000 per year as of October 2023. However, this doesn't factor in those who work in salons.

If we look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists in Indiana averaged $44,490 as of 2022. But the BLS has the opposite issue—it doesn't factor in self-employed hair professionals!

Pay is influenced by location, type of workplace, years of experience, number of clients, and more. If you want a more accurate picture of what you could earn, talk to other hair braiders in your part of Indiana and ask about their earnings.

Contact the Indiana State Board of Cosmetology