Alaska Hair Schools and Requirements

To become a hairdresser in Alaska, you need to attend a hairdresser school or apprenticeship (or a combination of the two), pass an exam, and apply and pay for a license. You might also qualify for a hairdressing license by waiver.

Browse our directory of hair design schools in Alaska, or skip ahead to learn about the state's hair design licensing requirements and job outlook.

How to Become a Hair Designer in Alaska

Alaska, which refers to hairstylists as hairdressers, requires future professionals to complete 1,650 school hours or 2,000 apprenticeship hours — or a combination. Then, you must pass an exam, apply for a license, and pay a $330 fee as of 2023.

Class time is more heavily weighted if you want to combine apprenticeship and school hairstyling training. One hour of class time translates to 1.212 apprenticeship hours, while one apprenticeship hour is the same as .825 class hours.

Your hairdresser school training consists of 185 hours of theory classes, including five hours in state law and a minimum number of various treatment sessions. Alaska's minimum number of hairdresser operations are:

• Beard trimming: 5
• Chemical straightening: 10
• Eyebrow shaping and hair removal: 15
• Hair coloring and bleaching: 75
• Haircutting: 150
• Makeup: 15
• Manicure: 15
• Permanent waving: 80
• Scalp and hair treatment: 10
• Thermal hair styling and drying: 180
• Wet hair styling and drying: 180

Hairdressing licenses by waiver may be issued to people who've worked as a licensed professional for at least one to two years in another state. If this is your situation, you must provide proof of your current licensure status and have completed training similar to Alaska's.

Did you notice that there's much more than hair skills on that skills list? That's because Alaska split the cosmetology field into esthetics and hairdressing in 1980, and a lot of cosmetology skills were put under the "hairdressing" title.

What Can Hairdressers in Alaska Do?

Alaska hairdressers can do pretty much anything the average cosmetologist can. This includes haircutting, dyeing, styling, and similar, as well as nail and makeup procedures. Natural hair braiding is covered by this license, though you can take a shorter program to earn that license if you want that to be your only focus.

READ MORE: Learn More About Alaska Natural Hair Braiding School

Alaska Hairstylist Pay

Alaska hairstylists earn around $30,000 per year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which combines this career with cosmetology in its data, reports that hairdressers in Alaska earn about $32,590 per year ($15.67 per hour). Meanwhile, ZipRecruiter, which separates hairstylists from cosmetologists, says hairstylists earn $41,158 annually or $20 hourly.

Workplace, location, specialties, and other factors can influence where you fall on the pay scale.

Contact the Alaska State Board of Cosmetology