Governor says shampooing bill small step in addressing head-scratching laws

To become a police officer in South Carolina takes 396 hours of training. To get a concealed handgun permit, eight hours. But to shampoo someone’s hair? Try 1,500 hours.

At least, that was the law until Wednesday, when Gov. Mark Sanford signed a bill taking away that training requirement for hair-salon shampooers. To mark the occasion, the signing took place at a Columbia salon.

Previously, only a licensed cosmetologist could perform shampoo services in South Carolina. By law, that license takes 1,500 hours of training to acquire and can cost about $15,000. Now, any salon employee can shampoo hair so long as there is a cosmetologist on the premises.

Sanford said the “shampoo bill” was a small but significant step toward addressing other head-scratching laws in effect in the Palmetto State.

“We have a whole host of fairly ridiculous and oftentimes crazy rules and laws in South Carolina,” Sanford said. “This is, in essence, the tip of the iceberg.”

Sanford highlighted other odd requirements — fortune-tellers must be licensed; circuses cannot spend more than two days at a single location in a year — that he said are too laughable to take seriously.
“What we want to do is avoid laws on the books that don’t pass the Comedy Central litmus test,” Sanford said. “You want to have laws that people see as real.”

The shampoo bill’s co-sponsor, Rep. Nikki Haley, R-Lexington, said the new law does more than just clean out a silly requirement. It also will create jobs by allowing salon owners to have greater flexibility in hiring, according to Haley.

“This is going to mean a lot for small businesses in South Carolina,” Haley said.

Alan Ray, owner of Columbia’s La Spalon, agreed. “Our salon is going to be expanding because of this,” said Ray, whose shop hosted the bill-signing ceremony.

According to Sanford, oftentimes these “bizarre” laws and requirements had been enacted to protect monopolies and preserve favorable business climates for a few lucky players.

Sanford said repealing such measures would enhance competitiveness and allow consumers to make a “common-sense decision.”

What’s more, Sanford hopes shining a light on bad legislation will give citizens a valuable glimpse into how government should — and shouldn’t — function.
“It’s a chance to highlight the way that all of us should be watching the lawmaking process,” Sanford said.

Haley said the public can play an invaluable role in rooting out nonsensical laws and bringing them to the Legislature’s attention.

“The best bills that are put into law (come from) the people telling you what they see,” Haley said.

In fact, Haley said, she first heard of the 1,500-hour requirement while getting her hair shampooed at a salon.

But Wednesday, La Spalon employee Courtney Smith didn’t have to worry about that old rule, as she became the first salon worker to legally shampoo hair in South Carolina without a license.
“I made history,” Smith joked. “I feel like a legend.”