Salon patrons may remember walking into their favorite establishments and seeing a long, text-heavy poster detailing the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology’s health and safety regulations hanging in the lobby. Not ringing a bell? You’re not alone. Turns out customers weren’t really reading it if they noticed it at all.
That meant that the “Message to the Consumer” portion of the poster—which the board believes to be the most important section for consumers—was going largely unnoticed by the public. Plus, each time those health and safety regulations changed, a new poster had to be produced and distributed to all of the state’s approximately 50,000 licensed establishments throughout California at a considerable expense to the board.
But now, as of January 1, 2018, the health and safety poster is no more—it’s been replaced by the new “Message to the Consumer” which must be posted in the reception area of the establishment and approved beauty schools. The message has also been simplified to invite consumers to contact the board without having to evaluate whether their complaint falls under the board’s jurisdiction.
Establishment owners and licensees can access the new document and print it themselves on an 8 1/2” by 11” sheet of regular paper from the board’s website at www.barbercosmo.ca.gov/forms_pubs/msg_consumers_posting.shtml.
On your next salon visit, remember to also check for a copy of a current establishment license in the reception area. For more information, and to verify a license, visit the board’s website at www.barbercosmo.ca.gov.

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