The Easy Way to Renew Your Ohio Cosmetology License
Cosmetology, hair designer, esthetician and manicurist licenses expire on January 31st of odd years (2013, 2015, etc.). There are severe penalties for practicing cosmetology with an expired license, so you don’t want to let your license lapse. Follow these steps to make sure you renew your license on time.
Continuing Education: The Ohio State Board of Cosmetology requires licensees to take 8 hours of continuing education. The Board pre-approves providers and courses. The type of course you need to take depends upon your specialty. For example, hair designers must take courses about hair, estheticians must take classes about skin care, manicurists must take courses about nail care, etc. An exception to this rule is that the Board does allow you to take approved business courses. The good news is that you can earn these CE hours through an in-person or an online class. Approved providers and courses are listed on the Board’s website. The site allows you to limit your search results to internet courses only if those are of interest to you. Some online providers offer their courses through affiliates, so you might find the same approved course available on different websites.
Online License Renewal: After you complete your 8 hours of continuing education, you need to visit the Ohio State Board of Cosmetology’s website to renew your license online. Before you do, make sure you have your username and password, a valid email address, and a credit or debit card available. Although you are not required to renew your license online, the Board highly recommends it. Online renewals are easier to process, which means you will get your license in half the time it would take if you mailed your renewal information to the Board.
Tips to Remember
Consider taking your continuing education and renewing your license during the December prior to the January 31st expiration date. This will help you avoid the last-minute rush during the last couple of weeks of January.
If you received your initial license during the two years before the upcoming license renewal date, you do not have to take cosmetology CE to renew your license. For example, if you received your license in May 2011, you do not need to CE to renew your license prior to the January 31, 2013 renewal date.
If you have more than one personal license, you must fulfill the continuing education requirements for each specialty. For example, if you are an esthetician and a nail tech, you will need to take 8 hours of CE for your esthetician license and 8 hours of CE for your nail tech license.
You are required to pay a late fee to renew your license after the January 31st deadline.
