Hair Care and Hairdressing
What the exam tests
Candidates must know hair structure (cuticle, cortex, medulla), the three growth phases (anagen, catagen, telogen), and how pH, temperature, and water affect the hair shaft. Understand shampoo and conditioner chemistry (surfactants, cationic conditioning agents), the difference between a physical and chemical change to the hair, and the tools of the trade: shears, razor, clippers, thermal irons, blow-dryer. Know the four basic haircuts (blunt, graduated, layered, long-layered) and how elevation, distribution, and projection change the result.
Traps to watch
Questions love the word always and never. Hair is not alive above the scalp; cutting it does not make it grow faster. Wet hair stretches and is weaker, so tension in blow-drying and brushing matters. Distinguish scalp massage (stimulates blood flow, does not alter genetic hair loss) from treatments. Another trap: confusing a hair stream (cowlick) with a whorl, or a fringe with a bang in terminology questions. Read for the word that flips the answer.
Worked example
A client with fine, limp hair wants volume. Rule of thumb: fine hair holds less weight, so choose lightweight products, lower elevation at the perimeter, and avoid heavy conditioning near the scalp. If a question asks which blow-dry technique adds volume, the answer involves lifting the hair at the base against its natural fall, not applying more product.
Rule of thumb
Match elevation to the haircut line: 0° blunt, 45° graduated, 90° layered, 180° long-layered.