AL Esthetician study guide
AL Esthetician · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Alabama Esthetician license is the credential that allows a person to perform skin care services for pay in Alabama - facials, skin analysis and consultation, hair removal by waxing and related methods, brow services, makeup application, eyelash services, and the client care and sanitation work that surrounds all of it. It is issued by the state through the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, and it is the license a spa, salon, or dermatology-adjacent practice will ask to see before you touch a client. The AL Esthetician study guide has 9 sections and about 2,445 words.
01Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety
Every sanitation question ultimately asks one thing: can an organism get from a source to a new host? Break the chain - kill or remove the organism, block the route, or protect the host - and the answer follows.
321 words, about 2 min02Skin Anatomy, Histology, and Physiology
The epidermis is avascular and built from keratinocytes that migrate upward: stratum basale (single dividing layer holding melanocytes), stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, and the dead, flattened stratum corneum. The dermis holds collagen for strength, elastin for recoil, glycosaminoglycans for hydration, plus nerves, blood vessels, and the pilosebaceous unit.
271 words, about 1 min03Skin Disorders, Diseases, and Contraindications
An esthetician describes and refers; only a physician diagnoses. Learn lesion vocabulary: primary lesions arise first (macule, papule, pustule, vesicle, bulla, wheal, nodule, cyst) and secondary lesions evolve from them (scale, crust, excoriation, fissure, ulcer, scar, keloid).
252 words, about 1 min04Client Consultation and Skin Analysis
A consultation is a history plus a physical assessment plus a documented plan. Start with an intake form: medications, allergies, pregnancies, surgeries, skin diagnoses, current home care (retinoids, acids, benzoyl peroxide), and previous professional treatments.
272 words, about 1 min05Facial Treatments, Massage, and Advanced Care
A classic facial runs pre-cleanse, cleanse, analyze, exfoliate, steam (about 3–5 minutes, not until the client is flushed), extraction of non-inflamed comedones only, massage, mask, tone, moisturize, and protect with SPF. Each step has a purpose; questions often test whether you would skip steam on a client with rosacea or capillary fragility - yes, you would.
232 words, about 1 min06Hair Removal and Brow Services
Hair cycles through anagen (growth), catagen (transition), and telogen (rest). Waxing works best in anagen, which is why results vary and why regrowth schedules differ by body area.
284 words, about 1 min07Makeup and Eyelash Services
A makeup brush touches skin, so it is cleaned and disinfected between clients and dried fully. Never double-dip into a jar; use a spatula and a palette.
261 words, about 1 min08Chemistry, Ingredients, and Product Selection
pH measures hydrogen ion concentration on a 0–14 scale; skin sits near 4.5–5.5. Solutions, suspensions, and emulsions describe how ingredients are combined, and surfactants let oil and water meet so cleansers can lift sebum.
269 words, about 1 min09Professional Practices, Ethics, and Alabama Law
Esthetic practice in Alabama is regulated by the state cosmetology and barbering board: you hold a current license, display it where required, work in a licensed establishment, and follow board sanitation rules and inspection requirements. Scope of practice is the line you cannot cross - you cleanse, treat, wax, and beautify; you do not diagnose, prescribe, or perform medical procedures.
283 words, about 1 min