AZ Cosmetology key terms

Using a chemical product to destroy most harmful microorganisms on tools and hard surfaces after cleaning. It does not reliably kill bacterial spores, so it is a lower level of protection than sterilization.

The complete destruction of all microorganisms, including bacterial spores, usually done in an autoclave with high-pressure steam. It is used for items that must be perfectly free of living organisms.

A hospital-grade product with an Environmental Protection Agency registration number on its label, meaning it has been proven to kill specific pathogens when mixed and used exactly as directed.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which writes and enforces workplace safety rules, including standards that require salons to protect workers from bloodborne pathogens and chemical hazards.

A Safety Data Sheet is a standardized document that comes with a chemical product and explains its hazards, safe handling, first aid, and storage. Salons must keep one available for every product.

Treating every client's blood, body fluids, and non-intact skin as potentially infectious and using barriers such as gloves each time, no matter how healthy the person appears.

An infestation of lice on the scalp and hair. It is contagious, so the stylist stops the service, refers the client for medical treatment, and disinfects all implements, capes, and linens.

A contagious fungal infection that can affect the scalp, skin, or nails, often appearing as round scaly patches. The client should be referred to a physician and the service postponed until treated.

The state agency that issues licenses to cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technicians, and salons in Arizona, and enforces the laws and rules that govern how they practice.

The set of services a particular license legally allows a person to perform. Working outside those limits, or performing a task reserved for another license, can bring disciplinary action.

A licensing pathway that lets a person already licensed in another state qualify for an Arizona license, usually by submitting proof of that license and meeting Arizona's requirements instead of retraining.

Explaining the risks, expected results, and alternatives of a service before it begins so the client can freely decide whether to proceed. It protects both the client and the practitioner.

A scale from 0 to 14 that measures how acidic or alkaline a water-based product is, with 7 being neutral. Hair and skin are happiest with mildly acidic products near pH 5.

A molecule with one end that attracts water and one end that attracts oil, allowing shampoo to lift oils and dirt from hair so they can be rinsed away with water.

An oily substance released by sebaceous glands in the scalp and skin. It lubricates and protects hair, but too much makes hair look greasy and too little leaves it dry.

How readily hair absorbs and holds moisture, which depends on how tightly the outer cuticle layers lie. Low-porosity hair resists moisture; high-porosity hair takes it in and loses it fast.

The ability of wet hair to stretch and then return to its original length. Good elasticity suggests strong internal structure; poor elasticity is a warning before color, perm, or relaxer services.

Partial or complete loss of hair caused by genetics, illness, medication, or damage. It is not contagious, but a stylist should avoid harsh chemical or thermal services on affected areas.

The angle at which a section of hair is held away from the head while being cut. It controls how length builds up and how the finished shape falls.

The first section of hair cut in a service, which becomes the reference length and shape that all following sections are matched to. Also called a guide.

A cut made with the hair held at zero elevation so all the ends fall on a single line. It creates a solid, heavy perimeter and maximum density at the ends.

A texturizing method in which the tips of the shears snip into the ends of a section, softening a hard line or removing bulk without noticeably shortening the overall length.

Shaping damp hair with a hand-held dryer plus a brush or comb, using tension and airflow to smooth the cuticle, direct the hair, and build volume that lasts.

A heated rod tool used to create curls, waves, or flicks. The barrel diameter sets how tight the curl is, and the temperature must match the hair's texture to avoid damage.

A spray, cream, or serum applied before blow-drying or heat tool use that coats the hair to slow moisture loss and reduce breakage from high temperatures.

A hydrogen peroxide solution mixed with hair color or lightener to start the chemical reaction. Its strength, labeled in volume, controls how much the color lifts.

A numbering scale, usually 1 for black through 10 or 12 for the lightest blonde, describing how light or dark a hair color is regardless of its warm or cool tone.

A diluted, deposit-only color applied after lightening to adjust unwanted warmth and create the final shade. It adds tone rather than meaningful lift.

A small amount of color or other product applied behind the ear or in the elbow fold and observed for 24 to 48 hours before a full application to detect an allergic reaction.

A strong alkaline cream, sodium hydroxide or a no-lye alternative, that straightens curly or coarse hair by breaking the side bonds inside the cortex so the hair can be reshaped.

An acidic solution used after a relaxer or permanent wave is rinsed out. It stops the chemical action, lowers the hair's pH, and rebuilds the broken bonds in their new position.

A small section of hair wound on a rod and processed separately so the stylist can check how the wave is forming before the whole head is treated.

The visible hard covering of keratin on the tip of a finger or toe that protects the nail bed beneath it. Its surface is what is shaped, polished, and sometimes enhanced.

The living area at the base of the nail where new nail cells are produced. Injury or infection there can permanently change how the nail plate grows.

The thin band of dead tissue at the base of the nail plate that seals the nail against bacteria and moisture loss. It is softened and pushed back, not cut away deeply.

A fungal infection of the nail plate that leaves the nail thick, discolored, and crumbly. It is contagious, so the client is referred to a physician and implements are disinfected.

A light, gliding massage movement used during facials to relax the client and support circulation. Strokes generally travel upward and outward, following the direction of the muscles.

A six-category system that classifies skin by how it responds to sun exposure. Estheticians use it to judge burning risk and choose safe treatment strength.

A pore plugged with sebum and dead skin cells. An open comedo is a blackhead; a closed one is a whitehead. Both are removed during facial extractions.

A hair removal method where warm wax grips the hair and is pulled off quickly against the direction of growth, removing hair from below the skin surface.