CA Esthetician cheat sheet

An esthetician license in California requires 600 hours of Board-approved training, a minimum age of 17, and 10th-grade education or its equivalent.

The Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (BBC) sits under the Department of Consumer Affairs and issues licenses, adopts sanitation regulations, and inspects establishments.

The individual practitioner license and the establishment license are separate; both must be current and posted conspicuously at the workstation or place of business.

Board representatives may enter and inspect a licensed establishment during business hours without advance notice.

Scope rule: estheticians may perform skin care, makeup application, and hair removal by wax, tweezers, depilatories, or threading; electrolysis requires an electrologist license, and laser treatments and medical diagnosis fall outside esthetician scope.

Single-use items - razors, cotton, wooden applicators, wax strips, mascara wands, and gloves - must be discarded after one client and never reused.

Curriculum required for licensure includes health and safety content: disinfection, sterilization, disease transmission, and safe product handling.

Violations such as unlicensed practice, unsanitary conditions, or unposted licenses can result in citations, fines, and license suspension, denial, or revocation.

Three levels of control: cleaning (soap and water removes debris), disinfection (EPA-registered hospital-grade product destroys most microbes but not spores), sterilization (destroys all microorganisms including spores, usually by autoclave).

Implements must be scrubbed of all debris, dried, then fully immersed in an EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant for the label contact time, rinsed, dried, and stored in a covered container.

A disinfectant label must show an EPA registration number plus efficacy claims; tuberculocidal products are required for items contaminated with blood or body fluids.

Wax, creams, and makeup must never be double-dipped; dispense with a spatula or use a fresh single-use applicator for each dip and each client.

Wash hands with soap and warm water before and after every client and after glove removal; wear gloves whenever contact with blood, body fluids, or broken skin is possible.

Blood spill rule: stop the service, glove, absorb the spill, clean the area with a tuberculocidal disinfectant or a 1:10 bleach solution, and double-bag the waste.

Pathogen categories: bacteria (Staphylococcus, Streptococcus), viruses (HIV, hepatitis B and C, herpes), fungi (tinea/ringworm), and parasites (lice, scabies).

Do not treat a client with visible signs of a contagious condition such as lice, ringworm, conjunctivitis, or an oozing lesion; document and refer to a physician.

A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for every chemical product used must be kept on file and accessible in the establishment.

Standard facial flow: consultation and skin analysis, cleanse, exfoliate, extract if appropriate, massage, mask, then moisturizer and sunscreen.

Manual massage movements: effleurage (gliding), petrissage (kneading), friction (rubbing), tapotement (tapping), and vibration.

Steam is positioned about 12 to 18 inches from the face for roughly 5 to 10 minutes to soften comedones, with the eyes protected.

Extractions are limited to softened, mature comedones and pustules using gloved fingers and tissue; never extract cystic acne, inflamed lesions, or broken capillaries.

Alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic, lactic, malic) are water-soluble and act on the surface; beta hydroxy acid (salicylic) is oil-soluble and penetrates the pore.

Contraindications to treatment include sunburn, open lesions, active herpes, recent chemical peel or waxing, and current isotretinoin use.

Mask decision rule: clay for oily or congested skin, cream or hydrating for dry and mature skin, gel for sensitive or overheated skin.

The acid mantle sits near pH 4.5 to 5.5; alkaline cleansers and over-exfoliation disrupt the barrier and increase irritation and water loss.

Every daytime facial ends with broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher.

Terms: depilation removes hair at the skin surface (shaving, chemical depilatories); epilation removes hair from the root (waxing, tweezers, threading, sugaring, electrolysis).

Hair grows in cycles - anagen (active growth), catagen (transition), telogen (resting); waxing is most effective on anagen hairs at least one-quarter inch (6 mm) long.

Application rule: wax is applied in the direction of hair growth and removed against the direction of growth, with skin held taut.

Soft wax is applied thin and removed with a cloth strip; hard wax is applied thicker, sets without a strip, and is lifted from a small free edge.

Wax temperature is warm, never hot; test on the inner wrist before application, and never re-dip a used applicator into the pot.

Contraindications: isotretinoin, topical retinoids, recent chemical peel or laser, sunburn, varicose veins, raised moles or nevi, keloid history, and diabetic neuropathy without physician clearance.

Chemical depilatories dissolve keratin; a patch test 24 hours before the service reduces the risk of an allergic reaction.

Post-care: no sun, heat, chlorine, tight clothing, or scented products for 24 hours; advise gentle exfoliation and moisturizing after 48 hours to prevent ingrown hairs.

Potential reactions to document include folliculitis, ingrown hairs, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Color correction rule: green cancels red, peach or orange cancels blue and purple, lavender cancels yellow or sallow tones, and yellow cancels purple.

Undertone classification: warm (golden/yellow), cool (pink/blue), or neutral; foundation is matched at the jawline under natural light.

Brow mapping: the brow begins above the inner corner of the eye, peaks over the outer edge of the iris, and ends on a diagonal from the nostril past the outer eye corner.

A patch test for brow or lash tint is applied behind the ear or in the elbow crease 24 to 48 hours before service, and the result is documented in the client record.

Sanitation: never double-dip mascara, gloss, or cream products; use disposable wands and spatulas, sharpen pencils, and wipe them with 70 percent alcohol.

Lash extension adhesive contains cyanoacrylate; keep the client's eyes closed during application and instruct the client to avoid water and oil-based products for 24 hours.

Service intervals: lash extension refills about every 2 to 3 weeks, lash lift or tint results last roughly 4 to 6 weeks, and brow tint results fade over 3 to 4 weeks.

No makeup is applied over open lesions, infected skin, or an active eye infection; refer the client instead.

Epidermis layers from deepest to surface: basale, spinosum, granulosum, lucidum (palms and soles only), and corneum.

The stratum basale is the mitotic layer and contains melanocytes (melanin production) and Merkel cells (light touch sensation).

The dermis has a papillary layer (loops, nutrients) and a reticular layer (collagen, elastin, vessels, nerves, glands, hair follicles).

Fibroblasts produce collagen for strength, support, and structure, and elastin for stretch and recoil; both decline with age and UV exposure.

The subcutaneous layer is adipose tissue providing insulation, cushioning, and energy storage.

Seven skin functions: protection, sensation, heat regulation, excretion, secretion, absorption, and vitamin D synthesis.

Eccrine glands are widespread and regulate temperature; apocrine glands are in the axillae and genital area and become active at puberty; sebaceous glands secrete sebum.

Skin thickness varies: thinnest at the eyelids (about 0.5 mm), thickest at the palms and soles.

Malignant warning signs follow ABCDE: Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variation, Diameter over 6 mm, and Evolving lesions - document and refer.

The intake form captures medical history, medications, allergies, prior skin reactions, and pregnancy status, and is reviewed before every service.

Informed consent documents the client's agreement after disclosure of technique, products, expected outcomes, and risks.

Estheticians do not diagnose or treat disease; suspicious moles, persistent rashes, and infected lesions are documented and referred to a physician.

Contraindication screening and manufacturer-directed patch tests are repeated at each visit, and the results are recorded.

Consultation technique: open-ended questions, active listening, and paraphrasing the client's goal back to confirm understanding.

The Fitzpatrick scale (types I to VI) estimates sun sensitivity and burning risk and guides exfoliation strength and sun protection advice.

Client records, including treatment notes and patch-test results, are confidential and stored securely.

Ethical practice: no claims of curing disease, transparent pricing, no discrimination, and clear maintenance of professional boundaries.