ie-hairdressing-craft-l6 key terms

A policy that covers a practitioner against claims of injury, damage, or negligent advice arising from services delivered in the salon, separate from general business and premises cover.

The legal and ethical obligation to protect clients from foreseeable harm by working within your competence, following safe systems, and refusing or referring services that carry unacceptable risk.

Agreement given by a client after the purpose, process, risks, alternatives, and likely outcome of a service have been explained in terms they understand, and recorded before work begins.

The range of services and techniques a practitioner is trained, qualified, and insured to perform, beyond which they must refer the client to another professional.

The systematic, confidential, and legally compliant maintenance of client consultation cards, service notes, product records, and consent forms, retained for the period required by insurers and data protection law.

A confidential client record holding personal details, hair and scalp history, previous chemical services, patch test dates, formulas, timings, and outcomes, used to plan and repeat services safely.

A condition, medication, or circumstance that makes a treatment inadvisable or unsafe, such as an active scalp infection, recent chemical burn, or certain prescription drugs.

A small controlled application of a colour or chemical product to skin, usually behind the ear or in the elbow crease, assessed after the manufacturer's stated time to detect sensitisation before a full service.

The transfer of microorganisms from one person, tool, or surface to another via hands, equipment, linens, or products, prevented by cleaning, disinfection, and single-use items.

The reduction of microbial numbers on tools and surfaces to a safe level by washing and chemical treatment, the minimum standard applied to non-critical items between clients.

The use of an approved chemical agent to destroy or inactivate most pathogenic microorganisms on tools and surfaces, required for items that contact skin or may draw blood.

A pressure vessel that sterilises metal implements using high-temperature steam, used where instruments may contact broken skin, such as razors or tweezers.

Systematic assessment of hair density, texture, porosity, elasticity, condition, and scalp state during consultation, used to select suitable products, techniques, and chemical services.

The ability of the hair cuticle to absorb and retain moisture and chemicals; low porosity resists uptake, while high porosity absorbs quickly but loses moisture and colour readily.

The ability of wet hair to stretch and return to its original length without breaking, indicating internal protein structure and cortical strength; poor elasticity rules out strong chemical services.

The outermost protective layer of overlapping scale-like cells that controls moisture loss and chemical penetration; damage causes roughness, dullness, and excessive porosity.

The thick middle layer of the hair shaft containing keratin bundles, melanin, and moisture, responsible for strength, elasticity, curl, and the colour changes produced by chemical services.

The natural direction in which hair emerges from the scalp, including cowlicks, whorls, and nape direction, which determines sectioning, cutting tension, and styling choices.

A logarithmic measure of acidity and alkalinity from 0 to 14, where 7 is neutral; hair and skin sit near pH 4.5–5.5, and product pH governs swelling, cuticle lift, and colour development.

A shampoo formulated near the natural pH of hair and skin, used to minimise cuticle swelling, preserve colour, and maintain scalp comfort during regular washing.

The application of products containing cationic surfactants, proteins, or oils that smooth the cuticle, restore moisture, reduce static, and improve manageability and combability after shampooing.

Dividing the head into controlled, evenly sized areas using partings, so that cutting, colouring, perming, or styling is worked systematically and symmetrically.

The angle at which hair is held away from the head during cutting, from zero degrees for a solid line to 180 degrees for long layers, which controls weight and graduation.

A cutting effect created by building weight through increasing elevation or a stacked section, producing a shorter-to-longer progression of length within the shape.

A texturising technique in which the tips of the shears are angled into the ends of a section to soften weight and create movement without removing overall length.

An oxidising agent mixed with permanent colour or lightener to develop colour and lift melanin; its strength, expressed in volume or percentage, determines the rate and degree of lift.

A trial application of a colour, lightener, or perm product to a small isolated section of hair to predict timing, result, and compatibility before treating the whole head.

The warmth of melanin remaining in the hair after natural or artificial colour is removed, which influences the final tone and must be accounted for when formulating a target shade.

A dilute, often semi-permanent colour applied after lightening to neutralise unwanted warmth or refine the final tone without significantly altering the level of lift.

The chemical process in perming in which the disulfide bonds of the cortex are broken by a reducing agent, allowing the hair to be reshaped around a rod.

The second stage of perming, in which an oxidising lotion rebuilds the disulfide bonds in their new position, locking in the curl and restoring the hair's strength.

A check made during a perm by unwinding a rod to confirm the S-shape pattern has formed, used to judge correct development time and avoid over- or under-processing.

A strongly alkaline product that straightens curly or tightly coiled hair by breaking and reforming disulfide bonds, requiring careful scalp protection and timing control.

The controlled use of heat and airflow with a brush or comb to dry and shape hair, directing airflow down the shaft to smooth the cuticle and build volume or bend.

The use of heat-protective products and correct tool temperature and distance to reduce moisture loss and cuticle damage during blow-drying, straightening, or curling.

A barbering technique in which hair length is blended progressively from short at the skin or outline to longer above, graded using clipper guards and lever adjustment.

A barbering method in which clippers are run across the teeth of a comb held against the head to remove bulk and blend lengths without cutting the client.

The natural growth direction of beard and moustache hair, which guides shaving stroke direction and outlining to avoid irritation and achieve a close, even result.

The difference between the salon's cost price and the selling price of a product, expressed as a percentage, used to judge profitability of retail lines alongside service income.

Setting charges by calculating product, labour, and overhead costs, then adding a target profit margin that reflects the skill level and time required for each service.

Focused communication in which the practitioner gives full attention, reflects back what the client has said, and clarifies meaning before agreeing a plan or service.