IL Barber cheat sheet

Every chemical product in the shop must have a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) on file and accessible to workers; SDS sections cover hazards, first aid, safe handling, and spill response.

Blood or body fluid contact: stop the service, don gloves, blot the spill, clean with an EPA-registered tuberculocidal disinfectant, and discard contaminated porous items.

GFCI outlets are required wherever water is present; never use a tool with a frayed cord, a cracked housing, or a cord resting in water.

Cover the client's eyes with a folded towel or shield during chemical services; if product enters an eye, flush with cool water at least 15 minutes and refer for medical care.

Keep razor blades and shears accounted for at all times; never carry them in a pocket, and dispose of used blades in a rigid sharps container.

Store flammable liquids away from heat and flame; know extinguisher classes - Class B for flammable liquids, Class C for energized electrical equipment.

Keep wrists neutral, elbows near 90 degrees, and work surfaces near waist height; awkward posture and repetitive motion cause cumulative strain injuries.

Treat every client's blood and body fluids as potentially infectious; wash hands before and after every service and glove whenever contact is likely.

Three levels of control: sanitation (washing, reduces microbes), disinfection (kills most microbes on nonporous items), sterilization (destroys all microbial life, including spores).

Use an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant carrying a tuberculocidal claim on implements and surfaces that contact blood or body fluids.

Bleach solution: 1 part 5.25% sodium hypochlorite to 10 parts water (about 1 3/4 cups per gallon); mix fresh daily because strength degrades.

Contact time governs efficacy - implements must remain fully immersed in disinfectant for the time stated on the label, commonly 10 minutes.

Porous items such as wooden handles, foam, cotton, and nail files cannot be disinfected; use them once and discard.

Clean before disinfecting: wash implements with soap and water, dry them, then immerse; organic residue inactivates disinfectants.

Hand hygiene: soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds; alcohol sanitizers do not kill spores and fail on visibly soiled hands.

Refuse service for contagious conditions such as ringworm (tinea), impetigo, pediculosis (lice), and conjunctivitis, and refer the client to a physician.

UV cabinets are not reliable sterilizers, and quat-based disinfectant jars lose strength; change solution per the label and never store dirty tools in them.

Skin layers: epidermis (avascular outer layer), dermis (nerves, glands, follicles, blood vessels), and subcutaneous layer (fat, insulation, shock absorption).

Follicle anatomy: bulb at the base, papilla supplying blood and nutrients, sebaceous gland, and arrector pili muscle.

Growth cycle: anagen (active growth, 2-7 years, about 85-90% of scalp hair), catagen (transition, weeks), telogen (resting, about 3 months, then shedding).

Hair pH is roughly 4.5-5.5; alkaline products swell and open the cuticle, while acidic products contract and close it.

The pH scale runs 0-14 with 7 neutral; each whole unit represents a tenfold change in hydrogen ion concentration.

Melanin types: eumelanin (brown to black) and pheomelanin (red to blonde); their ratio and distribution determine natural color.

The 5th cranial (trigeminal) nerve is the chief sensory nerve of the face and motor nerve of chewing; the 7th cranial (facial) nerve controls muscles of facial expression.

Scalp blood supply includes the superficial temporal, occipital, and posterior auricular arteries.

Chemistry: oxidation loses electrons (lightening, color development), reduction gains electrons (relaxing, perming), and surfactants pair a water-loving head with an oil-loving tail.

Hair analysis has four parts: texture (fine, medium, coarse), density (thin, medium, thick), porosity (absorbency), and elasticity (stretch and return).

Elasticity test: wet a strand and stretch it; normal hair extends about 50% of its length and returns without breaking.

Porosity test: a strand that floats is low porosity (resists moisture); one that sinks quickly is high porosity (absorbs and loses moisture rapidly).

Hair is roughly 90% keratin protein plus water, lipids, and trace minerals; damage removes protein and moisture, so treatments must replace them.

Surface conditioners (silicones, waxes) smooth the cuticle; penetrating conditioners (hydrolyzed protein, humectants) add moisture and strength.

Choose pH-balanced products (about 4.5-5.5) to protect the acid mantle; strongly alkaline products leave hair rough, dry, and breakage-prone.

Disorders: canities (graying), alopecia (loss), hypertrichosis (excess growth), trichoptilosis (split ends), fragilitas crinium (brittle hair).

Keep thermal tools within manufacturer limits (flat irons commonly 350-450 degrees F) and use a thermal protectant to limit cuticle damage.

Purpose: remove sebum, sweat, dirt, and product residue while keeping the scalp healthy and the cuticle smooth.

Water should be warm, about 100-105 degrees F (38-40 degrees C); hot water strips sebum and irritates the scalp.

Shampoo is a surfactant system: the oil-loving tail binds sebum and debris, the water-loving head lets water rinse it away.

Match the product to hair and scalp: sulfate-free for color-treated or dry hair, medicated (zinc pyrithione) for dandruff, clarifying for buildup.

Manipulations include effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, friction, and vibration; work from hairline to crown with fingertips, never nails.

Rinse thoroughly - residual shampoo dulls hair, attracts dirt, and can irritate the scalp.

Avoid shampooing the scalp immediately before or within 48-72 hours after a relaxer service, since the scalp is more reactive.

Elevation (projection): 0 degrees for blunt or one-length, 45 degrees for graduation, 90 degrees for uniform layers, 180 degrees for long layers.

A stationary guide stays fixed and builds length; a traveling guide moves with each subsection, following the previous cut.

Cross-check by parting perpendicular to the original sections to confirm evenness and balance.

Keep tension consistent; wet hair stretches, so cut wet for control and verify the result on dry hair.

Blunt cuts use no elevation; graduated cuts build stacked weight at 45 degrees; layered cuts use 90 degrees or more for movement.

Thinning shears remove bulk without shortening length; avoid them on fine hair or too close to the scalp.

Clipper-over-comb: the comb lies flat against the head and the clipper blade stays parallel to the comb; used for tapers, fades, and necklines.

Razor cutting softens and texturizes ends; use a sharp blade and light pressure, and never razor-cut hair scheduled for a relaxer.

Use a neck strip so the cape never touches skin, and divide the head into four quadrants for control.

Relaxers run about pH 9.5-14; lye (sodium hydroxide) is fast and strong, while no-lye (calcium hydroxide plus guanidine) is gentler on the scalp but drying to hair.

Relaxer retouch: apply product to new growth only, never pull it through previously relaxed hair; base the scalp and protect the hairline.

Neutralizing shampoo (pH 4.5-5.5) stops relaxer action, lowers pH, and re-forms disulfide bonds; continue until lather stays its original color and no slippage remains.

Permanent wave: ammonium thioglycolate (alkaline, pH about 9-9.5) reduces disulfide bonds; acid-balanced waves (pH 6.5-7.5) require added heat.

Perm neutralizer (hydrogen peroxide or sodium bromate) rebuilds disulfide bonds in the new shape; do not disturb the rods before neutralizing.

Color levels run 1 (black) to 10 (lightest blonde); law of color: blue neutralizes orange, yellow neutralizes violet, red neutralizes green.

Developer (hydrogen peroxide) volumes: 10 deposits only, 20 lifts about one level, 30 lifts two to three levels, 40 lifts three to four levels.

Patch test aniline-derivative color 24-48 hours before the service and strand test for timing whenever the hair's history is unknown.

Metallic-salt dyes and compound hennas react dangerously with bleach and relaxers; test first, and record every formula, developer, and processing time.

Preparation: a hot towel and lather soften the beard and hydrate the skin; never shave dry skin.

Hold the razor at roughly a 30-degree angle to the skin, use light gliding strokes, and keep the skin pulled taut.

Shave with the grain first; against-the-grain passes only when the skin tolerates it, to reduce irritation and ingrown hairs.

Map the client's growth pattern before the first stroke and follow it - stroke direction, not habit, determines comfort.

Avoid shaving over moles, warts, inflamed acne, or broken skin; use styptic powder or alum for minor nicks.

Blades are single-client items: rinse and dry the blade, disinfect the razor after use, and discard blades in a sharps container.

Straight razor care: strop before and after use, hone periodically, and keep the blade dry and closed when not in service.

Never wipe a blade on a towel or against the palm; rinse under running water and sanitize the tool between clients.

Massage movements: effleurage (gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (percussion), and vibration; on the face work upward and outward.

Beard and mustache design: outline from the jaw upward, set the neckline about one to two fingers above the Adam's apple, and trim the mustache from the center outward.

Use a comb to lift and control facial hair; trim against the comb for even length and check both sides for symmetry before finishing.

Client records include services performed, products and formulas, allergies, skin conditions, and patch-test results.

Illinois shop requirements: shop and individual licenses current and displayed, sanitation rules posted, and services limited to the licensed scope of practice.

Towels and linens are single-client items; store soiled linens in a closed container and never reuse a towel between clients.

Dispense products with a clean spatula into a cup; never double-dip or return unused product to the original container.

Refuse service on inflamed, infected, or contagious skin, refer the client to a physician, and document the refusal.