IL Cosmetology cheat sheet

Levels of microbial control, from weakest to strongest: sanitation (reduces microbes), disinfection (destroys most pathogens on nonporous surfaces), sterilization (destroys all microbial life, including spores).

Implements that contact skin, blood, or body fluids require an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant carrying a tuberculocidal claim, used for the full contact time printed on the label (commonly 10 minutes).

Nonporous items such as metal shears, combs, nippers, and clipper blades can be cleaned and disinfected; porous items such as files, buffers, wooden sticks, cotton, and linens are single-use and must be discarded.

Hand washing with soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds is required before and after every client and after removing gloves; hand sanitizer is not a substitute when hands are visibly soiled.

Blood or body-fluid spill procedure: stop the service, don gloves, remove visible matter with a disposable towel, then disinfect the area with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant with tuberculocidal activity at label dilution.

Electrical safety: keep cords and tools away from water, plug into GFCI outlets, never immerse electrical equipment, and unplug before cleaning or servicing.

OSHA Hazard Communication Standard requires a current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) on file and accessible to staff for every chemical product in the salon.

Disinfectant solutions must be mixed at label strength, kept covered, and changed at least daily or whenever visibly soiled; implements must be fully immersed.

Personal protective equipment: gloves for chemical services and any blood exposure, safety glasses when handling chemicals, and a mask when working with dusts or strong fumes.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) licenses cosmetologists, estheticians, nail technicians, hair braiders, barbers, and the salons and schools that operate in the state.

Minimum approved training hours in Illinois: cosmetologist 1,500; esthetician 750; nail technician 350; hair braider 300.

Illinois cosmetology sanitation, safety, and licensing requirements are codified in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1175.

A separate establishment (salon) license is required for each salon location, in addition to the individual practitioner licenses of the staff who work there.

Licenses must be available for inspection at the salon; performing services while a license is lapsed or suspended constitutes unlicensed practice.

Only a licensed practitioner, or a permit-holding student under direct instructor supervision, may perform services on a paying client.

A licensee may perform only the services within the scope of that license; for example, a nail technician may not perform hair coloring.

IDFPR handles applications, fees, inspections, complaints, and discipline, which can include fines, probation, suspension, or revocation.

Hair shaft layers, outside in: cuticle (overlapping scales), cortex (about 90 percent of the weight; holds melanin and side bonds), medulla (central core, may be absent in fine hair).

Hair root structures: follicle, bulb, dermal papilla (blood and nerve supply), sebaceous gland, and arrector pili muscle.

Hair growth cycle: anagen (active growth, two to six years, about 90 percent of scalp hair), catagen (transition, one to two weeks), telogen (resting and shedding, about three months).

Skin layers: epidermis (stratum corneum and basal layer containing melanocytes), dermis (collagen, elastin, nerves, vessels, glands), and subcutaneous layer (fat).

Nail structures: nail plate, nail bed, matrix (site of growth), lunula, eponychium, hyponychium, free edge, sidewalls, and nail mantle.

The cranium has eight bones: frontal, occipital, two parietal, two temporal, sphenoid, and ethmoid; the face has fourteen, including the mandible, maxilla, zygomatic, and nasal bones.

Nerves: the trifacial (fifth cranial) provides sensation to the face and head; the facial (seventh cranial) supplies the muscles of facial expression.

Muscles of the head and neck include frontalis, occipitalis, temporalis and masseter (chewing), and platysma (neck).

The pH scale runs 0 to 14; each whole unit represents a tenfold change in acidity or alkalinity, so pH 12 is ten times more alkaline than pH 11.

Reference pH values: hair about 4.5 to 5.5, skin about 5.5, alkaline thio permanent wave about 9.0 to 9.6, acid-balanced perm about 4.5 to 7.0, sodium hydroxide relaxer about 12 to 14.

Hair is roughly 90 percent keratin protein plus water, trace minerals, and lipids; side bonds between protein chains give hair strength and shape.

Side bonds: disulfide (strongest, about one third, broken by reducing agents and rebuilt by oxidation), salt bonds, and hydrogen bonds (broken by water and heat).

Surfactant classes: anionic (strongest cleansing and lather, used in shampoos), cationic (conditioning and antistatic), amphoteric (mild, often in baby shampoo), nonionic (thickeners and emollients).

Developer is hydrogen peroxide: 10 volume equals 3 percent, 20 volume equals 6 percent, 30 volume equals 9 percent, and 40 volume equals 12 percent.

Oxidation adds oxygen or removes electrons (peroxide, neutralizers); reduction adds hydrogen or electrons (thio perms and relaxers are reducing agents).

Hard water contains calcium and magnesium, which interfere with lather, leave mineral film, and can dull color results.

Oils and water do not mix without an emulsifier; emulsifiers are what allow conditioning agents and lotions to form stable blends.

Hair analysis covers texture (fine, medium, coarse), density, porosity, elasticity (stretches about 50 percent and returns), and scalp condition.

Porosity categories: low (tight cuticle, resists moisture and takes color slowly), normal, and high (absorbs and loses moisture quickly, feels rough, fades color fast).

Shampoo types: clarifying (removes product and mineral buildup), moisturizing, balancing, and medicated (scalp disease requires medical referral, not salon treatment).

Water temperature for shampooing is warm for cleansing; a cooler final rinse helps smooth the cuticle and add shine.

Conditioner types: surface (smoothing film), penetrating protein (temporarily fills damaged areas of the cortex), humectant or moisturizing (attracts and holds water), and leave-in.

Do not shampoo or massage a scalp with abrasions, open sores, sunburn, or contagious conditions; refer the client and reschedule.

Scalp massage manipulations: effleurage (gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (tapping), friction (circular rubbing), and vibration; work from the hairline toward the crown.

Detangle from the ends upward with a wide-tooth comb; vigorous brushing of wet, fragile hair increases breakage and cuticle damage.

Elevation determines structure: 0 degrees solid or blunt, 45 degrees graduated, 90 degrees uniformly layered, 180 degrees long-layered.

A stationary guideline stays in place and is not cut again; a traveling guideline moves with each subsection and can build length or weight.

A blunt cut is performed at zero elevation with no tension, cutting straight across the ends to produce a solid perimeter line.

Tension and overdirection shift weight and length: pulling hair away from its natural fall makes the opposite side shorter.

Section the head into four sections (front, crown, sides, nape) and cross-check opposite sections to keep the cut balanced and even.

Texturizing techniques: thinning shears, point cutting, notching, slicing, slide cutting, and carving; all remove weight or soften the ends.

Cutting lines: horizontal builds weight, vertical removes weight, and diagonal blends a transition between lengths.

Razors are used only on wet hair with a sharp blade; nicked or damaged blades cannot be properly disinfected and must be replaced.

A neck strip is placed under the cape so the cape never contacts the client's skin, and a fresh cape is used for each client.

Blow-dry with airflow directed down the hair shaft from root to end at roughly a 45-degree angle to smooth the cuticle and reduce frizz.

Curling iron barrel size determines curl size: a smaller barrel gives a tighter curl, and the iron diameter should not exceed the width of the section being curled.

Thermal temperature ranges: about 250 to 300 F for fine, lightened, or damaged hair; about 350 to 400 F for coarse, resistant hair; test the iron on light tissue paper first.

Marcel irons are heated on a stove or heater and require a non-metal handle; electric irons are thermostatically controlled.

Roller sets: on-base placement gives maximum volume, half-base medium volume, and off-base the least volume; smaller rollers create more curl.

Pin curl types are barrel (opened toward the face), stand-up, and flat; ribboning the strand before winding prevents kinks at the ends.

Wig cap constructions: capless (wefted, cool and affordable), monofilament (hand-tied to sheer mesh for a natural part), and lace front (hand-knotted hairline).

Synthetic wigs and hairpieces cannot withstand high heat; style with low heat or steam and use products formulated for synthetic fiber.

Extension methods include clip-in, tape-in, fusion or keratin bond, and sew-in; tight or heavy attachments can cause traction alopecia along the hairline.

Relaxer chemistry: sodium hydroxide (lye, pH about 12 to 14), no-lye calcium hydroxide with guanidine, ammonium thioglycolate (pH about 9 to 10), and ammonium bisulfite.

Relaxer strength (mild, regular, super) is selected from hair texture, porosity, and prior chemical history, not from the client's stated preference alone.

Apply protective base cream to the scalp and hairline, wear gloves, and never apply relaxer to broken, irritated, or abraded skin.

Retouch applications cover new growth only, every six to eight weeks; overlapping onto previously relaxed hair causes breakage and chemical burn.

Neutralizing shampoo restores pH to about 4.5 to 5.5 and rebuilds disulfide bonds; lather for at least five minutes and leave the final lather on several minutes.

Permanent waves use thioglycolate (alkaline, self-processing) or acid-balanced formulas (pH below 7, requiring added heat); bisulfite waves are the mildest.

A test curl is processed and unwound to confirm the desired S-shape before all rods are saturated; recheck every three to five minutes.

Rod and base placement: on-base for maximum volume, half-base for medium, off-base for the least volume; wrapping patterns include rectangle, square, half-circle, and circle.

Do not perm or relax hair treated with metallic salts, or hair that is mushy, gummy, or extremely lightened; perform a test strand first.

Color levels run 1 (black) to 10 (lightest blonde); each level is one step of lightness, and natural (non-lifting) deposit color cannot lighten hair.

Color categories: temporary (coats the cuticle), semi-permanent (stains without lift), demi-permanent (deposit only, low-volume peroxide), and permanent (lifts and deposits).

Developer selection: 10 volume lifts about one level, 20 volume about two, 30 volume about three, and 40 volume about four, with increasing damage at higher volumes.

Ammonia raises pH and swells the cuticle so peroxide can oxidize melanin and dye molecules can enter and deposit in the cortex.

Law of color: primaries are red, yellow, and blue; mixing two primaries makes a secondary (orange, green, violet), and a primary plus an adjacent secondary makes a tertiary.

Complementary neutralization: blue cancels orange, violet cancels yellow, and green cancels red.

Patch test for allergic reaction 24 to 48 hours before a color service, and strand test to predict processing time and result.

Fill missing pigment before tinting darker or going from blonde back to brown; without a filler the result looks muddy, hollow, or green.

Wait at least two weeks between a relaxer and a color service, and never apply lightener over hair treated with metallic dyes.

Skin types: normal, oily, dry, combination, and sensitive; the Fitzpatrick scale (I to VI) separately describes how skin responds to ultraviolet light.

Standard facial sequence: cleanse, analyze, exfoliate, tone, massage, extract, apply mask, moisturize, and protect with sunscreen.

Facial massage manipulations are effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, friction, and vibration; movements generally go upward and outward, with light pressure on the throat.

Contraindications to treatment: sunburn, open lesions, active pustules, cold sores, conjunctivitis, and other contagious conditions; refer and reschedule.

Mask selection: clay or kaolin for oily skin, cream and hydrating masks for dry skin, gel masks for sensitive or couperose skin.

Exfoliation may be mechanical (scrubs, brushes) or chemical (AHA/glycolic acid, enzymes); AHA use increases photosensitivity, so sun protection is required.

Foundation is matched at the jawline to the skin's undertone (warm, cool, or neutral), not to the hand and not to the neck alone.

Sanitation in the treatment room: use disposable applicators and spatulas, never double-dip into product, and disinfect brushes and implements between clients.

The nail plate is keratin; fingernails grow about one-eighth inch (roughly 3 mm) per month, toenails more slowly, and growth speeds up in warm weather.

Nail shapes: square, squoval, round, oval, and pointed; file in one direction with the free edge supported to avoid splitting and peeling.

Manicure sequence: soak, shape, push back and care for the cuticle, massage hand and arm, then polish; living tissue at the eponychium is never cut.

Nippers are used only for hangnails and dead tissue, never to cut the eponychium or live skin around the nail.

Disorders requiring medical referral: onychomycosis (fungal, thick and crumbly), paronychia (bacterial, red, swollen, pus), pterygium, severe ridges, and discoloration.

Acrylic enhancements form when liquid monomer reacts with powder polymer; too wet a ratio gives a weak nail, too dry gives a brittle one, and primer improves adhesion.

Gel polish cures under a UV or LED lamp; it should never be applied over an infected, inflamed, or damaged nail.

Foot spas must be drained, cleaned, and circulated with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant for the full label contact time after every client.

Never perform nail services on a client with a contagious condition or an infected nail; refer to a physician.

A consultation records health history, medications, previous chemical services, allergies, lifestyle, and the client's goal, and it is documented on the client record card.

Patch test and strand test results belong in the client's permanent record with dates, and all client information is kept confidential.

Scope of practice: licensees do not diagnose; any scalp, skin, or nail disorder, rash, or lesion is referred to a physician.

Service pricing must cover product cost, overhead, and time; cost per service equals the product cost divided by the number of services the container yields.

Retail keystone pricing doubles the wholesale cost (a 50 percent gross margin); many salons target two to three times cost.

Booth rental: the stylist pays fixed rent, keeps all service and retail income, and is self-employed; commission: the stylist receives an agreed percentage of service revenue.

Business structures include sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, and corporation, each with different liability exposure and tax treatment.

Federal agencies affecting the salon: OSHA (workplace safety), FDA (product safety and labeling), EPA (disinfectants and environmental rules), and FTC (advertising).

Advertising and social media must be truthful, and client images or testimonials require written permission before use.