Tools, Equipment, Products and Materials
Tools, equipment and products: know what touches skin
This domain tests identification, maintenance, product labelling and electrical safety. Expect questions on which items are single-use, how to store brushes, and what a PAO symbol means.
Core rules
- Implements are reusable metal tools such as scissors, nippers and tweezers. Tools include brushes, combs and spatulas. Equipment includes steamers, magnifying lamps and sterilizers. Consumables are single-use items.
- Clean tools after every client, disinfect according to the label, sterilise metal implements, and store dry in closed containers.
- Brushes: wash with gentle soap, rinse, reshape and dry flat. Do not stand them upright in water.
- Check product labels for batch number, expiry date, PAO (period after opening), warnings and contraindications. Never decant into unlabelled bottles.
- Electrical equipment: check plugs and cords, keep water away, follow the manufacturer's distance and timing, and stop using damaged equipment.
- Choose products by skin and hair type, not by packaging.
Worked example
A client with dry, sensitive skin needs a moisturiser. Look for glycerin (humectant), shea butter or squalane (emollient), and petrolatum or dimethicone (occlusive), preferably fragrance-free. Avoid alcohol-heavy gels and essential oil blends. Reasoning: dry skin needs water-binding plus sealing; sensitive skin benefits from fewer irritants.
Traps
- Storing brushes bristle-up in a damp jar.
- Using expired product because it smells fine.
- Putting a hot steamer too close to the face.
- Using a metal spatula on reactive products.
- Mixing products in an unlabelled container.