MI Barber cheat sheet

Michigan barber licensing is administered by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) through the Bureau of Professional Licensing (BPL) under the Michigan Occupational Code, Public Act 299 of 1980.

Michigan licenses two barber tiers: the barber license (entry-level, qualifying a person to perform all barbering services) and the barber instructor license, which requires prior barber licensure plus teaching qualifications.

A barber license applicant must be at least 17 years old, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, complete required barbering education hours at a licensed school, and pass the required examinations.

The Michigan barber practical and written theory examinations are administered through an approved testing vendor; a passing score on both is required before a license is issued.

Applications are filed electronically through the LARA/BPL MiPLUS licensing portal, which tracks application status, continuing education, and license renewals.

Barber licenses in Michigan renew on a two-year cycle with continuing education requirements set by BPL rule; failing to renew before expiration places the license in lapsed status and bars legal practice.

Practice before licensure, or with a lapsed license, is unlicensed practice and is subject to administrative sanctions, civil penalties, and cease-and-desist action by LARA.

A licensed barber may perform barbering services only in a licensed barbershop or other licensed facility; a shop license is separate from the individual practitioner license and both must be current.

Sanitizing reduces microbes on surfaces to a safe public-health level; disinfecting destroys nearly all pathogenic organisms on inanimate surfaces; sterilization destroys all microbial life including spores.

Hospital-grade EPA-registered disinfectants with proven bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal activity are the standard for implements that contact skin or blood; implement must be cleaned of debris before immersion.

Implements that cut or penetrate skin (razors, razor blades, shears used for skin contact, tweezers) are single-use or must be disinfected after each client; porous items that cannot be disinfected must be discarded.

Before and after every client, the barber must wash hands with soap and warm water, and any cut or abrasion on the barber's hands must be covered with a bandage and glove.

Blood and body-fluid spills are cleaned with gloves, absorbed with disposable material, then the area is disinfected with an EPA-registered tuberculocidal disinfectant; contaminated waste goes in a closed receptacle.

Wet sanitizers must be changed at least daily or when visibly soiled; disinfectant solution strength is checked per manufacturer label and tools are fully submerged for the labeled contact time.

Clean and soiled implements must be stored separately - clean linens and disinfected tools in closed cabinets, soiled linens in a closed receptacle - and never on the workstation surface.

Common disinfectant classes used in shops include quaternary ammonium compounds, phenolics, and chlorine bleach solutions; each has a specific dilution and contact time and must be used per label directions.

The hair follicle sits in the dermis; the hair bulb at its base contains the matrix where keratinocytes divide, and the dermal papilla supplies blood and nutrients to the growing hair.

Hair grows in three phases: anagen (active growth, roughly 2–7 years), catagen (transition, a few weeks), and telogen (resting, about 3 months) followed by shedding.

The hair shaft has three layers: the medulla (central core), the cortex (bulk of the fiber, containing melanin and keratin), and the cuticle (outer overlapping scales that protect the shaft).

Scalp skin has the same layers as skin elsewhere - epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue - with sebaceous glands attached to follicles that produce sebum.

Common noncontagious scalp conditions include dandruff (pityriasis), seborrheic dermatitis, and dry scalp; contagious conditions include tinea capitis (ringworm), pediculosis (lice), and impetigo.

Barbers must recognize and refer, not treat: inflamed, broken, or infected scalp skin, ringworm, lice, and open lesions are contraindications to service and require medical referral.

Hair texture is described by diameter (fine, medium, coarse) and curl pattern; density is the number of hairs per square inch; porosity is the cuticle's ability to absorb moisture.

Scalp care services include shampooing, conditioning, massage, and scalp treatments; massage strokes move in the direction of hair growth and avoid areas of irritation or lesions.

A shave begins with a client consultation and skin assessment; shaving is contraindicated over moles, raised lesions, inflamed or broken skin, and areas with active infection.

The face is prepared with warm water and lather to soften the beard and lubricate the skin; a warm towel before lather and a cool towel after the shave reduce irritation.

The straight razor is held with the blade at roughly a 30-degree angle to the skin; strokes follow the direction of hair growth for a standard shave and against the grain only for a closer shave when skin tolerates it.

The razor must be stropped to align the edge and must be disinfected between clients; single-use blades are discarded in a sharps container immediately after use.

Shaving strokes on the neck and jaw follow the hair growth pattern; the barber's free hand stretches the skin to create a flat surface and reduce nicks.

Aftershave care includes a cool towel, astringent or toner, and moisturizer; alcohol-based products may irritate sensitive skin and should be selected based on skin type.

Beard and mustache trimming uses clippers and scissors with the comb as a guide; the beard line is established at the natural growth line and blended with the haircut.

Facial skin types - normal, dry, oily, combination, sensitive - determine product selection; patch testing and client history reduce adverse reactions to products.

The four basic haircut structures are solid (one length), graduated (stacked), layered (increased elevation), and increased-layered; elevation and sectioning determine the result.

Cutting tools include shears, thinning shears, clippers, and razors; each produces a different texture and line, and blade tension and sharpness affect the cut.

Haircolor products are classified as temporary, semipermanent, and permanent; permanent color uses an oxidation reaction with developer (hydrogen peroxide) to lift and deposit pigment.

The color wheel guides neutralization: opposite colors cancel unwanted tones - blue cancels orange, green cancels red, violet cancels yellow - and the level system (1 darkest to 10 lightest) describes lightness.

A patch test for color and a strand test for processing time are performed before chemical services; a predisposition test is required before aniline-derivative color on a new client.

Chemical relaxers use sodium hydroxide (lye) or guanidine (no-lye) to break disulfide bonds; a neutralizer reforms the bonds, and relaxer must never contact previously relaxed hair without protection.

Perms use thioglycolate waving lotion to break disulfide bonds, followed by a neutralizer to rebuild them; processing time and rod size determine curl pattern.

Sanitation applies to chemical services: bowls, brushes, and capes are cleaned and disinfected between clients, and product containers are not contaminated with used applicators.

A licensed barbershop must display its shop license and each barber's individual license in a conspicuous place; unlicensed persons may not perform barbering services in the shop.

Shops must maintain a current safety and sanitation plan, first-aid supplies, and a bloodborne-pathogen exposure control plan consistent with MIOSHA requirements.

Electrical safety requires ground-fault protection near water, cords in good condition, and appliances turned off and unplugged before cleaning; damaged equipment is removed from service.

Chemical safety requires secondary labeling of decanted products, access to safety data sheets (SDS) for hazardous chemicals, and storage away from heat and out of reach of clients.

Client records should document services, products used, and adverse reactions; confidentiality of client information is a professional and legal obligation.

Professional ethics include informed consent for services, honest disclosure of price and expected results, and refusal of services that are unsafe or outside the barber's scope.

Shop hygiene includes daily cleaning of floors, stations, chairs, and restrooms, and scheduled cleaning of ventilation and waste receptacles; single-use items are discarded after one client.

Michigan barbers are mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect under state law, and must follow shop policy for reporting unsafe conditions to the owner or BPL.