MN Barber cheat sheet

Disinfection kills most pathogenic organisms on nonporous implements but does not destroy bacterial spores; sterilization is the only process that does.

Hospital-grade disinfectants must carry an EPA registration number and a label claim against HIV-1 and hepatitis B; mixing them weaker than label dilution voids efficacy.

Implements must be cleaned of debris before immersion; organic residue inactivates quaternary ammonium and phenolic disinfectants.

Porous items (towels, neck strips, capes) are single-use or laundered; porous items cannot be reliably disinfected.

Blood and body-fluid spills are handled with gloves and an EPA-registered tuberculocidal disinfectant; sharps go into a rigid, closable sharps container, never trash.

Hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is required before and after each client; alcohol-based sanitizer is not a substitute when hands are visibly soiled.

A blood exposure (needle stick, cut, splash to eyes or mouth) requires washing the site, reporting to the supervisor, and medical follow-up; hepatitis B vaccination is offered to at-risk workers.

Minnesota requires the shop to have a written infection-control and exposure-control plan, and disinfectant solution must be changed per manufacturer directions or when visibly soiled.

Hair is roughly 90 percent cortex by mass; the cuticle is the outer protective layer of overlapping scales, and the medulla is an optional central core.

The three growth phases: anagen (active growth, years), catagen (transition, weeks), telogen (rest and shedding, about three months).

Normal shedding is about 50-100 hairs per day; sudden diffuse loss often follows illness, childbirth, crash dieting, or certain medications.

Scalp types: normal, dry, oily, and combination. Oily scalp results from sebaceous gland activity, not from poor hygiene alone.

Dandruff (pityriasis) is flaking without significant redness; seborrheic dermatitis adds redness and greasy yellow scale and is a medical condition to refer.

Contraindications for scalp massage or chemical service: open lesions, ringworm, lice, impetigo, recent chemical burn, or undiagnosed hair loss.

Hair porosity governs chemical uptake: porous hair absorbs and releases color faster and needs lower-volume developer and shorter processing.

Elasticity test: a wet strand stretched to about 1.5 times length should return; if it snaps, hair is overprocessed and further chemical service should be postponed.

Water temperature for shampooing is warm, roughly 100-105 F; hot water strips color and increases scalp irritation.

Surfactants are the cleansing agents; the hydrophobic tail bonds to oil and the hydrophilic head bonds to water so oil rinses away.

Shampoo selection by need: clarifying for buildup, moisturizing for dry or chemically treated hair, balancing for oily scalp, medicated only per manufacturer and state rules.

Conditioners work by smoothing the cuticle and reducing static; they are applied mid-shaft to ends and rinsed unless labeled leave-in.

Scalp massage during shampooing uses slow, firm, upward movements from the hairline to the crown; it is contraindicated over inflamed or broken skin.

Deep-conditioning treatments need heat or time to penetrate; protein treatments rebuild temporarily and can make hair stiff if overused.

Shampoo bowl setup: draped client, towel at the nape, water tested on the inner wrist, and the neck supported to avoid strain and water in the ears.

Rinse thoroughly; residual shampoo or conditioner dulls hair and interferes with color and perm results.

Sections and subsections are cut to the same elevation to keep balance; a guideline (first cut) governs the length of every following subsection.

Elevation: 0 degrees builds weight and a solid line; 45 degrees layers; 90 degrees uniform layers; 180 degrees long layers.

Cutting angle relative to the head shape determines graduation; holding hair away from the head creates length increase in the interior.

Texturizing (point cutting, notching, slicing) removes weight without shortening the perimeter line.

Blow-dry styling sets hair by wrapping it around a round brush and directing heat at the base; cool air sets the shape before releasing.

Thermal tools should be used at the lowest effective temperature, with a heat protectant, and never on wet hair with a flat iron.

Cross-checking (cutting perpendicular to the previous section) reveals uneven lines before the client leaves the chair.

Sanitize shears, clippers, and combs between clients; clipper blades are oiled and brushed free of hair before disinfection.

Shaving direction: with the grain for sensitive skin and most first passes, against the grain only when the skin tolerates it and hair grows in a swirl.

Hot towel and lather soften the beard; lather is worked in circular motions to lift hair and protect skin.

Strokes are short and even, the skin is held taut, and the razor is rinsed and angled about 30 degrees to the skin.

A straight razor is stroked away from the skin at the end of each pass; never wipe lather on the towel with the blade edge.

Contraindications: moles, skin tags, acne, cold sores, recent chemical peel, sunburn, or irritated skin. Shave around them.

Beard trimming works from the longest guard down; the neckline is set about one finger above the Adam's apple and the cheek line follows natural growth.

A nick is treated by applying pressure with clean gauze, then an antiseptic styptic; the blade is discarded or disinfected before reuse.

Minnesota requires clean, disinfected razors and fresh towels per client; a razor that has contacted blood is disposed of or processed as contaminated.

Skin analysis precedes treatment: observe hydration, oiliness, pore size, sensitivity, and lesions under good light with clean hands.

Fitzpatrick types I-VI estimate sun response; types I-II burn easily and need high SPF and gentle exfoliation.

Massage movements: effleurage (gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (tapping), friction (rubbing), and vibration; each affects circulation and relaxation.

Facial massage direction follows muscle and lymph flow: upward and outward on the face, downward on the neck toward the clavicle.

Contraindications for facial massage and treatment: active acne, open lesions, recent waxing or peel, sunburn, herpes outbreak, or uncontrolled skin disease.

Exfoliation removes dead corneocytes; mechanical (scrubs, brushes) and chemical (AHA, BHA) forms differ in depth and risk.

Extractions are limited to pustules and comedones that are ready; inflamed cysts and deep lesions are referred to a physician.

Client draping, clean implements, and patch testing of products protect both client and barber; record products used in the client card.

The color wheel: primary yellow, red, blue; secondary orange, green, violet; complementary colors neutralize each other (violet cancels yellow).

Level system 1 (black) to 10 (lightest blonde) describes lightness; tone describes warmth or coolness at that level.

Developer volume and lift: 10 volume deposits only, 20 lifts 1-2 levels, 30 lifts 2-3 levels, 40 lifts 3-4 levels; higher volume means more damage.

Permanent color lifts and deposits and requires developer; demi-permanent deposits without lift and fades over 20-30 shampoos; semi-permanent is direct dye.

Patch test 24-48 hours before color; strand test to predict timing and result on porous or previously colored hair.

Relaxers are strongly alkaline (sodium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, guanidine) and break disulfide bonds; thio relaxers are milder and used for fine or previously relaxed hair.

Relaxer application: protect scalp with base, apply to new growth only, do not shampoo for 48-72 hours before or after, and neutralize completely to stop processing.

Bleach and relaxer are never applied on the same day; wait at least two weeks and assess scalp and hair condition first.

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

Hair is composed mainly of keratin; chemical bonds are disulfide (shape), hydrogen (temporary set), salt (pH-dependent), and peptide (damage).

The skin has three layers: epidermis (outer, avascular), dermis (nerves, vessels, glands, follicles), and subcutaneous (fat, insulation).

Sweat glands are eccrine (cooling, most of body) and apocrine (axillae, groin, scent); sebaceous glands secrete sebum into the follicle.

Facial bones and muscles: frontalis raises the brow, temporalis and masseter close the jaw, orbicularis oculi closes the eye, orbicularis oris closes the lips.

The three main nerves of the face for barbering reference are the trigeminal (sensation) and facial (expression) nerves; the facial artery supplies the face.

Melanin determines skin and hair color; eumelanin is brown-black and pheomelanin is red-yellow.

The hair cycle is driven by the follicle: anagen growth, catagen regression, telogen rest, and exogen shedding.

Minnesota barbering is licensed and regulated by the state Board of Barber Examiners; shops must hold a current shop license and display it.

A licensed barber must complete required continuing education hours each renewal cycle and keep certificates for audit.

Shop sanitation rules cover disinfection of implements, single-use porous items, hand washing, and a written exposure-control plan.

Services outside the licensed scope (for example, certain medical or advanced skin procedures) must be referred out; practicing beyond scope is grounds for discipline.

Client records, including chemical service history and patch-test results, are kept confidential and retained per board rule.

Advertising must not be false or misleading; using titles or claims that imply credentials the barber does not hold is prohibited.

Ethics in practice: informed consent for chemical services, honest pricing, no service on contraindicated skin without referral, and respect for client privacy.

Verify current rules directly with the Board of Barber Examiners; statutes and fees change, and the board's published rule is the controlling source.