MN Cosmetology flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Minnesota Cosmetology Act

Minnesota Statutes Chapter 155A, which establishes licensing categories, scope of practice, and sanitation requirements enforced by the Board of Cosmetologist Examiners.

Advanced practice esthetician

A Minnesota license tier above basic esthetician that permits additional services such as chemical exfoliation, microdermabrasion, and dermaplaning under board rules.

Scope of practice violation

Performing services outside the license held, for example a nail technician applying hair color, which is grounds for board discipline in Minnesota.

Disinfection

Using an EPA-registered chemical agent to destroy most pathogenic microorganisms on nonporous surfaces and implements, short of destroying bacterial spores.

Sterilization

The complete destruction of all microbial life including spores, achieved in a salon only with an autoclave on items designed for that process.

Blood spill procedure

Don gloves, absorb the spill with a disposable towel, clean with soap and water, disinfect with a tuberculocidal hospital-grade product, and double-bag all waste.

Single-use implement

An item such as a nail file, buffer, wooden stick, or porous applicator that cannot be safely disinfected and must be discarded after one client.

Blunt haircut

A one-length cut performed with zero elevation and a stationary guide, producing a solid, unbroken weight line at the perimeter.

Graduated form

A layered shape built at approximately 45 degrees of elevation, creating stacked weight with a shorter perimeter and longer interior lengths.

Traveling guide

A moving reference section in which each completed subsection becomes the guideline for the next, allowing a shape to expand or contract.

Overdirection

Combing hair away from its natural fall before cutting, which shifts weight and adds length toward the opposite side of the section.

Patch test

A small application of color or lightener on skin, usually behind the ear or inner elbow, read 24 to 48 hours later to detect allergy.

Developer volumes

10 volume equals 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, 20 volume 6 percent, 30 volume 9 percent, and 40 volume 12 percent; higher volumes lift more and irritate more.

Relaxer retouch

Application of relaxer only to new growth while avoiding previously relaxed hair, preventing overprocessing, breakage, and unnecessary scalp irritation.

Neutralizing shampoo

An acidic shampoo used after relaxer or permanent wave processing to lower hair pH back toward 4.5 to 5.5 and stop chemical action.

Hair porosity

The ability of the cuticle to absorb and retain moisture; highly porous hair wets quickly, dries fast, and needs gentle acidic and protein-supported products.

Elasticity test

Stretching a wet strand to judge protein and moisture balance; healthy hair stretches about 50 percent wet and returns without breaking.

Petrissage

A kneading, lifting, and squeezing massage manipulation used on the scalp and shoulders to stimulate circulation and relax tissue.

Cortex

The middle layer of the hair shaft, making up roughly 80 percent of its bulk, containing melanin and the bonds broken by chemical services.

Nail matrix

The living tissue at the base of the nail where cell division occurs; damage here causes grooves, thinning, or permanent deformity of the plate.

Lunula

The whitish half-moon visible at the base of the nail plate, formed by the portion of the matrix that is only partly keratinized.

Onychomycosis

A contagious fungal infection of the nail plate and bed, often yellowed and thickened; it is a contraindication and the client should be referred to a physician.

Paronychia

Bacterial infection of tissue surrounding the nail, appearing red, swollen, and painful; do not perform a service and refer to a physician.

Stratum corneum

The outermost epidermal layer of flattened, keratinized cells that limits water loss and serves as the skin's primary protective barrier.

Fitzpatrick scale

A six-level classification of skin phototype based on response to ultraviolet light, used to estimate burning and tanning risk before light-based services.

Waxing direction rule

Apply wax in the direction of hair growth and remove it against the growth while holding skin taut, reducing breakage and client discomfort.

Fifth cranial nerve

The trigeminal nerve, which provides sensation to the face and motor control to the muscles of mastication such as the masseter and temporalis.

pH scale

A 0 to 14 measure of hydrogen ion concentration; 7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic, above 7 is alkaline, and each whole step is tenfold.

Galvanic current

A constant direct current with a positive anode and negative cathode, used historically in facial treatments and in electrolysis for permanent hair removal.

Informed consent

Explaining a service's benefits, risks, and alternatives and obtaining the client's agreement before proceeding, then documenting it in the client record.

Contraindication

A condition that makes a service inadvisable or unsafe, such as open skin lesions, active infection, or recent isotretinoin use, requiring modification or referral.

Booth rental

A business arrangement in which a licensee pays a fixed rent for space and supplies and is generally classified as self-employed rather than an employee.