Salon Business and State Law
What this domain tests
Business and state law questions cover licensing, scope of practice, consent, recordkeeping, sanitation compliance, advertising, and basic financial management. In Montana, the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists regulates licensure and salon standards; verify current rules because they change.
Core rules
- Work only within your license and training. Estheticians do not diagnose or treat medical conditions, remove skin tags, or perform procedures outside scope.
- Display your license as required; keep the salon license and sanitation standards current. Follow board rules for equipment, towels, and disinfection.
- Obtain informed consent and keep client records: services, products, reactions, patch tests, and contraindications. Store records securely.
- Advertising must be truthful. Avoid medical claims, guarantees of results, and before-and-after images used without permission.
- Understand booth rent, commission, taxes, and liability insurance. Keep business and personal funds separate and follow OSHA bloodborne pathogen rules.
Worked example
A client asks you to remove a skin tag because it catches on jewelry. Reasoning: removal is a medical procedure outside esthetician scope. Decline, explain your scope, document the request, and refer to a physician or dermatologist. Do not cut, tie off, or apply acid.
Traps
Making medical claims; treating a lesion; skipping consent; lax recordkeeping; assuming another state license transfers automatically; ignoring sanitation rules during busy periods; commingling business and personal money.