OK Esthetician cheat sheet

Skin types are classified as normal, dry, oily, and combination; the Fitzpatrick scale (I–VI) rates how skin responds to ultraviolet light, with types I–II burning most easily.

Healthy skin surface pH is about 4.5–5.5 (the acid mantle); cleansers and toners far outside that range disrupt the barrier and increase irritation.

Standard facial sequence: consultation and skin analysis → cleansing → exfoliation → massage → extraction (only if indicated) → mask → toner/serum → moisturizer → sun protection.

Massage movements: effleurage (gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (tapping), friction, and vibration; strokes travel upward and outward and follow lymph drainage toward the clavicle.

Exfoliants split into mechanical (scrubs, brushes, enzymes) and chemical; alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic, lactic) are water-soluble, while beta hydroxy acid (salicylic) is oil-soluble and preferred for oily, comedone-prone skin.

Extractions are performed only after the skin is softened with warm steam, and never on inflamed pustules, cysts, moles, or broken skin.

Mask selection: clay/kaolin for oily skin, cream or hydrating masks for dry and mature skin, gel masks for sensitive skin; peel-off masks are avoided on lanugo or fine lines.

Broad-spectrum SPF 30+ is applied as the last step and reapplied about every two hours; UVA penetrates deeply and drives aging, UVB affects the surface and drives burning.

Facial contraindications include sunburn, active cold sores or infection, open lesions, recent chemical peel, waxing, or laser treatment in the area, and known product allergies.

Depilation removes hair at or just below the surface (shaving, chemical depilatories); epilation removes the whole hair including the root (waxing, tweezing, threading, sugaring, laser).

Hair cycles: anagen (active growth), catagen (transition), telogen (resting); hair needs roughly 1/8 to 1/4 inch of length before waxing.

Soft wax is applied in the direction of hair growth and removed against it; hard wax is applied against the growth and lifted off in the direction of growth.

Wax temperature is tested on the inner wrist or back of the hand before application; wax is never applied over broken, sunburned, or irritated skin.

Isotretinoin (Accutane) requires postponing waxing at least six months; topical retinoids, AHA/BHA peels, and blood thinners require a waiting period of several days or a medical release.

Do not wax over moles, varicose veins, bruises, active herpes lesions, or recently injected or peeled areas; brows are waxed with the client's eyes closed and never over the eyelid.

Sugaring uses a paste of sugar, lemon juice, and water; it is water-soluble, applied against the growth and removed with it, and is gentler on sensitive skin than strip wax.

Aftercare: no sun, heat, friction, or tight clothing for 24–48 hours; gentle exfoliation begins about 48 hours later to help prevent ingrown hairs.

Face shapes: oval (the balanced reference), round, square, oblong/rectangular, heart, diamond, pear/triangle, and inverted triangle; correction adds width where a shape is narrow and shading where it is wide.

Foundation formulas: liquid for normal to dry skin, oil-free or powder for oily skin, cream for mature or very dry skin, tinted moisturizer for sheer coverage.

Shade matching: stripe three shades along the jawline, check in natural light, and choose the one that blends invisibly into the neck.

Color correction follows opposites on the color wheel: green cancels red (breakouts, capillaries), lavender cancels yellow/sallow tones, peach or orange cancels blue-grey (dark circles, bruising), yellow cancels purple.

Undertones: warm skin shows yellow, olive, or gold and takes yellow-based foundation; cool skin shows pink, red, or blue and takes pink-based; neutral is a blend of both.

Brow mapping uses three points: the inner brow aligns with the inner eye corner, the arch sits above the outer edge of the iris, and the tail ends on a diagonal from the nostril past the outer eye corner.

Shading and highlighting rule: dark recedes and light advances; contour under the cheekbone, along the jaw, and at the temples, then highlight the cheekbone top, brow bone, cupid's bow, and chin center.

Sanitation in makeup: scrape product onto a palette, use disposable wands and applicators, sharpen pencils between clients, and never double-dip or pump a mascara tube.

Three levels of decontamination: cleaning (soap and water removes visible debris), disinfection (EPA-registered hospital-grade product destroys most pathogens), sterilization (autoclave; destroys all microorganisms including spores).

A hospital disinfectant must be labeled bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal, and pseudomonacidal; the label contact time (often 10 minutes) must be followed exactly.

Porous or absorbent items - cotton, sponges, buffers, paper towels, wooden sticks - are single-use and cannot be disinfected; they are discarded after each client.

Nonporous implements are cleaned with soap and water, dried, then fully immersed in disinfectant and stored in a covered, labeled container; ultraviolet cabinets are not a substitute for disinfection.

Handwashing uses liquid soap and warm running water for at least 20 seconds before and after every client, after glove removal, and after touching contaminated surfaces.

Universal precautions treat all blood and body fluids as infectious; gloves are worn whenever contact with blood, broken skin, or body fluids is possible.

Exposure incident: stop the service, put on gloves, wash the area with soap and water, apply an antiseptic, cover it, place soiled items in a biohazard bag, and refer the client or self for medical follow-up.

Electrical safety: use GFCI outlets near water, keep cords away from sinks and hot tools, unplug appliances before cleaning, and never immerse electrical equipment.

Chemicals are kept in original labeled containers with the Safety Data Sheet on file, are never mixed together, and sharps go into a puncture-resistant sharps container.

Epidermis layers from outer to inner: stratum corneum, stratum lucidum (palms and soles only), stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum, stratum basale.

Dermis layers: papillary (upper; capillaries, lymph, nerve endings) and reticular (deeper; collagen, elastin, follicles, glands); the hypodermis below is fatty tissue for insulation and shock absorption.

Skin functions: protection, sensation, heat regulation, excretion, secretion, and absorption.

Facial bones include the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, sphenoid, ethmoid, zygomatic (cheekbone), maxilla (upper jaw), mandible (lower jaw), and nasal bones.

Facial muscles: frontalis (forehead), orbicularis oculi (around the eye), orbicularis oris (around the mouth), masseter and temporalis (chewing), platysma (neck).

The trigeminal nerve (fifth cranial) is the main sensory nerve of the face, with ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular branches; the facial nerve (seventh cranial) supplies motor control to expression muscles.

Lymph nodes of the head and neck include occipital, retroauricular, parotid, submandibular, submental, and cervical nodes; lymph drains toward the deep cervical nodes and clavicle area.

Professional practice limits: an esthetician works within a licensed scope of practice, obtains informed consent and a consultation record, keeps client information confidential, and refers suspected disease or contraindications to a physician.

Ingredients by function: humectants attract and hold water (glycerin, hyaluronic acid), emollients soften and smooth (oils, fatty esters), occlusives seal in moisture (petrolatum, dimethicone), surfactants lift oil and debris (cleansers).