OR Barber cheat sheet

Elevation controls shape: 0° produces a one-length (blunt) cut, 45° a graduated or wedge shape, 90° uniform layers, and 180° long layers.

A stationary guideline is cut once and all other sections are matched to it; a traveling guideline moves with each subsection and is used when length changes across the head.

Standard reference points are the apex, the four corners, the parietal ridge, the occipital bone, and the nape.

Hair is longer and more elastic when wet; plan for shrinkage as the hair dries so the finished dry length matches the client's goal.

Cut with consistent, even tension from subsection to subsection; uneven tension produces an uneven perimeter and uneven layers.

In clipper-over-comb and shear-over-comb, the comb holds the hair at the intended length and the cutting tool rides along the comb's teeth to blend.

Point cutting, notching, slicing, and thinning shears remove bulk or soften a line vertically; they are texturizing techniques, not length-cutting techniques.

Growth patterns such as a whorl or cowlick at the crown deflect hair; leave extra length and avoid over-directing against the pattern.

Shear grip: thumb in the moving handle, ring finger in the fixed handle, pinky resting on the finger rest; the thumb only moves the blade.

Hold the straight razor at roughly a 30-degree angle to the skin; a steeper angle scrapes and a flatter angle skips over the hair.

Stretch the skin taut in the direction opposite the razor stroke; the blade cuts cleanly only when the skin surface is firm.

Stropping aligns and polishes the edge and is done before each shave with the spine leading and the edge trailing; honing restores a damaged edge on a stone and is done only when needed.

Shave in the direction of hair growth first; against-the-grain passes raise the risk of irritation, razor burn, and ingrown hairs.

Warm, moist lather worked into the beard for a minute or two softens the hair and holds water against the skin so the razor glides.

Three classic strokes: freehand (razor travels toward the barber, used on the right side of the face), backhand (palm turned up, left side), and reverse backhand.

Do not shave over moles, pustules, inflamed or broken skin; a service is refused or rerouted around the area.

A hot towel precedes the shave to soften the beard and a cool towel follows to soothe the skin and tighten pores.

Beard and mustache trims follow the same rules as cuts: clean tools, disposable neck strips, and no sharing of unsterilized blades.

Order of operations: clean (soap and water to remove visible debris) first, then disinfect; disinfectants fail on soiled implements.

Implements that contact skin must be fully immersed in an EPA-registered hospital-grade tuberculocidal disinfectant for the label's contact time (commonly 10 minutes).

Sterilization (autoclave) destroys all microorganisms including spores; disinfection kills most pathogens but not necessarily spores, so the two are not interchangeable.

Blood or body-fluid spill: stop the service, don gloves, spray with disinfectant, blot with disposable absorbent material, double-bag and discard, then wash hands.

Porous or porous-type items (razor blades, neck strips, cotton, wooden sticks, emery boards) cannot be disinfected and are discarded after a single client.

Quaternary ammonium disinfectants are widely used but are often not tuberculocidal; the label must be checked against the required kill claim.

UV cabinets and jars of colored liquid are not substitutes for an EPA-registered disinfectant at the correct dilution.

Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after each client; hand sanitizer is not a substitute when hands are visibly soiled.

A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) must be on site for every chemical used, and secondary containers must be labeled with the product name.

Oregon barbering is regulated by the Health Licensing Office under ORS 690; the Board of Barbers and Hairdressers adopts the administrative rules in OAR chapter 817.

A current Oregon license is required to perform barbering for compensation; booth renters and independent contractors must each hold their own license.

Oregon barbering licensure requires completion of an approved program of 1,100 clock hours plus passing a written and a practical examination.

Sanitation requirements for barbers and hair designers appear in OAR division 007 (817-007), covering cleaning, disinfection, and blood exposure.

Each licensed facility must have a designated person in charge who is responsible for the shop's compliance with licensing and sanitation rules.

Facilities must provide hot and cold running water, a hand-washing sink, and covered waste containers; animals are excluded except service animals.

Licensees must keep the license or a copy available for inspection at the location where services are performed and report address or name changes to the Office.

Clients with contagious or inflamed skin conditions must be refused service and referred to a physician; service is not performed over the affected area.

Using a credential that has lapsed, or allowing an unlicensed person to perform services, is a violation subject to Office discipline.

Skin layers from surface inward: epidermis (avascular), dermis (vessels, nerves, glands, follicles), and subcutaneous layer (fat).

Melanocytes sit in the basal layer of the epidermis and produce melanin, which determines skin and hair color.

Each hair has a follicle, bulb, papilla (blood and nerve supply), sebaceous gland, and arrector pili muscle.

Hair growth cycle: anagen (active growth, two to six years), catagen (transition), telogen (resting, then shedding).

Terminal hairs are long, coarse, and pigmented; vellus hairs are short, fine, and unpigmented.

Cranial bones relevant to barbering include the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, ethmoid, sphenoid, zygomatic, maxilla, and mandible.

Facial muscles: frontalis raises the brow, orbicularis oculi closes the eye, orbicularis oris closes the lips, masseter and temporalis raise the jaw, buccinator compresses the cheek.

The fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal) is the chief sensory nerve of the face; the seventh cranial nerve (facial) is the chief motor nerve of the face.

Arteries carry blood away from the heart and veins return it; the temporal artery is palpable at the side of the head above the ear.