TN Cosmetology cheat sheet

Decontamination levels from least to most effective: cleaning (soap and water), disinfection (chemical), sterilization (autoclave).

A hospital-grade disinfectant must carry an EPA registration number and be labeled bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal; use a mycobactericidal product on items that contact broken skin.

Pathogen groups: bacteria (cocci, bacilli, spirilla), fungi (hyphae), viruses, and parasites such as pediculosis (lice) and scabies.

Standard precautions treat every client's blood and body fluids as infectious; required PPE includes gloves and eye protection, plus hand washing before and after each client.

Hand washing requires at least 20 seconds of soap and friction, cleaning under the free edge and between the fingers.

Blood spill procedure: glove, absorb spill with a disposable towel, clean with soap and water, disinfect with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant (or 1:10 bleach), double-bag waste, then wash hands.

Autoclave standard cycle: 250 degrees F (121 degrees C) at 15 psi for 15 to 20 minutes; overloading or wet instruments invalidate the cycle.

Nonporous items (metal, glass, hard plastic) can be disinfected and reused; porous single-use items (cotton, wooden sticks, emery boards, nail files) are discarded after one client.

Chemical disinfectant must be mixed to label dilution, used at the labeled contact time, and the implement must be cleaned and fully submerged.

Hair has three layers: cuticle (protective outer scales), cortex (fibers and melanin, about 90 percent of the weight), and medulla (central core, may be absent in fine hair).

Growth cycle: anagen (active, 2 to 6 years, roughly 90 percent of scalp hair), catagen (transition, a few weeks), telogen (resting, about 3 months, then shedding).

Follicle structures: dermal papilla (blood and nerve supply), sebaceous gland (sebum), and arrector pili muscle (causes goose bumps).

Skin layers: epidermis (avascular outer layer), dermis (nerves, vessels, glands, hair follicles), and subcutaneous layer (fat and connective tissue).

Nail structures: nail plate, nail bed, matrix (produces the plate), lunula, eponychium (cuticle), hyponychium, sidewalls, and free edge.

The pH scale runs 0 to 14; hair and skin sit near pH 4.5 to 5.5, alkaline solutions swell and soften the cuticle, and acidic solutions tighten and contract it.

Bonds: hydrogen bonds break with water and heat (wet sets), salt bonds break with pH change, disulfide bonds break with thio relaxers and perms and can be reformed, peptide bonds break with strong lightener or relaxer and cannot be reformed.

Melanin types: eumelanin (brown and black) and pheomelanin (red and yellow); their ratio determines natural hair color.

Disorders: alopecia (hair loss), canities (grayness), trichoptilosis (split ends), monilethrix (beaded hair), and tinea (fungal) conditions, which are contraindications for service.

Reference points used for balance: parietal ridge, apex/crown, occipital bone, nape, and the four corners.

Elevation angles and their shapes: 0 degrees blunt/one length, 45 degrees graduation, 90 degrees uniform layer, 135 degrees increased layer, 180 degrees long layer.

Distribution is the direction hair is combed relative to its section: natural fall versus shifted (overdirected) fall.

A stationary guide is held in one place and repeated, producing equal length; a traveling guide moves with each subsection and produces increasing length.

Cutting lines may be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal; the line chosen controls where weight builds in the shape.

Sectioning must keep subsections no wider than the length of the blade so the cut stays clean and predictable.

Texturizing methods: point cutting, notching, slicing, slithering, and clipper-over-comb or shear-over-comb; each removes bulk and adds mobility.

Cross-check by cutting a section perpendicular to the original section to verify the shape is balanced.

A blunt cut creates a solid, heavy perimeter; layered cuts distribute weight through the interior of the shape.

Base placement determines volume: on-base gives maximum volume, half-base gives medium volume, off-base gives the least volume and the most natural fall.

Roller diameter controls curl: larger diameter gives looser curl and more volume, smaller diameter gives a tighter curl.

A pin curl has three parts: base (attachment to scalp), stem (direction of movement), and circle (the curl itself).

Blow-drying uses tension and airflow directed down the hair shaft for a smooth finish; keep the dryer moving and about 6 inches from the hair.

Thermal iron temperature guide: fine or damaged hair 250 to 310 degrees F, medium hair 310 to 340 degrees F, coarse or resistant hair 340 to 380 degrees F.

Heat styling is performed only on dry hair, with a thermal protectant applied first and any product residue cleaned from the iron barrel.

A Marcel iron has a grooved barrel that grips hair; it is heated in a heater, never over an open flame, and tested on tissue paper before use.

Backcombing (teasing) builds volume by combing hair toward the scalp; the comb stays above the scalp to avoid injury.

Finger waves are two oblong alternating ridges set with clips and styling lotion; the ridge forms on the open side of the comb.

The level system runs from 1 (black) to 10 (lightest blonde); each number is one step of lightness.

Developer strengths: 10 volume deposits only, 20 volume lifts about 1 level plus deposits, 30 volume lifts 2 to 3 levels, 40 volume lifts 3 to 4 levels and carries the most damage risk.

Law of color: primary colors red, yellow, blue form secondary colors orange, green, violet; a color opposite on the color wheel neutralizes its partner.

A patch test for aniline-derivative tints is given 24 to 48 hours before service, and a strand test determines processing time and expected result.

Permanent color lightens natural pigment and deposits new pigment; demi-permanent and semi-permanent colors deposit only and cannot lighten.

On-scalp lightener is limited to 20 volume developer; stronger developers are reserved for off-scalp application such as foils.

Tint back means returning lightened hair to a darker level; a filler is applied first when the change is more than two levels darker.

Color does not lift color: removing previously deposited pigment requires a lightener or color remover, not more tint.

Foiling technique controls placement and banding; subsection thickness should stay even so each foil processes at the same rate.

Cold waves use ammonium thioglycolate at pH 9.0 to 9.6, which reduces disulfide bonds so hair can be reshaped around a rod.

Neutralizers rebuild disulfide bonds: sodium bromate (about pH 7) or hydrogen peroxide (about 2.5 to 3 percent).

True acid waves use glyceryl monothioglycolate at pH 6.8 to 7.2 and require an outside heat source to process.

Exothermic waves create heat through a chemical reaction; ammonia-free waves use a different alkalizing agent and often require longer processing.

Hydroxide (lye) relaxers are pH 12 to 14 and are not mixed with an activator; no-lye relaxers combine guanidine hydroxide with calcium hydroxide and tend to be more drying.

Thio relaxers (about pH 9 to 10) are milder and suited to fine or previously colored hair, and are neutralized like a permanent wave.

Rod size determines curl size: larger rods produce a looser wave and smaller rods a tighter wave; a test curl confirms processing is complete.

Hair is towel-dried, not dripping, before wrapping; wraps use consistent tension and even subsection size.

Do not shampoo immediately before a relaxer, base the scalp, and never apply relaxer over abrasions, or to hair that has had a metallic or incompatible product.

Nail shapes include square, squoval, oval, round, and pointed; the shape is filed to follow the free edge and sidewalls.

The nail plate is keratin produced by the matrix; matrix size and shape determine plate thickness and the shape of the free edge.

The cuticle and eponychium are living tissue and are pushed back with a pusher, never cut; nippers are used only on hangnails or clearly dead tissue.

Massage movements: effleurage (light stroking), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (rapid tapping), and friction (small circular movements).

Paraffin wax melts at about 125 to 130 degrees F and is tested on the wrist before application.

Skin types are classified as normal, oily, dry, and combination; the Fitzpatrick scale I to VI describes sun sensitivity and burning risk.

Nail disorders: onychomycosis (fungal), paronychia (bacterial inflammation of the nail fold), onychorrhexis (brittle splitting), leukonychia (white spots); medical conditions are referred out.

All reusable implements are cleaned and disinfected between clients, and files, buffers, and wooden sticks are single-use.

Pedicure soaking time is limited, and callus reduction uses a foot file or paddle rather than a blade on living tissue.

Tennessee license categories include cosmetologist, esthetician, nail technician, natural hair stylist, and barber; each requires passing the state written and practical examinations.

A salon must hold a current establishment license, and each licensee must display a current individual license at the workstation.

Implements must be cleaned and disinfected after each client per Board rule, and single-use items must be discarded rather than reused.

Services are prohibited on clients with contagious or inflamed skin conditions without physician approval; the client is referred for medical care.

A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) must be on file for every chemical product in the salon under OSHA requirements.

Business math: service revenue plus retail revenue equals gross income; profit equals gross income minus expenses.

A stylist on commission is paid a percentage of the revenue generated, for example 40 percent of $200 in services equals $80.

A booth renter pays a fixed rent to the salon and is responsible for their own supplies, taxes, and insurance.

Federal roles: OSHA regulates workplace safety and SDS, EPA registers disinfectants, and FDA regulates cosmetic labeling; the state board enforces cosmetology law.