Your FREE Cosmetology Flashcards 2026 – 100+ Cards

The lowest level of decontamination — cleaning with soap/detergent and water to lower the number of germs; required before disinfecting, but kills nothing on its own.

Using an EPA-registered, hospital-grade product to kill most pathogens (not spores) on hard, non-porous tools — the everyday salon standard.

The highest level of decontamination, usually by autoclave, destroying all microbial life including bacterial spores.

A chemical agent used on non-living surfaces and tools to destroy pathogens; too strong for skin.

A product safe for use on living skin to reduce germs (e.g., on a small nick); never used to decontaminate tools.

A device that sterilizes implements with pressurized steam, destroying all microorganisms including spores.

A disinfectant the EPA has approved to kill specific pathogens; salons must use one that is bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal.

How long tools must stay fully wet or submerged in a disinfectant for it to kill the listed germs (e.g., the full 10 minutes on the label).

Label terms meaning a product is capable of destroying bacteria, viruses, and fungi respectively.

Disease-causing microorganisms carried in human blood and body fluids, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.

Treating every client's blood and body fluids as if they are potentially infectious, regardless of the person.

The spread of germs from one person, tool, or surface to another; prevented by disinfecting multi-use tools and discarding single-use items.

A manufacturer document listing a chemical's hazards, ingredients, safe handling, storage, and first aid; OSHA requires salons to keep them accessible.

Harmful, disease-producing bacteria that can invade the body and cause infection.

Common EPA-registered disinfectants used for immersing or wiping non-porous salon tools and surfaces.

A contagious disease spreads easily person-to-person by contact; an infectious disease is caused by pathogens but isn't necessarily spread by casual contact.

Direct transmission is person-to-person contact; indirect transmission is contact with a contaminated object or surface.

The thin outer layer of the skin; its outermost part, the stratum corneum, is the body's first protective barrier.

The deeper skin layer beneath the epidermis, containing blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and the oil and sweat glands.

The outermost layer of the epidermis — the skin's first line of defense against pathogens and water loss.

The slightly acidic film (about pH 4.5–5.5) on the skin's surface that helps protect against microbial invasion.

The pigment made by melanocytes that gives skin, hair, and eyes their color and helps protect against UV radiation.

An oil gland in the dermis that secretes sebum to lubricate the skin and hair.

A sweat gland in the dermis that secretes perspiration to help regulate body temperature.

The small muscle attached to a hair follicle that contracts in cold or fear to raise the hair (goosebumps).

The tough, transparent outer layer of overlapping scales that protects the hair; an acid closes it, an alkali opens it.

The thick middle layer of the hair shaft that gives strength, elasticity, and natural color — where chemical services act.

The innermost core of the hair shaft, often absent in fine or naturally blond hair.

The tough, fibrous protein that makes up hair, skin, and nails, hardened by disulfide bonds.

The strong sulfur-to-sulfur bond in hair keratin that permanent waves and relaxers break and (for thio) re-form to change the hair's shape.

The active growth phase of the hair cycle, where most scalp hair sits.

The short transitional phase of the hair cycle when growth stops and the follicle shrinks.

The resting phase of the hair cycle, after which the old hair sheds and a new growth cycle begins.

The structure at the base of the follicle that supplies blood to nourish the growing hair.

Vellus hair is fine, soft, and usually unpigmented; terminal hair is coarse, longer, and pigmented (scalp, brows, beard).

A 0–14 logarithmic scale of acidity/alkalinity: below 7 acidic (closes cuticle), 7 neutral, above 7 alkaline (opens cuticle).

The core rule: acidic products close and smooth the hair cuticle; alkaline products swell and open it for penetration.

A physical change alters form only (wetting/drying hair); a chemical change creates a new substance (permanent color, a perm).

An acid has a pH below 7; an alkali (base) has a pH above 7. In hair, acids close the cuticle and alkalis open it.

An ingredient that lets oil and water blend into a stable, smooth mixture (emulsion) in cosmetic products.

The oily secretion of the sebaceous glands that lubricates and protects the skin and hair.

The tube-like structure in the skin from which a hair grows; the matrix at its base produces the hair shaft.

A contagious fungal infection of skin or scalp appearing as a red, ring-shaped, scaly patch; a disease — refer, don't service.

An inflamed, often pus-filled infection of a hair follicle (a furuncle is a boil); infectious — do not service, refer.

A contagious infestation shown by intense itching and tiny grayish-white eggs (nits) on the hair shaft; do not service, refer.

The first section cut that establishes the length all subsequent sections are cut to follow.

The angle hair is held from the head while cutting; 0° gives a blunt one-length cut, 90° gives uniform layers.

A blunt cut is one length with weight at the perimeter; a layered cut has graduated lengths and less weight.

Texturizing techniques that remove bulk and soften ends without changing the overall length.

A cut that builds weight and stacks at the nape using lower elevation, creating a graduated, beveled shape.

The hair's ability to absorb moisture and chemicals, set by how open the cuticle is; it drives processing time and color result.

The hair's ability to stretch and return without breaking; poor elasticity (gummy, over-stretching wet hair) signals damage.

Density is the number of hairs per square inch (thin/medium/thick); texture is the diameter of each strand (fine/medium/coarse).

A more alkaline, deep-cleansing shampoo that removes product buildup, often used before a chemical service.

A gentle, slightly acidic shampoo that smooths the cuticle and is good for color-treated or chemically processed hair.

A rinse-through conditioner adds slip and surface moisture briefly; a deep treatment penetrates to repair and condition the hair.

Color that coats the cuticle with no chemical change and washes out in one shampoo.

Deposit-only color that partially penetrates the cuticle, requires no developer, and fades over several shampoos.

Deposit-only color mixed with a low-volume developer; lasts longer than semi and blends gray without lifting.

Oxidative color that uses an alkaline agent to open the cuticle and a peroxide developer to lift natural pigment and deposit lasting color in the cortex.

Hydrogen peroxide mixed with permanent color or lightener; its volume number sets how much it lifts (10/20/30/40).

The ingredient in permanent color that raises pH to open the cuticle so color can penetrate.

In hair color, the lightness or darkness of a shade on a numbered scale, independent of tone.

The warmth or coolness of a color (e.g., ash/cool vs. gold/warm) within a given level.

The color theory of primaries (red, yellow, blue) and complementary pairs; a color neutralizes the one opposite it.

Red, yellow, and blue — the three pigments from which all other colors are made.

Orange (red+yellow), green (yellow+blue), and violet (red+blue), each made by mixing two primaries.

Colors opposite on the wheel that neutralize each other: violet↔yellow, blue↔orange, green↔red.

A demi/semi-permanent product used after lightening to neutralize unwanted tones (violet on yellow, blue on orange) and set the final shade.

Two services in one: first lighten/pre-lighten the hair, then apply a toner or deposit color.

A test applied behind the ear or inner elbow before an oxidative color service to check for an allergic reaction.

A test on a small section to preview the color result and processing time before treating the whole head.

A two-step service: alkaline waving lotion reduces (breaks) disulfide bonds, then a neutralizer oxidizes them in the new curled shape.

The reducing agent in a cold wave (and thio relaxer) that breaks disulfide bonds to soften the hair.

The oxidizing solution applied after processing that re-forms (oxidizes) the disulfide bonds to lock in the new curl.

The diameter of the perm rod sets the size of the wave — smaller rods make tighter curls.

A relaxer that breaks disulfide bonds by reduction, smooths the hair straight, then re-forms the bonds with a neutralizer.

A relaxer (sodium, guanidine, lithium hydroxide) that straightens by lanthionization — permanently breaking a bond so it cannot reform.

The chemical reaction of a hydroxide relaxer that removes a sulfur atom from a disulfide bond, breaking it for good.

A protective cream applied to the scalp and hairline before a relaxer to shield skin from the strong chemical.

A product added to lightening or color services that helps protect and rebuild the hair's bonds to reduce damage.

A freehand lightening technique that paints color onto the surface for a soft, graduated, sun-kissed effect.

Highlighting techniques: foils isolate sections to lighten; a slice takes a thin section for a bolder, more visible streak.

Lightening exposes underlying warm pigment in order — black, brown, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, pale yellow.

A blow-dryer attachment that spreads airflow to dry curly or wavy hair gently and preserve its natural texture.

A product applied before heat styling to shield the hair from damage by hot tools.

Placing a cape and towels to protect the client's clothing and skin; chemical services use a chemical/waterproof drape.

A clogged hair follicle; open (blackhead) when exposed to air and darkened, closed (whitehead) when covered by skin.

A papule is a small raised inflamed lesion with no pus; a pustule is an inflamed lesion containing pus.

A classification of skin into six types (I–VI) by its response to sun exposure, used to gauge UV sensitivity and pigmentation risk.

Removing dead surface skin cells, physically (scrub, microdermabrasion) or chemically (AHAs), to reveal smoother skin.

Chemical exfoliants such as glycolic acid that loosen the bonds between dead surface cells; they increase sun sensitivity.

Vitamin-A derivatives used in skin care to speed cell turnover and improve texture; they increase sun sensitivity.

A constant, direct current used in facials for desincrustation and to drive water-soluble products into the skin.

Galvanic effects: anaphoresis (negative pole) softens and opens tissue; cataphoresis (positive pole) soothes and closes it.

Use of galvanic current to emulsify and soften sebum and debris for a deep cleanse of clogged skin.

A rapid oscillating current used in facials for its germicidal and warming effects, often after extractions.

A light, gentle, continuous stroking massage movement used to begin and end a facial massage.

A kneading massage movement that lifts, squeezes, and rolls the tissue to stimulate it.

A physical exfoliation treatment that mechanically removes dead surface cells; contraindicated over active acne, rosacea, or broken skin.

Skin with redness and visible dilated capillaries; treat gently and avoid stimulating, heat-based services.

Lipids that help maintain the skin's barrier and retain moisture, common in moisturizers.

An ingredient (e.g., glycerin, hyaluronic acid) that attracts and binds water to increase skin or hair moisture.

Warning signs of a suspicious mole — Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variation, Diameter over ~6 mm, Evolving — refer to a physician.

Applying a small amount of a product to test skin tolerance and screen for a reaction before a facial or chemical exfoliation.

The deepest epidermal layer where new skin cells are produced and where melanocytes sit.

Premature skin aging (wrinkles, pigmentation, loss of elasticity) caused by chronic UV exposure.

The hard keratin surface of the nail that you see and shape.

The tissue under the proximal nail fold that produces the cells forming the nail plate; damage here can permanently deform the nail.

The skin beneath the nail plate that supports and supplies it.

The whitish half-moon shape at the base of the nail, the visible part of the matrix.

The part of the nail plate that extends past the fingertip and is shaped during a manicure.

The cuticle is dead tissue on the nail plate; the eponychium is the living skin sealing the matrix — push back, never cut into living tissue.

A disorder (ridges, brittleness, hangnails) from injury or imbalance may be serviced; a disease (infection) must be referred, not serviced.

A fungal infection of the nail (thick, yellowish, separating) — a disease that must be referred to a physician, not serviced.

A bacterial infection of the nail fold with redness, swelling, tenderness, and pus; infectious — do not service, refer.

The lifting or separation of the nail plate from the nail bed, often from trauma, infection, or chemicals.

White spots on the nail plate, usually caused by minor trauma to the matrix — harmless and serviceable.

A torn piece of skin beside the nail; a disorder that can be gently trimmed and treated — not a reason to refuse service.

A dark vertical pigmented band in the nail plate; because it can signal a serious condition, refer to a physician rather than service over it.

An abnormal forward growth of cuticle/skin clinging to the nail plate; loose dead skin may be removed, but living tissue is never cut.

The first polish layer applied to improve adhesion and prevent the nail plate from staining.

The final polish layer that adds shine, seals the color, and protects against chipping.

A product that softens and conditions the cuticle and surrounding skin so dead tissue can be removed without trauma.

Brushing polish or product along the free edge's tip to seal it and help the finish last longer.

Gel nail polish hardens (cures) only when exposed to UV or LED light.

Separation of a nail enhancement from the natural nail, usually from poor nail prep, contamination, or wrong product ratios.

File the free edge from corner to center in one direction to avoid weakening or splitting the nail; never use a sawing motion.

A manicure is a care service for the hands and nails; a pedicure is the equivalent service for the feet and toenails.

A warm wax dip in a manicure/pedicure that traps heat and moisture to soften and hydrate the skin.

Multi-use metal tools (nippers, pushers) must be cleaned then immersed in an EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant for the full contact time before reuse.

Porous items like emery boards/files and orangewood sticks cannot be disinfected and must be discarded after one client.