20 free cosmetology theory practice questions

Correct answer: C · Reapply it and keep the surface visibly wet for the full 10 minutes

EPA's guidance on disinfectant labels says the contact time is how long the product must stay on a surface to work, and that the surface should stay visibly wet for the entire contact time, even if that means applying more product. Wiped dry at 2 minutes, the station has not been disinfected as the label directs, so she reapplies and waits out the full 10 minutes. The product touching the surface is not enough on its own. A second wipe with a dry towel only removes what product is left and adds no disinfecting time. A sanitizer, by EPA's definition, reduces but does not necessarily eliminate microorganisms, so it cannot stand in for disinfection. Your state's rules may add requirements.

Look for this next time: A disinfectant works only if the surface stays visibly wet for the full contact time on its label.

Correct answer: A · Throw both away, since porous items like these cannot be disinfected for reuse

Wood and emery boards are porous: they absorb liquid and hold residue, so a disinfectant cannot reliably reach every part of them. Items like these are single-use and are thrown away after one client, which is how they prevent cross-contamination. Disinfectant labels give directions for specific surfaces, most often hard, nonporous ones, so soaking a porous item for the full contact time still does not make it safe to reuse. An alcohol wipe and a clean look do not disinfect it either. A sanitizer only reduces microorganisms, by EPA's definition. Your state's rules may list which items must be single-use.

Look for this next time: Porous items such as wooden pushers and emery boards are single-use: discard them after one client.

Correct answer: D · Stop, put on gloves, contain the blood, then clean and disinfect the shears and station

OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard rests on Universal Precautions: all human blood is treated as if it were infectious, and contact with it is prevented. So the service stops, the cosmetologist protects herself with gloves, the client's cut is cared for and the blood contained, and everything the blood touched is cleaned and disinfected before it is used again. OSHA also calls for washing hands as soon as feasible after gloves come off. Finishing the haircut first keeps the contaminated shears in use. Bare fingers expose her skin to blood. A water rinse is not disinfection. The exact steps and supplies come from your state's current procedure, and NIC is updating its blood exposure procedures.

Look for this next time: Treat any blood as infectious: stop, protect yourself, contain it, and disinfect, following your state's current procedure.

Correct answer: B · Section 6 of the product's safety data sheet, on accidental release measures

OSHA's Hazard Communication standard sets 16 safety data sheet sections in a fixed order, and Section 6, accidental release measures, is the one that covers spills and cleanup. The same standard requires employers to keep safety data sheets readily accessible to employees during each work shift, so staff should not have to hunt for one. Section 4, first-aid measures, matters if someone is exposed, but it does not explain how to clean up a spill. An ingredient list names what is in the product without saying how to handle it. EPA's disinfectant lists cover registered antimicrobial products; a wave solution is not a disinfectant, so the list does not apply.

Look for this next time: For a chemical spill, go to Section 6 of the product's safety data sheet, accidental release measures.

Correct answer: B · Decline the haircut for now and suggest a physician take a look at his scalp

Round, red, scaly patches with broken-off hairs are warning signs that can point to a contagious scalp condition. MedlinePlus describes ringworm of the scalp this way and notes that it spreads through direct contact and through shared items such as combs and hats. A cosmetologist recognizes the signs, does not perform the service, and refers: a health care provider examines the scalp and decides on any treatment. Cutting around the patches still puts tools and hands in contact with them. A medicated shampoo is a treatment, which is outside a cosmetologist's role. Naming the condition and recommending a cream is a diagnosis plus a treatment, and both belong to a physician.

Look for this next time: Signs of a possibly contagious scalp condition mean no service: recognize, decline, and refer, without naming or treating it.

Correct answer: A · Many hairs moved early from the growth phase into the resting phase and are now shedding

Hair grows in a cycle: anagen is the active growth phase, catagen is a short transition, and telogen is the resting phase, when the follicle is inactive and the hair waits to shed. Cleveland Clinic explains that in telogen effluvium a stressor pushes many growing hairs into telogen early, and the shedding usually starts two to three months later, which fits her timeline. MedlinePlus notes that it is usually temporary, so the destroyed-follicle explanation is wrong. Being stuck in the growth phase is the opposite of what happens. Breakage along the shaft is a different problem from hairs shedding at the root. Her physician, not the stylist, answers questions about diagnosis and treatment.

Look for this next time: Anagen is growth, catagen is transition, and telogen is rest; telogen effluvium is extra shedding after many hairs enter rest early.

Correct answer: C · 100 times, since each pH unit is a 10-fold change

The pH scale runs from 0 to 14 with 7 as neutral, and it is logarithmic: USGS explains that each whole number is a 10-fold change, so water at pH 5 is ten times more acidic than water at pH 6. Going from pH 7 to pH 9 is two steps, and 10 × 10 = 100, so the lotion is 100 times more alkaline than the water. Calling the difference 2 times treats the scale as if it were a simple ruler. The percentage answer divides the two readings, which a logarithmic scale does not allow. Adding 10 for each step gives 20, but the steps multiply rather than add.

Look for this next time: Each pH unit is a 10-fold change, so two units apart means 100 times more acidic or alkaline.

Correct answer: D · Postpone the relaxer until the scalp has healed, and note why on her record

Broken or irritated skin on the scalp is a contraindication for a chemical service. FDA's consumer tips on hair dyes and relaxers say not to relax hair when the scalp is irritated, sunburned, or damaged, and not to scratch or brush the scalp for three days beforehand, because relaxers can irritate or burn the skin. So the service waits until the scalp has healed, and the client record shows why it was postponed. Extra base cream does not make it safe to work a relaxer near open skin. Relaxing only some sections still puts the chemical on the same scalp. A no-lye relaxer is still a relaxer, and FDA's tip about a damaged scalp applies to relaxing in general.

Look for this next time: Scratches, abrasions, or irritation on the scalp mean postponing a chemical service and recording why.

Correct answer: A · Do the skin test as the directions require, even with no past reaction

FDA explains that people can develop sensitivity to hair dye ingredients through repeated exposure and that formulas can change, so a reaction is possible even after years of coloring without a problem. That is why FDA says to do the skin test before every use, and why coal-tar hair dye labels carry a caution to make a preliminary test according to the directions. If the directions call for the test a set time before coloring, the color waits. A clean history does not rule out a new allergy. A signed form changes the paperwork, not the risk. A ten-minute hairline check is not the test the directions describe.

Look for this next time: Do the predisposition (skin) test before every color service the directions require it for, even for a longtime client.

Correct answer: C · To see how her hair responds to the product, including timing and the result

A strand test applies the product to a small section of hair to show how that hair responds: how long it takes to process, what result it gives, and whether the hair holds up to the service. On hair with several rounds of home color, it is the way to see what will happen before the whole head is committed. An allergy check is a different preliminary test, the predisposition or patch test, which is done on the skin. Scratches or irritation are found in the scalp evaluation during the consultation. Whether a result is permanent depends on the type of product chosen, not on a strand test.

Look for this next time: A strand test shows how the hair itself responds to a product; a predisposition test checks the skin for a reaction.

Correct answer: B · A blue-based tone, which sits opposite orange on the color wheel

Complementary colors sit opposite each other on the color wheel, and combining them neutralizes both toward a neutral tone. Orange's complement is blue, so a blue-based toner cancels an orange cast. A violet base is the right choice for unwanted yellow, which makes it a tempting answer here, but it does not cancel orange. Gold and red are warm tones themselves, so they add warmth to the orange instead of neutralizing it. A strand test confirms the result on her hair before the whole head is toned.

Look for this next time: Neutralize an unwanted tone with its complement: blue cancels orange, and violet cancels yellow.

Correct answer: D · Decline thio on the relaxed lengths and explain that the two are not compatible

Hydroxide relaxers and thio products are incompatible. A hydroxide relaxer permanently changes the hair's disulfide bonds, and thio products work on those same bonds in a different way, so a thio service over hydroxide-relaxed hair risks severe damage and breakage. The safe decision is to decline thio on the relaxed lengths, explain why, and record the decision; the stylist can then talk through other options, such as waiting for new growth. A stronger solution raises the risk. A shorter processing time still puts thio on relaxed hair. Relaxing again first adds another chemical service to hair that is already relaxed. Product directions and a strand test guide any chemical service.

Look for this next time: Never put a thio service on hydroxide-relaxed hair; the chemicals are incompatible and can cause breakage.

Correct answer: A · Stop processing and rinse the relaxer out thoroughly, as the product directs

Burning is a warning sign that the relaxer is irritating or injuring the skin, so processing stops at once and the product comes out. FDA's consumer tips on relaxers say they can irritate or burn the skin, warn against leaving a product on longer than its directions say, and advise rinsing well with water; after a reaction, they say to stop using the product and contact a health care provider. The stylist follows the manufacturer's removal directions, records what happened, and refers the client for medical care if the skin looks damaged or the burning continues. Calling it normal tingling, adding base cream, or cooling the scalp all let the chemical keep working on the skin.

Look for this next time: If a client reports burning during a chemical service, stop and rinse the product out right away; never finish the timer.

Correct answer: C · 0 degrees, which keeps the hair in its natural fall

Elevation is the angle at which hair is held away from the head while it is cut. Cutting at 0 degrees, with the hair combed straight down in its natural fall, keeps every strand ending on the same line, which creates a one-length, blunt shape. Holding the hair at 45 degrees builds weight and graduation, a stacked look rather than a single line. At 90 degrees, the hair is cut into uniform layers that are the same length all over. At 180 degrees, the top ends up shorter than the lengths underneath, which creates long layers. Lifting the hair at all moves the ends off one line, so the stylist keeps the hair down with even tension.

Look for this next time: A one-length cut is cut at 0 degrees; raising the elevation creates graduation or layers.

Correct answer: B · Lower the heat, test it on a strand first, and keep the iron off the scalp

Fine hair and recently lightened hair are both more fragile and tolerate less heat than coarse, untreated hair, so the stylist lowers the temperature, tests it on a strand before working through the head, and keeps the hot plates away from the scalp and skin. The highest setting is exactly what the safer choice avoids, and one fast pass does not make that heat safe for fragile hair. Most flat irons are made for dry hair, and pressing hot plates on damp hair can damage it rather than protect it. Holding the iron longer on each section adds heat exposure, which undoes the benefit of a lower setting.

Look for this next time: For fine or chemically treated hair, lower the heat, test on a strand, and protect the scalp.

Correct answer: D · The product and formula and what she reported, to review before more color

A client record holds the service history, and a reported reaction is part of that history. Writing down the product and formula, what the client described, and when it happened lets the next stylist review it before any further color. FDA notes that a person who knows which ingredient caused a reaction may be able to find a product without it, and that anyone who has a reaction should contact a health care provider. Leaving the record blank because the redness faded loses the warning. Recording only the date hides what happened. A stronger developer is not a response to a reaction. The skin test is still done before every color service.

Look for this next time: Record any reported reaction with the product, formula, and date so it is reviewed before the next chemical service.

Correct answer: C · Skip the waxing and suggest she ask her prescriber when it is safe

MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's drug information service, tells people taking isotretinoin to avoid hair removal by waxing while they take it and for 6 months afterward, because the medicine raises the risk of scarring, and to ask their doctor when it is safe. That makes her medication a contraindication for waxing, so the cosmetologist does not wax, notes it on her record, and points her to her prescriber. A hard wax is still waxing on the same skin. A release form does not lower the risk of scarring. A test area is still waxing during treatment. The cosmetologist gives no advice about the medicine itself.

Look for this next time: Some medications, such as isotretinoin, are contraindications for waxing; skip the service and refer the client to her prescriber.

Correct answer: A · Give the facial without the device and suggest she check with her doctor first

A pacemaker is an implanted electronic device, so equipment that passes electrical current through the body is left out unless her doctor and the device's own instructions say it is safe. FDA's labeling guidance for powered muscle stimulators, which send current through the skin to make muscles contract, lists cardiac demand pacemakers as a contraindication. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute also tells people with pacemakers to avoid close or prolonged contact with electrical devices. A salon facial device is a different product, but the same caution applies, so the cosmetologist gives a facial without electrical current and suggests the client check with her doctor before any electrical service. A lower setting or a shorter time still uses current, a guess about distance is not a safety rule, and a release form does not reduce the risk.

Look for this next time: A pacemaker or other implanted electronic device rules out electrical facial equipment unless the client's doctor clears it.

Correct answer: D · Decline the service for now and suggest a health care provider check the nail

Thickening, brittleness, and white or yellow streaks are signs that MedlinePlus lists for a fungal nail infection, and a health care provider examines the nail to find out what it is. A nail technician recognizes these warning signs but does not diagnose or treat them, so she does not service the nail and suggests the client have it examined. Filing and polishing the nail works on it directly and puts tools in contact with it, even if the file is discarded afterward. An antifungal polish is a treatment. Naming the infection and recommending a cream is a diagnosis plus a treatment. Your state's rules may say more about servicing clients with nail disorders.

Look for this next time: Signs of a possible nail infection mean no service on that nail: recognize, decline, and refer.

Correct answer: B · It can sensitize a person, so a later exposure may set off an allergic reaction

FDA explains that traces of methacrylate monomers can cause reactions such as redness, swelling, and pain in the nail bed in people who have become sensitive, or allergic, to them, and that avoiding skin contact minimizes the chance of an allergic reaction. So the technician wipes the monomer away and keeps product off the skin. Treating it as only a lifting problem misses the allergy risk. A regular client has no built-up protection; she has simply had more exposures. Clients and technicians both have skin that can become sensitized, which is why FDA stresses avoiding skin contact for everyone.

Look for this next time: Keep monomer off the skin because methacrylates can sensitize people and cause allergic reactions.