Scalp and Hair Care — practice questions

2.5% of the exam ≈3 real questions 5 free questions here

The smallest domain on either exam — 5% of the clinical test, about 3 questions. Shampoo and conditioner chemistry, scalp massage, and the scalp conditions that stop a service. Three questions is not a reason to skip it: they are almost all referral questions, and referral questions have one defensible answer.

Where people lose points

• Tinea capitis is ringworm — a contagious fungal infection. You do not shampoo it, treat it or work around it. You refer, and you disinfect everything the client touched.
• Dandruff has two forms and they are handled differently. The dry, flaking form may be serviced with an appropriate shampoo; the greasy, waxy, inflamed form is referred to a physician.
• Never massage a scalp with abrasions, inflammation or open sores, and skip vigorous manipulation before a chemical relaxer — irritated skin plus a hydroxide relaxer is a chemical burn.
• Shampoo is alkaline and lifts the cuticle; an acid-balanced conditioner or rinse closes it again. A question about frizz, dullness or tangling after washing is usually asking about cuticle direction, not about product quality.
• Alopecia is hair loss, not a disease you treat. Recognizing the pattern — androgenic, areata, traction, postpartum — is inside your scope; treating any of them is not.

Questions and answers, explained

All 2 questions above, with the correct answer and why it is correct. Everything here is on scalp and hair care.

1. Which layer of the hair contains the natural pigment?

   • AThe cuticle, the outermost protective scales
   • BThe medulla, the innermost core
   • CThe cortexCorrect
   • DThe follicle, within the skin

   Why: The cortex holds the melanin that gives hair its natural color and makes up most of the strand's mass and strength. The cuticle is the protective outer layer, the medulla is the innermost core and is often absent in fine hair, and the follicle is the structure in the skin from which the hair grows.

   Reference Clinical domain: scalp and hair care; hair structure

2. What effect does hard water have on hair?

   • AIt permanently lightens the hair's natural pigment
   • BIt closes the cuticle and increases shine
   • CMineral deposits build up and leave hair dull and roughCorrect
   • DIt has no measurable effect on the hair or the scalp

   Why: Calcium, magnesium and other minerals in hard water deposit on the cuticle, dulling shine, roughening the texture and interfering with lather and color results. A chelating or clarifying treatment removes the build-up. Hard water does not lighten pigment, and treating it as irrelevant leaves a real and reversible cause of dullness unaddressed.

   Reference Clinical domain: scalp and hair care; hard water

Topics inside this domain

• What a Florida cosmetology license covers
• Hair and scalp analysis before a service

Drill other domains

• General Safety and Sanitation Procedures (17%)
• Client Services (12%)
• Facials, Makeup and Hair Removal (8%)
• Manicuring and Pedicuring (8%)
• Professional, Legal and Ethical Practice; Laws and Rules (5%)
• Hair Coloring and Lightening (19.5%)

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