What does hair texture describe?

The diameter of an individual strand

How many strands grow in a square inch of scalp

How readily the strand absorbs moisture

The degree of natural wave or curl in the hair

Which form of dandruff requires referral to a physician rather than salon treatment?

The greasy, waxy form with inflammation

The dry, flaking form with loose white scales

Any dandruff a client has had for more than a month

Dandruff appearing only after a chemical service

A client has very fine strands but a great many of them. How is this described?

Coarse texture with low density

High porosity with good elasticity

Medium texture with average density

Tinea capitis is what kind of condition?

A contagious fungal infection of the scalp

A non-contagious dryness of the scalp

A bacterial infection treatable with salon products

A parasitic infestation visible as moving insects

How is porosity tested?

By sliding the fingers along a strand toward the scalp

By counting the strands within a one-inch parting

By stretching a wet strand and watching whether it returns

By applying the color formula to a small hidden section

When must scalp massage be avoided?

When there are abrasions, inflammation or open sores

When the client's hair has been chemically colored

When the client's scalp is naturally oily

When the client has fine or thinning hair

Hair with good elasticity will stretch approximately how far when wet without breaking?

Its full length again, or double

Only a few millimetres in total

Why is an acid-balanced conditioner or rinse used after shampooing?

To close the cuticle that the alkaline shampoo lifted

To raise the pH so the hair can absorb more moisture

To dissolve any product residue the shampoo left behind

To permanently seal the hair against future damage

A client asks the cosmetologist what a patch of scaly skin on her scalp is. How should this be answered?

By explaining that only a physician can identify it

By naming the most likely condition based on its appearance

By recommending an over-the-counter treatment for it

By reassuring her that such patches are usually harmless

Which phase of the hair growth cycle is the active growing phase?

Telogen, the resting phase before shedding

Catagen, the brief transitional phase

All three phases involve active growth at different rates

How is the scalp manipulated during a shampoo?

With the cushions of the fingertips, in a firm circular motion

With the fingernails, to loosen flakes from the scalp

With the palms pressed flat against the head

By rubbing the hair lengths against each other

A client has patchy hair loss along the front hairline where she wears tight braids. What is the likely cause?

Traction alopecia from sustained tension on the follicles

A fungal infection requiring immediate referral

Androgenic alopecia, which follows a hereditary pattern

Telogen effluvium caused by a systemic illness

Hair and scalp analysis before a service

Four findings decide what any chemical service is allowed to be, and the exam expects you to define each one precisely rather than approximately. Texture and density in particular are routinely swapped, and an item will be written to catch exactly that.

Texture	The diameter of one individual strand
Density	How many strands there are — fine texture and high density coexist happily
Porosity	Tested by sliding the fingers along a strand toward the scalp
Elasticity	Wet hair stretches about half its length and recovers
Postpone the chemical service	A wet strand that stretches and does not recover
When the analysis happens	Before every service, on dry hair
Why dry	Build-up, natural fall and scalp condition are only visible dry
Growth patterns	Cowlicks and whorls change what a haircut can actually do
Record the findings	The next service depends on knowing how this hair behaved

Where the point is lost: The scalp half of the analysis is the half that stops services. Abrasions, inflammation or open sores rule out massage and rule out every caustic chemical. The greasy, waxy form of dandruff with inflammation is a referral rather than a salon treatment, tinea capitis is a contagious fungal infection, and head lice found while parting hair means stopping, telling the client privately, and referring. In none of those cases do you name the condition as a diagnosis.