CSLB General Building (B) — All Questions

A new client sits down for a basic manicure. Before you pick up a single implement, what should you do first?

• a.Consult with the client and inspect the nails and surrounding skin for anything that would prevent service✓
• b.Remove the old polish from all ten nails
• c.Soak the hands in warm soapy water to soften the tissue
• d.File the free edge into the shape she requested

The consultation and a careful look at the nails and skin always come first, because what you find may mean you cannot legally perform the service at all. Removing polish, soaking and filing are later steps in the procedure. If you soak and file first and only then notice a red, swollen, infected finger, you have already exposed the client and your implements.

Your client's natural nails are thin, soft and peeling at the free edge. What filing technique should you use?

• a.Saw the file back and forth quickly so the nail is shortened in less time
• b.File from the center of the free edge outward toward each sidewall
• c.File in one direction only, working from the side toward the center of the free edge✓
• d.Lay the file flat on top of the nail plate and thin the surface first

On soft or fragile nails you file in one direction, side to center, so the layers of the plate are pressed together instead of pulled apart. Sawing back and forth creates heat and friction and tears the layers, which is exactly what causes peeling. Filing from center outward drags the layers toward the corners, and filing the top of the plate thins a nail that is already weak.

You are shortening and shaping a client's natural nails. Which abrasive is appropriate?

• a.A very coarse abrasive around 80 grit, the same one used to shape acrylic
• b.A medium-to-fine abrasive of about 180 grit or higher✓
• c.A metal file, because it lasts longer than a paper file
• d.Any grit works as long as you file gently

The lower the grit number, the coarser and more aggressive the abrasive, so a natural nail is shaped with about 180 grit or finer. An 80 grit file is made for shaping hard enhancement product and will shred a natural plate. Metal files tear the layers of the plate, and pressing lightly with a coarse file still removes far too much nail.

During a manicure the client asks you to cut all of her cuticle away because she likes how clean it looks. What should you do?

• a.Cut it carefully with sharp disinfected nippers, since the client asked for it
• b.Cut only the skin along the sidewalls and leave the base of the nail alone
• c.Soak the finger longer first, because soaking makes trimming the living skin safe
• d.Explain that you may only remove loose dead tissue from the nail plate and may not cut living skin✓

In California a manicurist may not cut living tissue, so the eponychium and the sidewalls stay intact no matter what the client requests. Only the thin, dead, colorless tissue clinging to the nail plate may be softened with cuticle remover, gently pushed back and removed. Cutting living skin opens a doorway for bacteria and can cause paronychia, and soaking does not make it legal or safe.California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology Health and Safety Regulations (CCR Title 16)

What is the main purpose of a base coat in a polish service?

• a.It improves adhesion of the color and keeps dark pigment from staining the natural nail✓
• b.It seals the color and provides the final shine
• c.It makes the color coats dry faster
• d.It hardens the nail plate so the nail cannot break

A base coat is formulated to grip both the nail plate and the color coat, and it puts a barrier between pigment and keratin so reds and dark shades do not leave a yellow stain. Sealing and shine are the job of the top coat, applied last. A base coat is not a drying accelerator and it does not change the strength of the nail plate itself.

A client's gel color keeps lifting within a few days. You realize the salon is curing an LED gel line under an old lamp that came with a different brand. What is the most likely cause?

• a.The gel was applied in coats that were too thin
• b.The lamp does not match the wavelength and output the gel needs, so the product is not curing completely✓
• c.The client is washing her hands too often
• d.The finished nails were wiped with alcohol after the final cure

Gel cures only when its photoinitiators receive the specific wavelength and intensity the manufacturer specifies, so the wrong lamp leaves the product under-cured, which causes lifting and can also sensitize the client. Thin, even coats are correct technique and are not the problem. Hand washing does not lift a properly cured gel, and wiping the inhibition layer with alcohol after the final cure is a normal finishing step.

As you carry an acrylic bead to the nail it runs down the brush and floods the area near the client's skin. How should you correct your ratio?

• a.Add more monomer so the bead flows even more easily
• b.Cure the bead under a UV lamp to firm it up
• c.Pick up less liquid so the bead is drier and holds a smooth, medium-firm shape✓
• d.Work faster so the bead has no time to run

A bead that runs is too wet, meaning too much monomer for the amount of polymer, and it will flood the sidewalls and the skin at the base and cause lifting and possible sensitization. Picking up less liquid gives a bead that sits like a soft ball and can be pressed into place. Adding more monomer makes it worse, and liquid-and-powder cures by polymerization on its own and never goes under a lamp.

How much of the natural nail plate should a plastic nail tip cover?

• a.No more than one-third of the natural nail plate✓
• b.About one-half of the plate
• c.About two-thirds of the plate, for extra holding power
• d.The entire plate, so the tip cannot pop off

The contact area of a tip is limited to no more than one-third of the natural nail so the plate can still flex and grow normally. Covering half, two-thirds or the whole plate seals in moisture, blocks the nail from bending with the finger and makes lifting and damage more likely. Holding power comes from a well-fitted tip and the overlay product, not from covering more nail.

How is a nail form used?

• a.It is glued on top of the nail plate and then filed thin
• b.It replaces the base coat underneath the polish
• c.It is placed over the base of the nail to shield the skin while filing
• d.It is fitted snugly under the free edge so the technician can sculpt an extension without a tip✓

A form slides under the free edge and follows the natural curve of the finger, giving the technician a temporary platform on which to build a sculpted extension, then it is peeled away. It is not glued to the plate, since that is a tip. It has nothing to do with polish and it is not a skin shield.

A client cracks one natural nail across the stress area and does not want a full set of enhancements. What is the appropriate repair?

• a.Fill the crack with a thick layer of top coat and let it dry
• b.Apply a silk or fiberglass wrap over the crack with cyanoacrylate adhesive and an activator✓
• c.Glue the crack shut and then file the nail down below the split
• d.Cover the nail with two extra coats of colored polish

A fabric wrap bonded with cyanoacrylate adhesive is designed exactly for this: it is light, thin and natural-looking and it holds the two sides of the crack together while the nail grows out. Top coat and colored polish have no structural strength and the crack will simply reopen. Filing the nail down below the split removes healthy nail and is painful once you reach the free edge line.

A client comes in to have a hard gel set removed. What is the correct removal procedure?

• a.Nip the lifted edges with nippers and peel the rest off in one piece
• b.Soak for two minutes, then pry the product off with a metal pusher
• c.Break the seal of the top coat with a file, wrap each nail in acetone-saturated cotton and foil, then gently push off the softened product✓
• d.Soak the hands in warm soapy water and then file the gel off dry

Filing off the shiny sealed surface lets acetone reach the product, and the cotton and foil wrap holds the solvent against the nail until the gel is soft enough to slide off with light pressure. Nipping, peeling or prying takes layers of the nail plate with it and leaves the nail thin, sore and rough. Warm soapy water does not dissolve gel, and filing a whole set off dry generates heat and removes natural nail.

You are trimming a pedicure client's toenails. How should they be cut?

• a.Straight across, then lightly smooth the corners with a file✓
• b.Deeply rounded so the nail follows the curve of the toe
• c.Into a point so the toes fit better in narrow shoes
• d.Down into the corners of the nail grooves to clear out the buildup

Toenails are cut straight across and only the sharp corner is softened with a file, because leaving the corners in place keeps the nail from growing down into the sidewall. Rounding a toenail deeply or cutting into the grooves is the classic cause of an ingrown toenail. A pointed toenail is both fragile and more likely to press into the neighboring toe.

During a pedicure you find a thick, hard callus on the client's heel, and there is a credo blade in the station drawer. What should you do?

• a.Use the credo blade, but only on the dead surface layer
• b.Use the blade while wearing gloves so it is sanitary
• c.Have the client sign a release form and then shave the callus
• d.Leave the blade alone, reduce the callus with a foot file, and refer a severe callus to a podiatrist✓

Credo blades and other razor-type callus shavers are prohibited in California salons because shaving skin is cutting living tissue and is outside a manicurist's scope. A foot file or rasp smooths the callus safely without breaking the skin. Gloves and a signed release do not make a prohibited practice legal, and thick or painful callus belongs to a podiatrist.California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology Health and Safety Regulations (CCR Title 16)

Which massage movement is the light, gliding stroke used to begin and end a relaxing hand and arm massage?

• a.Petrissage
• b.Effleurage✓
• c.Tapotement
• d.Friction

Effleurage is a light, continuous gliding stroke, so it is used to open and close a massage and to keep the client relaxed. Petrissage is kneading and lifting of the tissue, friction is deep circular pressure, and tapotement is a quick tapping or hacking movement. Tapotement is the most stimulating of the four and is never used to settle a client down.

A pedicure client tells you she is diabetic and has lost feeling in her feet. What should you do about the leg and foot massage?

• a.Massage as usual but with lighter pressure
• b.Massage the feet only and skip the legs
• c.Skip the massage and advise her to get clearance from her physician first✓
• d.Use brisk tapotement to stimulate circulation in the numb areas

Diabetes with loss of sensation is a massage contraindication, because the client cannot feel pressure or injury and circulation and healing are impaired, so you skip the massage and send her to her physician. Lighter pressure and limiting it to the feet still apply pressure to compromised tissue. Vigorous tapotement is the most stimulating movement of all and is the worst choice here, just as it would be for high blood pressure, a heart condition, a recent stroke, or a blood clot.

A client's natural nails are thin, peeling and tender after months of aggressive drilling at another salon, although the skin is healthy. She wants a full acrylic set today. What is the best professional response?

• a.Describe what you observe, decline the enhancement today, offer a gentle strengthening manicure, and note it on her record card✓
• b.Apply the acrylic set but keep the product thinner than usual
• c.Tell her she has a nail disease and send her to a doctor
• d.Do the set anyway, since the enhancement will cover the damage

You may describe what you see and recommend a gentler service, and the client record documents the condition and what you advised, which protects both of you. Building product over an already thinned, tender plate causes more damage and likely lifting, and a thinner overlay does not fix a weak foundation. You must never name a disease or diagnose, and the skin here is healthy so there is nothing medical to report.

You are applying the color coat during a polish service. What is the correct stroke pattern for each nail?

• a.One thick stroke straight down the middle of the nail
• b.Small circles worked outward from the center of the nail
• c.Start at the free edge and pull the brush back toward the base of the nail
• d.Three strokes, one down the center and one on each side, then cap the free edge✓

Color is applied in three strokes per coat, center first and then each side, which spreads a thin even film, and stroking the brush across the free edge seals the tip so the polish resists chipping. One thick stroke leaves a heavy ridge in the middle that stays soft and dents. Circles and pulling from the free edge back toward the base drag the polish into the skin and leave streaks.

You finish the hand massage and start to polish, but the polish beads up and slides around on the nail. What step did you skip?

• a.You forgot to apply cuticle oil before polishing
• b.You did not remove the lotion and natural oils from the nail plate with polish remover or a dehydrator✓
• c.You did not soak the nails long enough at the start of the service
• d.You did not buff the nail plate until it was shiny

Polish and every other coating need a clean, dry, oil-free plate, so after the massage the plate is wiped with polish remover or a nail dehydrator before the base coat goes on. Cuticle oil would add more oil and make the problem worse. Extra soaking leaves the plate full of water, and buffing a plate to a high shine makes it smoother and gives the polish even less to hold.

You cure the gel top coat and the surface still feels sticky. What is happening and what should you do?

• a.The gel is under-cured; return the hand to the lamp for five more minutes
• b.The client's nails are oily; soak the hand in warm water and re-cure
• c.It is the normal inhibition layer; wipe it away with a lint-free wipe dampened with cleanser or alcohol✓
• d.The top coat has expired; remove the whole set and start over

Many gels cure with a thin tacky film on top called the inhibition layer, and it is simply wiped off with a lint-free wipe and gel cleanser or alcohol to reveal the shine. This is expected and does not mean the product failed. Extra lamp time will not remove it, soaking the hand in water before wiping ruins the finish, and there is no reason to strip a set that cured correctly.

A client returns after two weeks and the acrylic is lifting at the base of every nail. You remember you carried the product right up against her skin. What should you change next time?

• a.Leave a tiny free margin so the product never touches living skin, and keep the product thinnest at the edges✓
• b.Apply the product thicker at the base so it grips the skin better
• c.File the natural nail thinner first so the product sinks in
• d.Use a coarser abrasive on the enhancement at every fill

Product that touches the eponychium or sidewalls cannot bond to skin, so it breaks away as the skin moves and lifting starts at the base, which is why a hairline margin is left all the way around and the product is feathered thin at every edge. Applying it thicker at the base makes a ledge that catches and pries off. Filing the natural nail thin damages the plate and does not improve adhesion, and a coarser abrasive on the enhancement has nothing to do with lifting at the base.

Your pedicure client leaves and the next client is already waiting. What must be done with the foot spa before the next pedicure?

• a.Drain it and wipe the basin dry with a paper towel
• b.Add fresh hot water and a scoop of disinfectant while the next client soaks
• c.Rinse it with hot water only, since the real disinfection is done at the end of the day
• d.Drain it, remove and clean the screen and the area behind it, scrub and rinse the basin, then refill with water and an EPA-registered disinfectant and circulate it for the full contact time on the label✓

California requires the full clean-and-disinfect cycle between every client: drain, take out the screen or filter and clean behind it, scrub and rinse the basin, then refill and circulate an EPA-registered disinfectant for the contact time the label states. Draining and wiping leaves the debris and biofilm behind the screen untouched. Disinfectant may never be circulating while a client's feet are in the tub, and end-of-day cleaning does not replace the between-client cycle.California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology Health and Safety Regulations (CCR Title 16)

You habitually let a little gel flood onto the skin around the nail and then cure it. A regular client now complains of itching, redness and swelling on her fingertips and eyelids. What is the concern?

• a.Repeated skin contact with uncured gel can cause an allergic sensitization that lasts for life, so product must be kept off the skin✓
• b.The lamp is too weak and she simply needs a longer cure time
• c.She is reacting to the acetone used at the last removal, not to the gel
• d.Redness like this is normal and clears up on its own once the gel is removed

This is the overexposure principle: uncured monomers touching skin over and over can trigger an allergy, and once a person becomes sensitized she is sensitized for life, which is why product is kept off the skin and cured fully. A stronger or longer cure does not undo skin contact that already happened. Symptoms appearing on the eyelids as well as the fingers point to a product allergy carried by touch, not to a solvent used once, and it will not simply go away on its own.

The largest tip in the box is still narrower than your client's nail plate. What should you do?

• a.Force the tip on and fill the gaps at the sidewalls with adhesive
• b.Use a larger size from another tip system, or sculpt the extension on a form instead✓
• c.File the client's sidewalls narrower so the tip will fit
• d.Use the small tip but glue it higher up on the nail plate

A tip must span the nail plate from sidewall to sidewall, so when nothing in the box fits you change systems or build the extension on a form. Forcing a small tip pinches the nail and the glue-filled gaps trap moisture and break down. Filing the client's sidewalls means filing living skin and the natural nail, and gluing the tip higher up puts the contact area and the seam in the wrong place, where it will pop off.

A male client with short nail beds who works with his hands all day asks what shape you recommend. What do you suggest and why?

• a.A pointed stiletto shape, because it makes the finger look longest
• b.A long square shape, because the corners give the nail extra strength
• c.A round shape, because it follows the curve of the fingertip and is least likely to catch or break on short nails✓
• d.A deep oval with a long free edge, because it is the most elegant look

Round is the standard shape for short nails and for clients who work with their hands, because it mirrors the fingertip, leaves no corner to snag and needs almost no free edge. A pointed shape is the weakest of all because the stress is narrowed to a single point. A long square has corners that catch on tools and gloves, and a deep oval needs length this client does not have.

A client with a new full set of liquid-and-powder enhancements asks how often she needs to come back. What do you tell her?

• a.Only when a nail actually breaks or lifts
• b.Every six to eight weeks
• c.Once a week, for a brand new set each time
• d.About every two to three weeks for a fill and rebalance, because new growth moves the apex and the stress area✓

Nails grow roughly a tenth of an inch a month, so in two to three weeks the apex and stress area have shifted forward and the enhancement becomes top-heavy and prone to cracking, which is what a fill and rebalance corrects. Waiting six to eight weeks or until something breaks allows lifting where moisture and bacteria can collect. A whole new set every week is unnecessary and would destroy the natural nail from repeated removal.