2.4 Hygienic Practices, Sanitary Dress, Towels and Linens

Hygienic Practices, Sanitary Dress, Towels and Linens

Exam Focus: These rules are quoted almost verbatim on the written exam and are graded continuously on the practical exam. The highest-frequency items are the neck strip before the cape, the single-use rule for cloth towels, the covered receptacle for used linen, the closed-container and disposable-applicator rule for creams, and the mandatory gloves and fresh applicator for waxing.

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1. Hand Hygiene

§ 160.20(e) — "All practitioners and nail care clients must wash hands with soap and water before each client service."

Two features of that sentence are examinable. First, it is soap and water, not sanitiser; alcohol gel supplements hand washing but does not replace it. Second, in nail services the rule reaches the client as well as the practitioner, because the client's hands are the working surface. The practical examination separately requires candidates to arrive with hands washed and to use a hand sanitiser containing 60% or more alcohol throughout the exam.

Related requirements: § 160.22(f) requires hand washing facilities in all lavatories with disposable paper towels or hot air dryers, and prohibits cloth reusable hand towels unless a clean towel is provided for each person.

2. Draping and Client Protection

§ 160.20(b) — a clean sheet of paper or a clean towel not previously used for any purpose shall be placed on the table or headrest before any client reclines on a table or chair.

§ 160.20(d) — a paper strip or clean towel shall be placed completely around the neck of each client before an apron or any other protective device is fastened around the neck.

That second rule is the single most-cited hygiene provision in New York salons, and it is graded on the practical exam. The cape never touches the client's skin. The sequence is: neck strip first, then cape, then a second towel over the cape for chemical services. For chemical work the drape stays in place for the duration — the practical examination instructs candidates to drape the mannequin for chemical procedures once and leave that draping for the rest of the exam.

3. Dispensing and Storing Products

§ 160.20(g) sets out the dispensing rule in three parts:

• All fluids, semifluids and powders must be dispensed with a shaker, dispenser pump or spray-type container.
• All creams, lotions and other cosmetics used for clients must be kept in closed containers and dispensed with disposable applicators.
• When only a portion of a preparation is used on a client, it must be removed from the container in such a way as not to contaminate the remaining portion.

The practical consequence: never put fingers into a jar of cream, wax, mask or styling product. Decant with a clean spatula or disposable applicator, and never return unused product to the container. § 160.20(a) adds that cotton applicators may be used but must be stored in a closed container or sealed bag.

§ 160.20(f) — all sharp or pointed equipment shall be stored when not in use so as not to be accessible to consumers. Shears, razors, nippers and cuticle scissors go into a drawer, cabinet or covered container, not left on an open station where a child or client can reach them.

4. Personal Protective Equipment

§ 160.20(h)–(k) require the owner to provide, and permit or require the practitioner to use:

Waxing is the exception written in mandatory terms. § 160.20(k) requires disposable gloves for waxing, requires a new applicator each time the applicator is inserted into the wax so the remaining wax is not contaminated — the practice known as no double-dipping — and requires all scissors and tweezers to be new or sterilised before use on each customer.

5. Sanitary Dress — § 160.21

"Any clothing worn by licensed individuals shall be clean and pose no health or safety hazard to the client or to the operator while attending a client."

The rule is short, but it is enforced. In practice it means clean outer garments changed when soiled, sleeves and jewellery that cannot catch in clippers or trail into product, and closed shoes that protect against dropped shears and chemical spills. The practical examination hardens this into a dress code: a clean washable outer garment such as a smock or gown, no aprons; closed-toe shoes covering the top of the foot, no canvas; and no bulky or dangling jewellery.

6. Towels and Linens — § 160.24

"Every client shall be served with clean, freshly laundered linen or disposable towels. Immediately after use, linens or towels shall be placed in a covered receptacle used for that purpose alone."

Three obligations follow, and all three are examinable:

1. One client, one towel. § 160.20(c) confirms that cloth towels may be used once, then bagged, machine washed and dried. There is no such thing as a lightly used towel.
2. Immediately after use. A used towel does not rest on the station, the trolley or the shampoo bowl waiting for a slow moment.
3. A covered receptacle used for that purpose alone. The soiled-linen hamper is covered, and it is not also the general rubbish bin. Waste containers for hair, paper and other waste are separately required to be covered under § 160.16(b)(4).

Clean linen storage is the mirror image: clean towels are stored in a closed cabinet or drawer, away from hair, chemical dust and splash, and never stacked on an open station beside used ones.