2.4 16 TAC §83.115: The Eyelash-Specific Health & Safety Rule
Key Takeaways
- 16 TAC §83.115 is the only rule in Chapter 83 written specifically for eyelash extension services, and every one of its eight subsections appears as a named violation in TDLR's enforcement plan.
- §83.115(a) requires washing hands with soap and water — not sanitizer alone — before performing any eyelash extension service on a client.
- §83.115(d) names the implements that must be cleaned and disinfected after each client: tweezers, nasal aspirator or electric eyelash dryer, and other items used for a similar purpose.
- §83.115(e) lists eleven single-use items that must be discarded after use, and lash extensions themselves are on that list.
- §83.115(h) requires extensions to be stored in a sealed bag or covered container in a clean, dry, debris-free storage area, and §83.115(c) requires chairs and beds including headrests to be cleaned and disinfected after every client.
The One Rule Written Just for You
Chapter 83 contains a general health and safety standard (§83.102) and then a series of service-specific standards: hair cutting (§83.103), esthetician services (§83.104), temporary hair removal (§83.105), manicure and pedicure (§83.106), foot spas (§83.108), hair weaving (§83.110), and eyelash extension application services (§83.115).
§83.115 is the rule that exists because of your licence. It is eight subsections long, it is short enough to learn verbatim, and TDLR's Barbering and Cosmetology enforcement plan cites every single subsection as a named violation with an assigned penalty class. If you learn one rule cold for this exam, learn this one.
The written exam organises Infection Control around Cleaning and Disinfecting → Implements, Equipment, Work Environment. §83.115 maps onto those three headings almost exactly, so that is how this section is laid out.
§83.115 in Full, with Penalty Classes
| Sub. | What the rule requires | Enforcement class |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | A practitioner offering the eyelash extension application service must wash the practitioner's hands with soap and water prior to performing any services on a client | C — $2,000–$5,000, up to revocation |
| (b) | Equipment, implements, and materials must be properly cleaned and disinfected prior to providing services | C |
| (c) | Chairs and beds, including headrests, must be cleaned and disinfected after providing services to each client. The chair and beds must be made of, or covered in, a non-porous material that can be disinfected | Not disinfecting after each client: B. Non-disinfectable material: A |
| (d) | After each client the following must be cleaned and disinfected: tweezers, nasal aspirator or electric eyelash dryer, and other items used for a similar purpose | C |
| (e) | The following are single-use and must be discarded in a trash receptacle after use: disposable gloves, tissues, disposable wipes, fabric strips, surgical tape, eye pads, extensions, cotton swabs, face mask, brushes, extension pads, and other items used for a similar purpose | C |
| (f) | The following must be replaced with clean items for each client: disposable and terry cloth towels, hair caps, headbands, brushes, gowns, and spatulas that contact skin or products from multi-use containers | C |
| (g) | Use only properly labelled semi-permanent glue and semi-permanent glue remover, used according to the manufacturer's instructions | C |
| (h) | Extensions must be stored in a sealed bag or covered container and kept in a clean, dry, debris-free storage area | B |
Sub-topic 1: Implements
§83.115(d) names three categories of multi-use implements by name. The "nasal aspirator or electric eyelash dryer" phrasing is unusual enough to be memorable — it is TDLR's way of describing the bulb blowers and battery fans lash artists use to disperse fumes and speed cure.
The reprocessing sequence combines §83.115(b), §83.115(d), and §83.101(a)(1):
- Clean off all visible debris first. §83.101(a)(1) is explicit that disinfectants "become inactivated and ineffective when visibly contaminated with debris, hair, dirt and particulates." Adhesive crust on a tweezer tip is exactly that kind of debris.
- Rinse and dry, so you are not diluting the immersion solution.
- Disinfect with one of the two department-approved chemicals in §83.100(4): an EPA-registered bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal disinfectant used per its label, or a chlorine bleach solution used per Chapter 83 (high-level = 1/3 cup per gallon, soak 20 minutes minimum).
- Immerse completely. §83.102(h) and §83.71(g)(4) both require a container large enough to fully immerse tools and implements.
- Store dry and separate. §83.102(f) requires clean, disinfected implements to be kept in a clean, dry, debris-free environment, separate from soiled implements. A UV cabinet is legal for this, as dry storage only.
A tweezer that cannot be immersed is a problem, not an exception. §83.102(e) covers electrical equipment that cannot be immersed — it must be wiped clean and disinfected prior to each use. That is the rule for a battery fan body, not for the tweezers.
The multi-use / single-use boundary
Use the §83.100 definitions, not intuition:
- Multi-use — "items constructed of hard materials with smooth surfaces such as metal, glass, or plastic," expressly including tweezers. Isolation and volume tweezers, lash scissors, glass or jade tiles, and stainless trays are multi-use and must be reprocessed between clients.
- Single-use — "porous items made or constructed of cloth, wood, or other absorbent materials having rough surfaces," expressly including surgical tape and extension pads.
The item that surprises people: extensions themselves are on the §83.115(e) single-use list. A lash strip that has been out on a tile for a client is used product. It does not go back into the tray for the next client.
Sub-topic 2: Equipment
Here "equipment" means the furniture and fixtures a client's body touches, and Texas is specific about both what you must have and what it must be made of.
What an eyelash establishment must provide
§83.71(g) sets the baseline for every establishment: a sink with hot and cold running water in the service area; an identifiable sign with the establishment's name; a receptacle for used towels and linen; a wet disinfectant soaking container large enough to fully immerse tools and implements; a clean, dry, debris-free storage area; and at least one covered trash container.
§83.71(h)(5) then adds the eyelash-specific list. An establishment providing eyelash extension services must provide, for each practitioner present and providing services:
- (A) one facial bed, chair, or massage table — all of which must allow the consumer to lie completely flat;
- (B) one lamp; and
- (C) one stool or chair.
§83.71(j)(4) states the practitioner-side equivalent and adds one mirror.
Two of these are cited violations in the enforcement plan: "Eyelash extension establishment failed to have one facial bed or massage table" and "failed to have one lamp, one stool/chair, and one mirror for each licensee present and providing services." The phrase "lie completely flat" is in the rule — a reclining spa chair that stops short of flat does not satisfy it.
What the furniture must be made of
§83.115(c) has two independent commands in one subsection:
- Chairs and beds, including headrests, must be cleaned and disinfected after providing services to each client — a Class B violation to skip.
- They must be made of or covered in a non-porous material that can be disinfected — a Class A violation if not, and cross-cited with §83.104(c) for esthetician beds.
This is why a fabric-upholstered lash bed is a compliance problem no matter how carefully you drape it: cloth is porous, and a porous surface cannot be disinfected. The fix is a non-porous vinyl or PU covering that tolerates repeated disinfectant contact.
Everything else in the room
§83.102(c) is the catch-all: multi-use equipment, implements, tools, or materials not addressed elsewhere in Chapter 83 must be cleaned and disinfected before use on each client, with a narrow carve-out that chairs and dryers do not need disinfecting before each client except as otherwise provided in this chapter — and §83.115(c) is exactly such a provision, so your lash bed is not covered by the carve-out.
Sub-topic 3: Work Environment
Storage: the rule people fail
§83.115(h) requires extensions to be stored in a sealed bag or covered container and kept in a clean, dry, debris-free storage area. An open lash tray sitting on a workstation between clients violates this, and TDLR lists it as a Class B violation. Trays go back into their sealed sleeve or a covered container.
§83.102(f) governs everything else: clean, disinfected implements and materials stored in a clean, dry, debris-free environment — drawers, cases, tool belts, rolling trays, or hung from hooks — stored separate from soiled implements and materials, with non-cosmetology supplies in separate drawers or locations. Your lunch does not share a drawer with your tweezers.
Waste, linens, and hands
| Requirement | Rule |
|---|---|
| All trash containers emptied daily and kept clean by washing or using plastic liners | §83.102(j) |
| At least one covered trash container in the establishment | §83.71(g)(6) |
| Clean towels used on each client, washed in hot water and chlorine bleach | §83.102(l) |
| Soiled towels removed after each client into a suitable receptacle | §83.102(m) |
| A receptacle for used towels and linen | §83.71(g)(3) |
| Hand washing facilities with hot and cold running water for employees | §83.102(k) |
| Floors thoroughly cleaned each day | §83.102(i) |
| Establishment, school: floors, walls, ceilings, shelves, furniture, furnishings and fixtures clean and in good repair | §83.114(a) |
Hand hygiene: read the two rules together
§83.102(a) — the general rule — allows a practitioner to "clean their hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer" prior to services.
§83.115(a) — the eyelash rule — is narrower: the practitioner "must wash the practitioner's hands with soap and water prior to performing any services on a client."
When a specific rule and a general rule cover the same conduct, the specific rule controls. For an eyelash extension service, sanitizer alone does not satisfy §83.115(a), and failing to wash with soap and water is a Class C public health violation. Sanitizer is a supplement, not a substitute.
Products: labelling and manufacturer instructions
§83.115(g) requires that you use only properly labelled semi-permanent glue and semi-permanent glue remover, according to the manufacturer's instructions. Combined with §83.102(n), which requires all products to be labelled in compliance with OSHA requirements, this means:
- No decanting adhesive into an unmarked dropper bottle.
- No using a remover past the manufacturer's stated shelf life or outside its stated dwell time.
- No "off-label" use, such as thinning adhesive with a solvent the manufacturer does not specify.
And remember §83.112(c): no product, preparation, or procedure that comes into contact with or penetrates the dermis may be used at all.
A lash artist applies hand sanitizer, puts on gloves, and begins an extension service without washing at the sink. Which rule has she violated, and how is it classed?
Which of these items does 16 TAC §83.115(e) classify as single-use, requiring disposal in a trash receptacle after use?
An inspector finds a fabric-upholstered lash bed that the artist wipes with a disinfectant spray after each client. What is the compliance problem?
Between clients, a lash artist leaves an opened lash tray face-up on the workstation. Which subsection does this violate?