2.2 16 TAC Chapter 83 Sanitation Rules & Approved Disinfectants

16 TAC Chapter 83 Sanitation Rules & Approved Disinfectants

Regulatory authority. Eyelash extension application in Texas is governed by the Barbering and Cosmetology Act, Occupations Code Chapter 1603, and by TDLR's rules in 16 TAC Chapter 83. The health and safety standards run from §83.100 to §83.115, and §83.71(q) requires every establishment to display a copy of those sections or keep the law and rules book accessible to all practitioners working there.

Sanitation questions carry the single largest block of the written exam — Infection Control is 32.5% of the blueprint, 13 of 40 scored items. Almost all of them come from the definitions and standards below, and TDLR states them in numbers you can memorise.

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Core Definitions: 16 TAC §83.100

These are the department's own words. Learn the distinctions, because the exam tests the boundaries between them.

• Clean or cleansing — "Washing with liquid soap and water, detergent, antiseptics, or other adequate methods to remove all visible debris or residue. Cleansing is not disinfection."
• Disinfect or disinfection — "The use of chemicals to destroy pathogens on implements and other non-porous surfaces to render an item safe for handling, use, and disposal."
• Sterilize or sterilization — "To eliminate all forms of bacteria or other microorganisms by use of an autoclave or dry heat sterilizer."
• Sanitize or sanitization — "To reduce the number of microorganisms to a safe level by use of an ultraviolet sanitizer." (Texas gives this word a very specific, narrow meaning.)
• Multi-use items — "Items constructed of hard materials with smooth surfaces such as metal, glass, or plastic typically for use on more than one client," including clippers, scissors, combs, nippers, and tweezers.
• Single-use items — "Porous items made or constructed of cloth, wood, or other absorbent materials having rough surfaces usually intended for single use," including tissues, orangewood sticks, cotton balls, thread, surgical tape, extension pads, and gauze.

What counts as a disinfectant in Texas

§83.100(4) recognises exactly two department-approved chemicals:

1. An EPA-registered bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal disinfectant used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions; or
2. A chlorine bleach solution used in accordance with Chapter 83.

That is the whole list. Chapter 83 sets no minimum parts-per-million for quaternary ammonium products, and it sets no approved alcohol percentage. If you use a quat, a phenolic, or an accelerated hydrogen peroxide product, its legality comes from its EPA registration as bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal and your compliance with its label — contact time, dilution, and surface type all come from the manufacturer, not from a Texas number.

Trap: guides that quote "TDLR requires quats at a minimum of 1,000 ppm" or "TDLR permits 70% to 90% alcohol" are inventing rules. The only ppm figures in Chapter 83 belong to the three chlorine bleach tiers below.

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The Three Chlorine Bleach Tiers: §83.100(1)

Bleach is the one chemical Texas specifies by recipe, and §83.100(1) opens by noting that the solution "should be mixed fresh at least once per day."

The 5,000 ppm tier is the one §83.100(1)(C) also calls a 10% bleach solution.

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Using Disinfectants Correctly: §83.101

EPA-registered disinfectants — §83.101(a)

1. Implements and surfaces must first be thoroughly cleaned of all visible debris prior to disinfection. The rule states the reason outright: these disinfectants "become inactivated and ineffective when visibly contaminated with debris, hair, dirt and particulates."
2. Some disinfectants may be sprayed on the instruments, tools, or equipment.
3. Disinfectants in which implements are immersed must be prepared fresh daily, or more often if the solution becomes diluted or soiled.
4. In all cases the disinfectant must be used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
5. Because these chemicals are harsh on sharps, the department recommends following the manufacturer's recommendation for effective disinfection rather than over-soaking.

Chlorine bleach — §83.101(b)

• Bleach at the appropriate concentration is an effective disinfectant for all purposes in an establishment.
• Solutions must be mixed daily.
• Bleach must be kept in a closed covered container and not exposed to sunlight.
• Because bleach attacks sharp edges, "the department does not recommend leaving items in bleach solution beyond 2 minutes for effective disinfection (5 minutes if disinfecting for blood contamination)" — a manufacturer-protection caution that sits alongside, not in place of, the §83.100 minimum soak times.
• Chlorine bleach vapours may react with vapours from other chemicals, so bleach solution must not be placed or stored near other salon chemicals such as acrylic monomers or alcohol, or near flame.
• Used or soiled bleach solution must be properly disposed of each day.

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General Requirements Every Lash Station Must Meet: §83.102

The legal status of a UV cabinet

Texas answers this cleanly. §83.100(9) defines sanitization as reducing microorganisms to a safe level by use of an ultraviolet sanitizer, and §83.102(f) permits an "ultraviolet electrical sanitizer … for use as a dry storage container." A UV cabinet is therefore a lawful place to keep implements that have already been cleaned and disinfected. It is not a disinfectant and it is not a sterilizer, because UV light cannot reach the shaded hinge joints and crevices of a pair of tweezers.

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Chemical Labelling and Safety Data Sheets

§83.102(n) requires every establishment and school to keep all products used in the business properly labelled in compliance with OSHA requirements. That pulls in OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), under which manufacturers supply a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) in a standard 16-section format for every hazardous chemical — including your cyanoacrylate adhesive, primer, remover, accelerator, and disinfectant concentrate.

Practically, that means: keep the SDS collection accessible during business hours, label every secondary container you decant into, and never transfer adhesive or remover into an unmarked bottle. §83.115(g) separately requires that the semi-permanent glue and glue remover you use be properly labelled and used according to the manufacturer's instructions.