Cosmetology License Exam Chemical Texture Services Syllabus

Chemical Texture Services syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Chemical Texture Services in Cosmetology License Exam, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Chemistry of Texture Services

   4 topics

   • Hair structure relevant to texture (bonds and the cortex)
   • Action of permanent waving on disulfide bonds
   • Action of chemical relaxers on hair structure
   • pH scale applied to texture products
2. 2

   Permanent Waving

   4 topics

   • Wrapping Techniques and Rod Selection
     • Croquignole vs. spiral wrapping
     • Base placement and base direction
     • End papers and rod sizes
   • Permanent Wave Solutions
     • Alkaline (cold) waves with thioglycolate
     • True acid-balanced and exothermic waves
   • Processing, test curls, and timing
   • Neutralization (rebonding) chemistry and procedure
3. 3

   Chemical Hair Relaxing

   5 topics

   • Sodium hydroxide (lye) relaxers
   • No-lye relaxers (guanidine, lithium, ammonium)
   • Strand tests, base creams, and scalp protection
   • Application, smoothing, processing, and neutralizing
   • Soft curl permanent (double process)
4. 4

   Analysis, Safety, and Troubleshooting

   4 topics

   • Client consultation, release forms, and patch tests
   • Porosity and elasticity tests before service
   • Avoiding chemical overlap and breakage
   • Reconditioning over-processed hair

Chemical Texture Services flashcards for Cosmetology License Exam

20 of 60 cards from the Chemical Texture Services deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the three types of side bonds that give hair its strength and elasticity?

   Hydrogen bonds, salt bonds, and disulfide bonds.

2. Which type of side bond is the strongest and is broken only by chemical texture services (not water or heat)?

   The disulfide bond (also called a sulfur or cystine bond).

3. Which two side bonds are physical bonds easily broken by water (hydrogen) or changes in pH (salt)?

   Hydrogen bonds and salt bonds.

4. In which layer of the hair shaft do the chemical reactions of texture services mainly take place?

   The cortex, which contains the bulk of the hair's strength, elasticity, and disulfide bonds.

5. What is the protein that hair is primarily made of, and what amino acid contains the sulfur for disulfide bonds?

   Hair is made of keratin; the sulfur-containing amino acid is cystine.

6. What happens to disulfide (cystine) bonds when permanent waving solution is applied?

   The waving solution chemically breaks (reduces) the disulfide bonds by adding hydrogen, allowing the hair to take the shape of the rod.

7. What chemical reaction breaks disulfide bonds in permanent waving?

   Reduction — a chemical reaction that adds hydrogen or removes oxygen, splitting the disulfide bond into two cysteine groups.

8. What is the active reducing agent in most alkaline (cold) permanent waves?

   Ammonium thioglycolate (thioglycolic acid plus ammonia).

9. How do chemical hair relaxers change the structure of curly hair?

   They break (and rearrange/remove) disulfide bonds, permanently straightening the hair into a straight configuration.

10. What permanent chemical change do hydroxide relaxers cause to a disulfide bond?

    They convert it into a lanthionine bond through a process called lanthionization, which cannot be re-formed.

11. On the pH scale, what is considered neutral, and what range is acidic versus alkaline?

    7 is neutral; below 7 is acidic; above 7 is alkaline (basic). The scale runs 0 to 14.

12. How does an alkaline pH affect the hair cuticle during a texture service?

    Alkaline solutions raise (swell/open) the cuticle, allowing the chemical to penetrate into the cortex.

13. What is the typical pH range of an alkaline (cold wave) permanent wave solution?

    Approximately 8.0 to 9.5.

14. What is the approximate pH range of a sodium hydroxide (lye) relaxer?

    Very high, approximately pH 11.5 to 14.

15. Because the pH scale is logarithmic, how much stronger is a pH of 9 compared to a pH of 8?

    Ten times more alkaline — each whole number represents a tenfold change..

16. In permanent waving, what determines the SIZE of the curl produced?

    The size (diameter) of the perm rod — smaller rods make tighter/smaller curls, larger rods make larger/looser curls.

17. What is the difference between a concave rod and a straight rod?

    Concave rods are smaller in the center and larger at the ends, producing a tighter curl in the center; straight rods have a uniform diameter producing a uniform curl.

18. What is the base section in perm wrapping, and how should its size relate to the rod?

    The base is the panel of hair on which the rod is placed; the base size should be no longer than the length of the rod and no wider than its diameter.

19. Describe croquignole wrapping versus spiral wrapping.

    Croquignole wraps hair from the ends to the scalp (overlapping), giving a tighter curl at the ends; spiral wraps hair along the length of the rod at an angle, giving a uniform curl from scalp to ends.

20. What are the two methods of wrapping the ends of the hair, and which gives a smoother result?

    The bookend (single end paper folded over) and double flat (end paper above and below) wraps; the double flat wrap gives smoother, more even control of the ends.

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