Under OAR 817-010-0008, when must an authorization holder perform thorough hand washing?
Based on: OAR 817-010-0008(1)
Oregon Cosmetology Laws and Rules Exam · Practice
Oregon Cosmetology Exam Practice Questions: Practice Standards (2026)
Oregon's practice standards govern how an authorization holder must serve each individual client, and the servicing-clients rule OAR 817-010-0008 is their centre: thorough hand washing is required immediately before and after serving each client (OAR 817-010-0008(1)), single-use disposable gloves are required for services routinely involving exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials (OAR 817-010-0008(2)), and eye goggles, shields or a mask are required if spattering is likely to occur (OAR 817-010-0008(3)). Practising outside your scope of practice is unprofessional conduct under OAR 331-020-0075(2).
Practice
Free practice questions
What must an authorization holder wear when performing a service that routinely involves exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials?
Based on: OAR 817-010-0008(2)
Under the servicing-clients rule, when must an authorization holder wear eye goggles, shields or a mask?
Based on: OAR 817-010-0008(3)
A product or device used in a field of practice must meet product registration requirements imposed by whom?
Based on: OAR 817-015-0025(1)
An authorization holder must use an inspectable item in a manner consistent with what?
Based on: OAR 817-015-0025(2)(c)
For an item subject to Office inspection, what must the authorization holder make available to the Office on request?
Based on: OAR 817-015-0025(2)(b)
Before providing services or using an inspectable item, what must an authorization holder do?
Based on: OAR 817-015-0025(2)(d)
For self-study education on an inspectable item, what record must the authorization holder maintain?
Based on: OAR 817-015-0025(3)(b)(A)
How long must an authorization holder keep records of education or training for an inspectable item?
Based on: OAR 817-015-0025(3)(c)
If an authorization holder has not provided services or used an item within two years, what is required?
Based on: OAR 817-015-0025(3)(d)
The servicing-clients rule: wash, glove, shield
OAR 817-010-0008 reads like a per-client checklist, and the exam tests each trigger separately. Hand washing is unconditional: thorough hand washing immediately before and after serving each client, not once at the start of the day and not only after visible contamination (OAR 817-010-0008(1)). Gloves are conditional on the service: when a service routinely involves exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials, the holder must wear single-use disposable protective gloves (OAR 817-010-0008(2)). Eye protection is conditional on the physics of the service: goggles, shields or a mask are required whenever spattering is likely to occur while services are performed (OAR 817-010-0008(3)). Exam questions typically swap the triggers, offering hourly hand washing or gloves for every service as answer options; matching the right duty to the right trigger is the skill being tested.
- Hand washing: immediately before and after every client, no exceptions (OAR 817-010-0008(1)).
- Single-use disposable gloves: services with routine blood or infectious material exposure (OAR 817-010-0008(2)).
- Goggles, shields or mask: whenever spattering is likely (OAR 817-010-0008(3)).
Esthetics limits, dermaplaning and unprofessional conduct
Beyond hygiene, practice standards set hard boundaries on what a practitioner may do. An esthetician using a mechanical or electrical device may operate within the epidermis only (OAR 817-015-0045(5)); going deeper leaves the scope of esthetics. Dermaplaning has its own gate: an esthetician must complete six hours of education and training before performing it (OAR 817-015-0056(1)), and dermaplaning blades must be single-use and disposed of after each treatment (OAR 817-015-0056(5)). Equipment subject to Office inspection carries a paperwork duty too: the holder must maintain and make available to the Office, on request, all manufacturer operation and usage documentation (OAR 817-015-0025(2)(b)). The conduct rules close the loop. OAR 331-020-0075(2) lists practicing outside the holder's scope of practice as unprofessional conduct, and the penalty schedule bites hard at the extreme end: the presumptive first-offense penalty for practicing without certification, where the authorization was never held or has expired, is 1000 dollars (OAR 817-090-0035(1)(a)).
| Duty | When it applies | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Thorough hand washing | Immediately before and after serving each client, always | OAR 817-010-0008(1) |
| Single-use disposable gloves | Services routinely involving exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials | OAR 817-010-0008(2) |
| Eye goggles, shields or a mask | Whenever spattering is likely to occur during the service | OAR 817-010-0008(3) |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
When must an Oregon cosmetology practitioner wash their hands?
Immediately before and after serving each client, under OAR 817-010-0008(1). The rule requires thorough hand washing on a per-client basis, so answers like once per day or once per hour, which the exam offers as distractors, are wrong.
When are gloves required during a service in Oregon?
Single-use disposable protective gloves are required when performing a service that routinely involves exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials, under OAR 817-010-0008(2). This is a trigger-based duty: gloves are not mandated for every service, only where that exposure is routine.
How deep may an Oregon esthetician work with a mechanical or electrical device?
Within the epidermis only, under OAR 817-015-0045(5). An esthetician using a mechanical or electrical device may not operate beyond the epidermis; deeper work falls outside the esthetics scope of practice, and practicing outside scope is unprofessional conduct under OAR 331-020-0075(2).
What does Oregon require before an esthetician performs dermaplaning?
Six hours of education and training, under OAR 817-015-0056(1). In addition, dermaplaning blades must be single-use and disposed of after each treatment under OAR 817-015-0056(5). Both the hours figure and the single-use blade rule appear as exam questions.
What is the penalty for practicing cosmetology in Oregon without certification?
Where the authorization was never held or has expired, the presumptive first-offense penalty is 1000 dollars under OAR 817-090-0035(1)(a). This sits alongside ORS 690.015(2)(a), which prohibits performing or attempting to perform services in a field of practice without an active authorization.