Salon Hygiene - The Proper Practices for Sanitation, Disinfection and Sterilization

Posted by Esther Bolkin on October 04, 2016

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Hello again current and future lash and brow technicians! I felt inspired to write about some common issues that we face every day, such as safety precautions and sanitation practices. So let’s dive in, shall we? Keep in mind that many of these answers are condensed to keep the article length down, but are covered typically in greater detail during training with most reputable companies. And for those of you who have already studied with us, these topics are a great refresher!

Glad Lash safety and sanitation practices mirror the sanitation requirements taught in cosmetology and esthetician schools, and should always be followed when applying or removing eyelash and eyebrow extensions. Throughout my years of training, I’ve seen some confusion arise over the differences between sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing, so let’s take a moment to explore each.

Sanitation

We sanitize in order to make a surface, our hands, a tool, etcetera, clean and safe for use. Sanitation is an absolute necessity. When we sanitize, we kill the single-cell microorganisms we call bacteria. There are trillions of bacteria, and not all are bad. Non-pathogenic bacteria are harmless and beneficial, but pathogenic bacteria are harmful and can cause infection. For this reason, a clean working environment is imperative, as is following sanitation requirements learned in beauty school, such as washing hands and fingernails with an antibacterial soap.

Keep in mind that sanitation will not destroy all spores and viruses, which is where heavy duty disinfecting and sterilizing come in. To make our hands sanitary we need to wash them for 20 seconds with soap (preferably antibacterial) and water as hot as can be comfortably tolerated. How long is 20 seconds? Remember the ABC song from your childhood? Sing it while you wash and you’ll clock in about 20 seconds (of course, if you sing it out loud people may look at you funny when you come out of the bathroom!).

Disinfection

To disinfect something is to render it free from pathogenic organisms or to make them inert. That is, to kill the germs and bacteria or to render them harmless. To keep you and your client safe, any item that touches a customer must be disinfected before it can be used on any other customer. Most disinfectors kill 99.99% of germs within 30 seconds. When you disinfect you are removing potentially harmful bacteria that might not be visible to the naked eye.

You can disinfect tools by soaking them in alcohol, quats, or a phenol compound such as Barbicide for at least ten minutes (see recommended instructions for products used). Most disinfection solutions are weakened or rendered inactive by contamination of organic material such as skin or nail dust. They should be replaced daily or according to manufacturers directions. We also recommend disinfecting tables, handles, magnifier lamps, doorknobs, sinks and dispensers between clients.

Sterilization

Sterilization is the removal of all microorganisms and other pathogens from a surface or object by subjecting it to high heat or pressure such as an autoclave. When we sterilize, we completely eliminate microbial viability, killing all non-pathogenic and pathogenic spores, fungi and viruses. In the salon, sterilization is not really necessary. This process is only required on instruments entering the body cavity. This procedure is normally used in the medical and dental field. Some salons, however, do use heat or pressure to sterilize metal instruments. For sterilizing purposes, I recommend an autoclave, and for smaller spaces a glass bead sterilizer. Always sterilize areas that come into contact with blood or other bodily fluids. Instruments and tools such as tweezers and scissors should be stored in a covered container after being sterilized until you’re ready to use them.

More Tips for in the Salon

If you are unfamiliar with Universal Precautions, or state guidelines, all information is researchable online. Do not apply eyelash or eyebrow extensions unless you are clear about these basic, but extremely important principles. I recommend using disposable items whenever possible, such as spoolies, flocking applicators, Q-tips, micro brushes, under eye gel patches, medical tape, glue rings, glue trays and table paper. Disposable items must be thrown away immediately after use.

Additional Areas of Sanitation to Consider

Think about wearing a face mask, such as 3M Aura Face Mask 9211+, which provides reliable respiratory protection from long-term exposure to any potential workstation fumes, as well as the unintended consequence of particles from your mouth landing on your customers’ face when you are working and speaking with them. I also recommend, keeping your clients’ hair out of the way with a headband to protect it from getting any glue or lashes in it. Let me, and my team, know if you have any questions in the comments below. Hope those lashes are looking long and lush!