Cosmetology and Beauty Services Level 2

Who it is for. People who have finished Cosmetology and Beauty Services (Level 1), or who can show the same skills. National Proficiency II covers varied work, mostly routine, under limited supervision.

Bridge from Level 1: what you already know

Level 1 did not cover bridal and photography make-up, nail art and extensions, steam facials and massage, threading and waxing, event timetables and package prices, or how FDA registration, storage and stock work. Level 2 covers all of these. It uses the same hygiene rules every time. If a Level 1 step is not in your head yet, go back to it before you start a unit.

Hair is not in this book. Cutting, braiding, relaxers and wigs are in Hairdressing and Barbering. First aid is in First Aid and Community Health Helper.

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is hands-on practice, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme split of about 30% school and 70% workplace.

How to read the evidence tags. A fact with a source tag has been checked. A step marked (trade practice) is common training content that no source in this book spells out in full: learn it as a good method and ask your trainer to confirm it. Anything marked not verified was searched for and not found.

Competency standard

Range. Adult clients with consent; a bridal look, an evening event look and a photo look. Evidence. Observation of two full looks; trial record; phone-flash test photos (with permission); logbook.

What changes from Level 1

At Level 1 you did a simple day look in about 45 minutes. At Level 2 the same steps have to work for 8 to 12 hours, in heat, in tears and hugs, under flash and in video. A stated bridal slot is 60 to 90 minutes per look, and a bride may book a trial and more than one look. That is the pace you are training for.

Your kit for advanced looks

Buy what you will use again and again. Start small, and mix shades rather than owning every shade: a Ghanaian make-up artist who now runs a studio started with a few products from Madina Market, about two fair and two dark shades, and said artists can customise products by mixing. Asking prices seen on Jiji Ghana in October 2026 are in Unit 7. For this unit you need:

Colour for deep skin: the rules that save you

1. Match to the neck and chest, not only the face. Swatch two or three close shades along the jawline and the neck, check in daylight, and wait about 10 minutes because some formulas oxidise (darken).
2. Find the undertone first. Move warmer if the shade looks too pink and cooler if it looks too yellow. If no single shade works, mix two.
3. Never go lighter than the skin. A foundation lighter than the neck looks grey on camera. Clients sometimes ask to look "lighter" for photos. You match and you glow; you do not whiten. See the firm rule at the end of this unit.
4. Correct before you cover. Dark circles on deep skin often have a purple or brown tone. An orange or peach corrector under the concealer cancels it (trade practice). Use a thin layer and blend.
5. Choose warm colour for cheeks. Warm blush in berry, orange and bronze shows on dark skin; pastel pink can disappear (trade practice).
6. Use shine on purpose. Put highlighter only on high points: tops of cheekbones, brow bone, centre of the nose bridge and cupid's bow. A shiny forehead and nose under flash look oily.

Step by step: a full bridal look

A. The trial (one to three weeks before the wedding)

B. Bridal look: the application order

The steps add up to 90 minutes without the optional lash step (5 + 7 + 3 + 12 + 5 + 8 + 20 + 8 + 6 + 5 + 5 + 1 + 5) and 95 minutes with it.

Photography, flash and video

Cameras are not kind to some products. A phone with flash is your best teacher, so test every look.

Other looks

• Event or evening look. Same steps, with a deeper eye, a bolder lip and a little more highlighter. Keep the base thin: heavy skin looks tired by midnight.
• Day, church or graduation look. Soft eyes, natural brows, warm blush and a satin lip. A natural look is quicker, about 45 to 60 minutes.
• Mature skin. Use creamy products, a thin base and very little powder; powder settles in lines (trade practice). Do not use a heavy matte base.
• Funeral or sombre events. A natural, quiet look; waterproof mascara; a touch-up kit with tissues.

Long wear: how to make it last

• Prep with moisturiser and, if she is oily, a primer on the T-zone only (trade practice).
• Use long-wear foundation and waterproof mascara; set with spray (trade practice).
• Press, do not rub, when touching up. Blot first, then add powder.
• Warn her about hugging, sunscreen on top, and hands touching the face. Give her a small card with touch-up steps.
• Do not mix in fresh water or saliva to revive dried mascara. Throw it away.

Hygiene and safety gates at Level 2

Common mistakes and fixes

Money maths: time plan for three looks

A bridal package includes three looks: a natural church look (60 minutes), a bridal glam look (90 minutes) and a reception look (45 minutes). The artist wants 15 minutes of set-up and 15 minutes of clean-up for each look.

Check yourself

1. Where should you swatch foundation to match a deep skin tone?
2. What is "flashback" and how do you fix it?
3. A client wants to look much lighter in her wedding photos. What do you say, and what do you never do?

Competency standard

Range. Natural nails on healthy hands; polish, gel polish, tips and overlay. Evidence. Station set-up check; two nail-art sets; one extension set; allergy and referral oral questions.

Why this unit is about safety first

Nail workers can be exposed to dozens of chemicals, including acrylates and solvents. The US safety institute NIOSH says effects can include skin rash, eye, nose and throat irritation, asthma, and effects on the nerves and on reproduction, with a possible cancer risk; the evidence is "small but growing". Technicians also get neck and shoulder strain. This is US research. Ghana has no nail-salon safety rule that we found, so you set the safe standard yourself.

The controls NIOSH recommends

Nail dust. Filing acrylic and gel makes fine dust. Use a mask and extraction while you file, and sweep with a damp cloth, not a dry brush. A specific nail-dust safety source was not verified; the NIOSH page covers powders and acrylic polymers in general.

Safety data sheet (SDS). Every product you buy should come with a safety data sheet and a full ingredient label. Keep the sheets in a folder at the station. If a supplier cannot give you one, do not buy the product (trade practice).

MMA: a product to refuse

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) liquid monomer. The US FDA called it a "poisonous and deleterious" substance not to be used in fingernail preparations, though a 2000 fact sheet said no specific regulation prohibits it. Reported harms are skin allergy, loss of feeling in the fingertips, and permanent loss of the nail plate. Warning signs are a very strong smell, and nails that are very hard to file and will not soak off. Most reputable products use ethyl methacrylate (EMA) instead. Ghana's rule on MMA is not verified. Course rule: buy only products with a full ingredient label and a safety data sheet, and refuse unlabelled bulk monomer, however cheap.

UV and LED lamps for gel

Gel needs a lamp to cure. The lamp must match the gel, and you cure for the time on the product label. A skin-safety source for lamps was not verified. As a precaution, ask the supplier for the lamp's safety information, do not cure for longer than the label says, and ask a client with very sensitive skin or on skin medicines to speak to a doctor first (trade practice).

Your nail station

Nail art: simple designs, step by step

Start with a clean, healthy natural nail or a finished overlay. Do the Level 1 manicure first (wash, shape, push back the cuticles, buff lightly, wipe with an alcohol wipe). Nail art tools are small: a dotting tool, a thin striper brush, a flat sponge, tweezers for stones, a palette for mixing colours.

Time target: a set of ten nails with simple art in about 60 to 90 minutes (trade practice). Learn to keep your hand steady and your art repeatable before you add more detail.

Tips and extensions: the safe steps

Only do extensions on healthy natural nails. Never put tips, acrylic or gel over an infected, painful, damaged, loose or fungal nail, or over broken skin around the nail. Refer these clients (Unit 3).

Removal. Remove extensions by soaking them off with the proper remover and patience, not by pulling or peeling (trade practice). Pulling can tear the natural nail.

Allergy and when to stop

Methacrylates are common sensitisers: if a client or the technician gets an itchy rash, stop using the product. Remove product, wash the skin with soap and water, and refer to a doctor if it does not settle or if it spreads. Do not use the same product on that person again.

Common mistakes and fixes

Money maths: price a nail set

The cost of one acrylic set is: product GH¢12, tips GH¢4, file and buffer GH¢3, gloves GH¢1, and your time 1.5 hours at GH¢40 an hour. (All figures here are examples.)

Check yourself

1. Which mask protects against nail dust and vapours: surgical or N95?
2. Why must you never put extensions on an infected or damaged nail?
3. What do you do if a client gets an itchy rash after an acrylic set?

Competency standard

Range. Adult clients with healthy, intact skin on the face; a basic facial of about 60 minutes. Evidence. One observed facial; screening form; referral note; oral questions.

The scope line: what you do and do not do

Screening: three answers

Before every facial, read the consultation form and ask again aloud. Then choose one answer.

Ask about: allergies; medicines, especially the acne medicine isotretinoin and retinoid creams; conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, eczema, epilepsy; pregnancy; previous skin reactions; recent sunburn; and whether she has any skin infection.

Steam is not for asthma, rosacea or visible tiny broken veins (couperose), sunburn, or claustrophobia. Massage should be skipped or changed for severe high blood pressure, heart disease, inflamed acne, broken capillaries and sunburn. Sensitive skin: skip steam and strong exfoliation.

Step by step: the basic facial

Times add up as 5 + 5 + 5 + 3 + 5 + 5 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 5 = 58 minutes with the shortest steam and mask; plan the hour.

Why SPF every day. Darker skin has more melanin, but it is not full protection. Dermatology advice is a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher every day, reapplied every 2 hours and after sweating; apply about 15 minutes before going out; and do not forget ears, neck and lips. Mineral sunscreens can leave a white cast, so look for formulas that blend into deeper skin. The local price and availability of suitable sunscreens in Takoradi was not verified; ask the pharmacy.

Skin-condition awareness: recognise and refer, never treat

This is a plain-language guide to help you notice problems. It is not a medical guide and you do not diagnose. The descriptions below are general knowledge, not taken from the sources in this book; ask a doctor or nurse to confirm them for your trainees. The rule for the referral list itself is from beauty-training sources.

The referral note

Always give a written note so the client does not forget and so you are protected.

Dark skin and hyperpigmentation: your honest advice

If a client has dark marks, tell the truth in short words: marks fade slowly, SPF every day protects, and a doctor can advise on treatment. Overuse of lightening products can cause irritation or uneven darkening. Never advise hydroquinone, mercury or steroid creams (Unit 6).

Check yourself

1. Name two things you must never do in a facial at this level.
2. Which clients should not have steam?
3. A client has a dark band that is growing in a nail. What do you do?

Competency standard

Range. Eyebrows, upper lip, chin, face sides, underarms, arms and lower legs. Intimate-area waxing and laser, IPL or electrolysis are not taught here. Evidence. Screening on three cases; one observed threading; one observed wax service; aftercare sheet.

Hygiene before hair removal

Hair removal can cause tiny cuts, so your Level 1 hygiene rules matter more here. Hepatitis B spreads through contact with infected blood and body fluids, especially via open cuts and shared or reused sharp objects. In a Volta Region study of street beauticians and barbers, only about 29% practised hand hygiene before clients and about 21.5% after.

Screening for hair removal

Fill in the form for every client. Do not wax a client who:

• is taking the acne medicine isotretinoin (skin is thin and fragile; sources quote a wait of 6 to 12 months after stopping; use 12 months as your safe default because the sources disagree). Also check any use of topical retinoid creams before waxing (stop several days before facial waxing; sources disagree);
• has an active infection, rash, sunburn, cuts or broken skin;
• takes blood thinners;
• is in cancer treatment, unless her oncologist gives written clearance;
• has moles, warts or varicose veins in the area: standard training advice, not verified in these sources. Do not wax over them;
• has diabetes with reduced feeling in the skin or poor healing: refer to a doctor before any waxing. This is trade practice, not verified in these sources;
• is pregnant: ask her doctor first (trade practice).

If in doubt, refer and do not wax.

Threading: step by step

Threading uses a twisted cotton thread to lift hairs from the follicle. It is common for brows, upper lip and face (trade practice). No safety source for threading was found, so teach clean hands, new thread, and stop if skin reacts.

Upper lip and chin. Same steps with a slightly smaller loop and short strokes. The skin on the upper lip is sensitive: ask about discomfort and stop if she flinches.

Waxing: step by step

Waxing removes hair from the root. Use a wax heater with a thermostat and follow the product label. Test the wax every time. Wax that is runny and hot can burn, and wax that is clumpy is too cold.

If wax burns the skin

A wax burn is a burn. Remove the wax if it is not stuck, and cool the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes. Do not pop blisters and do not put creams, oil or toothpaste on it. If the burn is large, on the face, blistered, or if the client is in a lot of pain, take her to a clinic or hospital (trade practice). Write the incident in your log. Stop waxing her until she is healed and a doctor has seen it.

Aftercare for waxing and threading

Darker skin: ingrown hairs and dark marks

Waxing and plucking can cause ingrown hairs and post-inflammatory dark marks on darker skin. This is our reasoning from dermatology advice on post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, not a direct source. If a client keeps getting ingrown hairs or dark marks, stop the method, advise a break, and refer her to a doctor. Never offer lightening creams.

Check yourself

1. Why is a new spatula used for each dip into the wax?
2. For how many minutes do you cool a wax burn under running water?
3. Name two medicines or treatments that mean you must not wax a client.

Competency standard

Range. A bridal party of up to 8 people; one or two artists. Evidence. Booking sheet; timetable; costing sheet; package table; observation of a team set-up.

Taking a booking: the questions to ask

Backwards planning

Start from the time the client must be finished and count backwards. Add set-up time, travel time and a buffer.

Worked example A (all numbers are examples). A wedding ceremony is at 10:00. Photos start at 9:15. The artist wants everyone finished 30 minutes before photos, at 8:45. The party is the bride (90 minutes) and five bridesmaids (40 minutes each). There are two artists.

If only one artist were working, the same party would take 90 + 5 × 40 = 290 minutes (4 hours 50 minutes), so she would start at 3:55 and everyone would wait hours: two artists are worth it for six people.

Working as a team

Costing one service

The simple method: cost + profit = price. Cost includes: products used, disposables, transport, helper, and your own time at a fair hourly rate. Add overheads (rent, data, power) when you have a space. Then add your mark-up (profit) as a percentage of cost.

Worked example B (examples only). One bridal look at the client's home: products GH¢45, disposables GH¢15, transport GH¢60, a helper GH¢80, your time 2.5 hours at GH¢60 an hour = GH¢150.

Mark-up and margin are different. The mark-up is 30% of cost. The profit as a share of the price is 105 ÷ 455 = about 23% (a "margin" of 23%). Always say which one you mean.

For comparison, one Accra freelance artist's asking price for a single bridal booking (60 to 90 minutes) was GH¢500, and Jiji Ghana bridal listings seen on 9 October 2026 ranged from about GH¢150 to GH¢1,000 per service, with a combo package of bridal make-up, hair, nails and pedicure at GH¢1,500; there were no Western Region listings, and some listings look unreliable. No Takoradi service prices were found: do the price survey in the homework.

Packages

A package bundles services for one price and one booking. It saves your time and gives the client certainty. One Accra artist lists tiered packages: Silver bridal booking GH¢500 (one session, 60 to 90 minutes); Bronze combo GH¢800 (engagement and wedding on the same day); Gold GH¢900 (two days); Platinum GH¢1,200 (three days); Diamond GH¢1,200 (two days plus a reception, three looks, and all-day touch-ups). The page shows no date and the artist is in Accra, so use it only as a model for how to structure packages, not as a price for Takoradi.

An example package table (examples only).

Break-even: how many clients cover your monthly costs

Fixed costs do not change with the number of clients. Variable costs rise with each client.

Worked example C (examples only). Monthly fixed costs: rent GH¢400, power and water GH¢120, data and phone GH¢60 = GH¢580. Average price GH¢180. Average products and disposables per client GH¢40. Each client leaves GH¢180 − 40 = GH¢140 to pay the fixed costs. Break-even clients = 580 ÷ 140 = 4.14, so you need 5 clients a month just to cover costs. Anything after that is profit before your own pay.

Deposits and cancellations

• Deposit. A common rule is 50% to hold the date (trade practice). A deposit shows commitment and pays for your prepared time.
• Cancellation. Write a rule: for example, the deposit is not returned if she cancels within 7 days of the date (example rule, not a legal standard). Say it before she pays.
• No-shows and late arrivals. Write the waiting time you allow (for example 20 minutes).
• If you cannot come, tell her at once and send another trained artist you trust.
• Consumer rights and contract law for beauty services in Ghana were not verified: keep messages polite and clear and ask a lawyer or the Consumer Protection Agency if a dispute grows.

Check yourself

1. In backwards planning, what do you subtract from the finish time?
2. A look costs GH¢100. What is the price with a 30% mark-up?
3. Why can a 10% discount cut your profit by far more than 10%?

Competency standard

Range. A small make-up, nail and facial kit and a small stock room. Evidence. Supplier checklist; label check; stock sheet; oral questions.

What the Ghana FDA registers

Cosmetics in Ghana are registered under the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851); section 118 covers registration of cosmetics. In the guideline, a cosmetic is a substance used for cleansing, improving or altering the complexion, skin, hair, eyes or teeth, and includes deodorants and perfumes. A product that claims to treat, prevent or relieve disease, or to affect the body's structure with therapeutic ingredients, is a drug, not a cosmetic.

Facts for awareness (this is for salon owners and users, not for importers):

The application fee is "as specified in the fee schedule" and the amount is not given in the guideline. An older schedule showed a higher fee for imported cosmetics, but it was not re-verified and may be out of date, so this book does not teach a fee. The fee matters to makers and importers, not to a salon.

Banned products: your firm list

The guideline lists substances banned from cosmetics (Schedule 2). They include all mercury-based products, hydroquinones and their derivatives, diethylene glycol, dichlorvos, organochlorides and persistent organic pollutants. Products containing steroids are treated as drugs and may not be put in cosmetics.

Skin bleaching is common: reports of a WHO fact sheet give 39% for Ghana, and studies range from 30% to 65.6%. These figures come from news and search summaries and the fact sheet itself was not reachable, so use them only as "many Ghanaians report using". Your job is to keep your clients and your own business safe.

When a client asks for lightening. Say: "I cannot sell or apply that. It can seriously harm your skin and your health. I can help you look after your skin, protect it from the sun and, if you are worried about marks, you can see a doctor." Do not argue. Offer a skincare plan.

Checking products when you buy: the supplier checklist

Storage

• Cool and dry. The FDA's eye-make-up advice says do not keep products in places hotter than about 85 degrees Fahrenheit, such as a hot car. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is about 29 degrees Celsius: (85 − 32) × 5 ÷ 9 = 29.4. Ghana is often hotter than that, so store products indoors, away from sun and from the kitchen or generator.
• Closed and clean. Keep lids shut. Use spatulas, not fingers, to take cream from a pot. Never put a used spatula back.
• Off the floor and out of sun. Use a lockable shelf or cabinet. A kit bag is not a stock room.
• Nail liquids. Keep them in their original closed bottles, away from heat and flame; label any dish you pour into.
• Sharps and chemicals apart from food. No food or drink next to products.
• Decanting. If you pour a product into a smaller pot, label it with the name and the date, and use clean containers.
• Temperature at events. Keep a cool bag for creams on very hot days (trade practice).

Expiry, opening dates and shelf life

• Expiry date. Throw away expired products. Do not use "just a little longer".
• Period After Opening (PAO). Many products carry a small open-jar symbol with a number such as 6M or 12M, meaning use within that many months of opening (trade practice). Write the date you opened on the pack with a marker.
• Mascara. Replace mascara every 2 to 4 months and discard dried-out mascara; never add water or saliva. If you open a mascara on 1 August 2026, throw it away between 1 October 2026 (2 months) and 1 December 2026 (4 months) at the latest.
• Eye products on clients. Use single-use applicators and never share eye products.
• Throw away any product that has changed smell, colour, texture or separated; any product that caused a reaction (keep the pack for the doctor, and record it).
• Do not use "FEFO" in reverse. FEFO means first expired, first out: use the product that expires first.

Stock records

A stock sheet. Write for each product: name and brand, shade or size, supplier, batch number, expiry, date bought, quantity bought, date opened, quantity used or sold, balance, and the reorder level.

A simple monthly count. Count what you have on the first and last day of the month. Stock used = opening stock + purchases − closing stock. Cost per client = stock used ÷ number of clients.

Worked example D (examples only). Opening stock is worth GH¢600. You buy GH¢400 more. At the end of the month you count GH¢500. Stock used = 600 + 400 − 500 = GH¢500. You served 50 clients, so product cost per client = 500 ÷ 50 = GH¢10.

Reorder level. The reorder level is the amount at which you order more, so you do not run out. Example: a bottle of foundation serves about 40 clients, you serve about 10 clients a week and the supplier takes about 1 week to deliver. At 10 clients a week, 1 week of stock is 10 clients' worth. Reorder when the bottle has about 10 clients left (a quarter of a bottle), or earlier if you have a big event coming up.

Lock and count. Stock goes missing when nobody counts. Count monthly; keep one person responsible; lock the stock room.

If you find an unsafe or unregistered product

Records for each client

Write down the products used on each client (brand, shade, batch if you can), the patch-test result, the date, any reaction, and aftercare given. If a product is later recalled you will know whom to warn (trade practice).

Check yourself

1. Name two ingredients or product types that are banned from cosmetics in Ghana.
2. How often should you replace mascara?
3. What does FEFO mean?

Competency standard

Range. A one- or two-person beauty business in Takoradi or a town like Akwidaa. Evidence. Location score sheet; start-up budget; one-page plan; marketing set-up; oral questions.

Location settings that give good returns

Use the Level 1 checklist (foot traffic, visibility, water, power, competition, rent, step-free access) and add these beauty points: privacy for facials and waxing; running water for handwashing; lockable storage; good daylight for make-up; ventilation for nail work; and clean space you can wipe down.

Rent. Ghana's Rent Act limits advance rent to six months, yet many Takoradi landlords still ask for one or two years. Put every promise in writing and keep a copy.

Business models: compare them

Ghanaian Hairdressers and Beauticians Association (GHABA) examines apprentices in the Western Region, who can then take the NVTI certificate exam. Ask about it if you want a recognised certificate.

The permit and rules (Ghana)

• Assembly permit. STMA's 2025 fee table lists a small salon at GH¢100 a year, a salon with pedicure, manicure and braiding at GH¢760 a year, and cosmetic and hair product retail at GH¢200 a year. The beauty-specific rows (make-up studio, nail kiosk, spa) were not verified. Ask STMA which row fits you, check the 2026 amounts, and ask when the permit is due each year (one internal note says 31 March, which is not verified).
• Business registration, TIN, tax and SSNIT. These steps are in the Level 3 book of this course. Use only current official sources.
• Inspection. A Volta Region study reported that Environmental Health Officers described monitoring salons; detailed rules for beauty salons are not verified.
• Phone call to make. Call the STMA Environmental Health Unit and ask the exact permit, fee and inspection for (a) a nail kiosk, (b) a make-up studio, (c) a facial or waxing room, and (d) a mobile service.
• Staff health. Encourage hepatitis B vaccination for you and your staff.

Start-up budget: an example from asking prices

Asking prices on Jiji Ghana in October 2026 were: a 12-piece brush set GH¢180; a 16-colour contour palette GH¢150; a one-box full-face kit GH¢150; a 24-piece manicure and pedicure set GH¢199; a 268 W UV LED lamp GH¢240; and an arm-rest nail table GH¢300. The listings were mostly in Accra, delivery costs extra, and some may be poor quality: always check the product label and the safety data sheet. Prices of autoclaves, wax heaters, steamers and facial beds were not verified.

Worked example E (examples only).

Payback. If you serve 12 clients a month at an average price of GH¢180 with GH¢40 of products each and GH¢580 of fixed costs, monthly profit = 12 × 180 − 12 × 40 − 580 = 2,160 − 480 − 580 = GH¢1,100. That is a good month. A slow month of 6 clients gives 6 × 180 − 6 × 40 − 580 = 1,080 − 240 − 580 = GH¢260. At 260 a month, Plan A (GH¢680) is paid back in 680 ÷ 260 = 2.6 months: about 3 months. Always plan on the slow month, not the good one. These figures are examples, not Takoradi data: Takoradi demand and income figures were not verified.

Marketing yourself

Honest marketing. Never claim a certificate you do not hold. Never claim a cosmetic "cures" acne or skin disease: a product claimed to treat disease is a drug. Never post a before-and-after that shows lightening. Never post a client's photo without permission.

Accessibility and persons with disabilities

Ghana's Persons with Disability Act 2006 (Act 715) covers equal rights, accessibility and employment. An employer must not discriminate against a worker because of disability unless the disability affects the job itself. Public places were given ten years to become accessible, a period that ended in 2016, and disability groups said in August 2026 that enforcement is still weak. The Assemblies' disability share rose from 3% to 5% from 2026, and STMA has given barbering and hairdressing tools to persons with disabilities. No beauty-specific disability programme in Ghana was found (not verified). A deaf hairdresser's story is told by ADD International. Ask your Assembly about help with tools or training.

Which tasks are workable, and what helps. The table below is a set of suggestions for course design, not sourced facts. Check each one with trainees who have a disability.

Welcoming clients with disabilities. A step-free entrance; space for a wheelchair; a seat at table height; a written price list; text confirmations for deaf clients; patience with speech; ask "How can I help?" before helping; do not touch a wheelchair or a cane without asking. Tell clients about these on your WhatsApp profile.

Check yourself

1. What is the Rent Act's limit on advance rent?
2. Name two things a deaf client needs from your business.
3. Why plan on the slow month, not the good one?

1. Where do you swatch foundation on deep skin, and why wait about 10 minutes?
2. What is flashback and how do you check for it?
3. Why is a surgical mask not enough for nail dust and vapours?
4. What do you do if a client gets an itchy rash after acrylic nails?
5. Name two things you must never do in a facial at this level.
6. Which clients should not have steam?
7. What must you ask every client before waxing?
8. How long do you cool a wax burn under running water?
9. A look costs GH¢350 and you add a 30% mark-up. What is the price and the 50% deposit?
10. What does the FDA register in Ghana, and what are three banned ingredients?
11. How often should mascara be replaced, and what does FEFO mean?
12. A client asks for a cream to make her skin lighter. What do you say and do?

Best next reads: the NIOSH nail technician pages; the Ghana FDA cosmetics registration guideline; the Hairdressing and Barbering manual in this library; First Aid and Community Health Helper; and your local STMA Environmental Health Unit.

What this module does not cover: lash extensions, brow or lash dye, chemical peels, microneedling, laser or IPL, intimate waxing, injectables, any treatment of skin disease, any skin lightening, hair work (see Hairdressing and Barbering), a first-aid certificate, and Ghana beauty-salon licensing (none was found). This module is not a CTVET curriculum.

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.