Hair Science is 1 of 13 topics on the Texas Class A Barber written exam — 33 of the 300 questions in FadeJunkie's Milady-sourced bank cover it. Below are 15 real Hair Science questions with real answers: growth cycles, texture, porosity, and structure.
What's the average pH of hair and skin?
About 5.0 — slightly acidic, which is why pH-balanced products matter for hair and skin health.
What is "hair texture," specifically?
The degree of coarseness or fineness of an individual hair strand — distinct from density, which is how many strands grow per square inch.
Which hair growth phase is the active growing phase?
Anagen — new hair is actively produced during this phase.
What happens during the catagen phase of hair growth?
The follicle shrinks, the hair bulb disappears, and the shrunken root forms a rounded club — it's the short transitional phase between active growth (anagen) and rest (telogen).
What's the average rate of hair growth per month?
About ½ inch.
Which layer of the hair provides its strength, elasticity, and natural color?
The cortex — the middle layer, which contains the melanin that gives hair its color.
White hair is the color of keratin without what?
Melanin — hair with zero melanin pigment appears white; hair with reduced (not zero) melanin appears gray.
What causes gray hair?
A reduction (not total absence) of melanin pigment production.
What does it mean for hair to be "porous"?
It has a raised cuticle layer that easily absorbs moisture and chemical solutions.
Is coarse hair more or less resistant to chemical processing than fine hair?
More resistant — coarse hair has a thicker cuticle layer, so it takes longer to process chemically.
What usually causes unusually high hair porosity?
Previous over-processing — repeated chemical services lift and damage the cuticle over time.
What is "terminal hair"?
The long, coarse hair found on the scalp, legs, arms, and bodies of both males and females — distinct from fine, short vellus hair.
What does it mean for hair to be "resistant"?
It feels smooth with a tightly compact cuticle, making it slower to absorb chemical solutions.
Is fine hair more or less susceptible to damage from chemical services?
More susceptible — it has less protein mass in the cortex to withstand chemical processing.
What does a hair's elasticity indicate?
The strength of its cortex — how much the hair can stretch and still return to its original length without breaking.
These 15 are a sample. The full FadeJunkie bank has 33 real Hair Science questions (plus 33 matching flashcards) — try the Hair Science practice quiz or flip through the Hair Science flashcards for free. A one-time $15 lifetime pass unlocks full multi-topic study and the complete 300-question bank across all 13 tested topics.
Hair Science is one of 13 topics tested on the Texas barber written exam. See the Texas Barber State Board Exam Guide for the full exam process, or browse every topic from the Education Hub. Related: Anatomy practice questions.
Questions and answers are drawn from the Milady Standard Barbering curriculum, the same textbook Texas barber schools use to prepare students for the TDLR/PSI state board exam.