diff --git a/src/lib/style-defaults.html b/src/lib/style-defaults.html
index 3a111ca78c..d2cd2db40e 100644
--- a/src/lib/style-defaults.html
+++ b/src/lib/style-defaults.html
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
       get _styleProperties() {
         if (!this._properties) {
           // force rules to reparse since they may be out of date
-          styleProperties.decorateStyles(this._styles, this._element);
+          styleProperties.decorateStyles(this._styles, this);
           // NOTE: reset cache for own properties; it may have been set when
           // an element in an import applied styles (e.g. custom-style)
           this._styles._scopeStyleProperties = null;
diff --git a/src/lib/style-properties.html b/src/lib/style-properties.html
index 94c6a698b9..13576b751a 100644
--- a/src/lib/style-properties.html
+++ b/src/lib/style-properties.html
@@ -28,12 +28,12 @@
       // decorates styles with rule info and returns an array of used style
       // property names
       decorateStyles: function(styles, scope) {
-        var self = this, props = {}, keyframes = [], styleIndex = 0;
+        var self = this, props = {}, keyframes = [], ruleIndex = 0;
         styleUtil.forRulesInStyles(styles, function(rule, style) {
           self.decorateRule(rule);
           // mark in-order position of ast rule in styles block, used for cache key
-          rule.index = styleIndex++;
-          self.walkHostAndRootProperties(scope, rule, style, function(info) {
+          rule.index = ruleIndex++;
+          self.whenHostOrRootRule(scope, rule, style, function(info) {
             // we can't cache styles with :host and :root props in @media rules
             if (rule.parent.type === styleUtil.ruleTypes.MEDIA_RULE) {
               scope._notCacheable = true;
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@
         return {properties: props, key: o};
       },
 
-      walkHostAndRootProperties: function(scope, rule, style, callback) {
+      whenHostOrRootRule: function(scope, rule, style, callback) {
         if (!rule.propertyInfo) {
           self.decorateRule(rule);
         }
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@
         // note: active rules excludes non-matching @media rules
         styleUtil.forActiveRulesInStyles(scope._styles, function(rule, style) {
           // if scope is StyleDefaults, use _element for matchesSelector
-          self.walkHostAndRootProperties(scope, rule, style, function(info) {
+          self.whenHostOrRootRule(scope, rule, style, function(info) {
             var element = scope._element || scope;
             if (matchesSelector.call(element, info.selector)) {
               if (info.isHost) {