I used to just use alcohol wipes back and forth but she showed me to swipe in one direction only from handle to tip so you don't push bacteria back into the crevices and now my tools actually stay clean between clients, has anyone else been doing it wrong this whole time?
I just did my quarterly taxes and was looking at the numbers. I made $52k last year from my studio in Denver but after supplies, rent, and self-employment tax I only kept like $31k. Found a breakdown on a finance blog for freelancers that said estheticians lose a bigger percentage than most trades because we have to buy so much product. Two sides to this - some girls say write everything off and work from home, others say just accept it and raise prices. What do you all do to keep more of your money?
She was snoring so loud the next room heard it, and I had to gently wake her up to rinse the acid off before she drooled through the neutralization step. Has anyone else had someone doze off mid-treatment with something that strong on their face?
I worked at a medi-spa in Scottsdale for 2 years and watched girls upsell people on fancy vitamin C when the real issue was they weren't using SPF daily. Why do we keep making skincare way more complicated than it needs to be with expensive extras?
I had a client last month who came in for a light peel and her skin barrier was so damaged from her home routine that the peel barely had any effect. She was using a scrub every single night and then a retinol serum on top. Has anyone else noticed more clients coming in with over-exfoliated skin from those trendy Korean washcloths?
For two years I told clients they were just a trendy gimmick till I did one on my own lashes last month and saw how much time it saves on my morning routine, has anyone else changed their mind on a treatment they used to bash?
I was at a client's house in Portland last month doing a facial, and she pulled out a pack of wipes to remove her makeup before I started. I told her to stop and use a proper cleanser instead, and she looked at me like I had three heads. Within 20 minutes of using my gentle micellar water and cotton rounds, her face was less red and she admitted the wipes always left her feeling tight. Has anyone else had to talk a client out of using those wipes?
The esthetician admitted the products were past their shelf life and said it 'saves money'. Has anyone else run into this at chain spas?
I kept having these enzyme peels lose their fizz way before the expiration date. Took me almost a year to realize I was storing them in the cabinet above my hot water heater. The constant heat was killing the enzymes dead. Switched to the fridge and now my pumpkin enzyme from last spring still bubbles like crazy. Has anyone else had enzyme products go flat for no obvious reason?
I had this regular client named Jenna who kept complaining about breakouts after her peels. I thought she was just not following aftercare. Then I attended a workshop in Portland last fall where the instructor literally said 'if your skin is angry after treatments, you're probably doing too much.' That hit hard. I realized I was layering acids and scrubs like we were racing to the bottom. Has anyone else had that moment where you figured out less is actually more?
I keep seeing estheticians in Orlando using 30% glycolic peels on people who clearly have compromised skin. I had a client come in last week after visiting three other places and her moisture barrier was totally shot. Why are we ignoring the basics like checking for redness or peeling before dropping strong acids? Has anyone else noticed this trend getting worse?
I was in the middle of a facial for a regular client in Austin and my Silhouet-Tone steamer just stopped producing steam. No sputtering, no warning, just dead. I had to finish the extractions with just hot towels and a lot of praying. Has anyone else had a steamer fail like that out of nowhere, or am I just unlucky?
I was in Sedona last month and stopped by this small spa called Red Rock Radiance to check out their treatment rooms. They had this wall-mounted steamer that was plumbed directly into the sink, no more dragging a portable unit around. Has anyone else seen those built-in setups or is it just a fancy Arizona thing?
I've been an esthetician for about 2 years in Portland and always wondered why my extractions were taking forever. Took a class last weekend and the teacher pointed out I was holding the steamer way too far from the face like 10 inches instead of 6. She literally said "you're just steaming the room not the skin" lmao. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you've been doing something basic completely backwards?
Had a regular say she stopped going to her last esthetician because hot towels made her face red for days. I switched to lukewarm for her and she's been fine, anyone else adjust temps for reactive skin?
This lady comes in last Tuesday, sits down, and after I finish her brows she says they look like I used a stencil. She wanted them softer and more natural. So I changed my whole technique, now I leave a little more fuzz and use scissors for texture instead of tweezing everything clean. Been getting way more compliments since then actually. Anybody else ever get feedback that made you totally switch up your method?
Last Tuesday I had a client with super congested skin. I went in like usual. Poked around for 10 minutes. She said 'are you done yet?' That's when it clicked. I was pressing way too hard trying to get everything out. Caused redness and irritation for nothing. Anybody else have that lightbulb moment with extractions?
I was doing a light glycolic peel on a regular client at my studio in Portland. About 5 minutes in, her cheeks started getting red and bumpy. I stopped immediately, neutralized everything, and put on a cold compress with aloe. Turns out she used a new retinol cream the night before without telling me. She was fine after an hour but it scared me pretty bad. How do you guys handle it when clients forget to mention stuff like that?
She said it was the first time in 6 months she felt like she looked like herself again after dealing with bad cystic breakouts. Has anyone else had a moment where a client's reaction really made you stop and think about why you do this work?
I used to press so hard I'd bruise clients for days. A mentor in Austin told me a 30-second gentle glide is way more effective than 5 minutes of digging and reduces redness by half. Anyone else have a lightbulb moment on this?
I had a client last Friday absolutely lose it when she found out her favorite moisturizer got discontinued. She said I should've warned her months ago when I first heard the rumors. But idk, another esthetician at my studio said we shouldn't share info until it's official because it just causes panic and returns. What do you all do when you hear a staple product is getting axed? Has anyone else dealt with this situation and found a good middle ground?
I kept wondering why my clients weren't seeing results from my Omnilux mask, until I realized half of them were slathering on rosehip oil right before. Oils can actually block or refract the light wavelengths, especially if it's a thick carrier oil. I switched my protocol to advise using the mask on bare clean skin or just a thin water-based serum, and the difference in collagen results after 6 weeks was night and day. Has anyone else noticed this slowing down their treatment outcomes?
Picked CosRx snail mucin over that fancy La Roche-Posay hyaluronic acid for my dehydrated clients and honestly my own face felt like a whole new person after 3 days, anyone else find cheaper stuff works better sometimes?
I was doing a 30% lactic acid peel on a regular client at my suite in Austin when her skin started turning bright red and blotchy within 2 minutes instead of the normal 3-5. I neutralized immediately with cold water and sprayed a cooling mist but she got these raised welts that took 20 minutes to calm down. Has anyone else had a sudden reaction like this with a product you've used a hundred times before?
I used to think hot stone facials were just a gimmick to charge extra, like $40 more per session. Then I did one on a client with chronic sinus pressure last March, and she nearly fell asleep on my table. On the flip side, I see other estheticians saying the stones don't do anything a warm towel can't do for way less setup time. The heat is supposed to relax muscles and let serums absorb deeper, but is there real science backing that? I'm curious if any of you have noticed lasting results or if you think it's just a spa upsell. What convinced you one way or the other?