The past two years have been trying; it has been hard on most and devastating to many. The need for empathy goes without saying. As the expression goes, “Be kind because everyone is fighting a difficult battle.” This is the reason it is so important for the skin care industry to be a cohesive and compassionate unit, delivering uplifting, self-affirming, and calming experiences to clients. 

Trends in social media are a moving target. What is hot today may be considered passe quite quickly. Navigating this environment requires a sophisticated understanding of multiple platforms in order to attract the attention of potential clients. Spas may ponder a number of questions. Which platform is most likely to contain their prospective clients? What does the competition’s content look like? How will spas know if what they are doing is working, and what is coming next?

Melissa Black is the founder and owner of Bombshell Beauty Lounge Salons and Candy Coat Beauty Wax + Sugar with locations in Richmond, Virginia; downtown Las Vegas, Nevada; and West Hollywood, California. As a master aesthetician and permanent makeup and tattoo artist, she has been in the industry for more than three decades. Black has dedicated her knowledge to building brands and developing techniques with a proven track record of success in the world of aesthetics.

Botanicals, flowers, and herbs have been used for centuries to calm, repair, and beautify skin. The infusion of the cannabis sativa plant into balms, oils, and tinctures dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, and it is said that even the queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, extracted the essence of the plant into elixirs for her daily bathing and grooming rituals. Cannabis is one of the earliest plants to be cultivated. By the late 1800s, cannabis extracts were sold throughout Europe and the United States to treat skin ailments such as psoriasis and eczema. 

Today there are so many options and products for treating teenagers and their acne. While the consumer market is riddled with less-than routes, skin care professionals know they have the superior treatment plans for their younger clients. These clients come with their own hurdles, such as getting them to commit to an acne regimen, especially if there is a hereditary propensity towards it. Most of the time, existing clients will turn to their spas because they have a teenager that is either suffering from full-blown acne (In this case, it may be best to refer them to a dermatologist where they can possibly be treated with a topical.) or their teenager’s complexion is just starting to break out. Nevertheless, this is the best time to use your knowledge and expertise to have a fun and informative skin care discussion with your new, youthful client.

Melissa Black is the founder and owner of Bombshell Beauty Lounge Salons and Candy Coat Beauty Wax + Sugar with locations in Richmond, Virginia; downtown Las Vegas, Nevada; and West Hollywood, California. As a master aesthetician and permanent makeup and tattoo artist, she has been in the industry for more than three decades. Black has dedicated her knowledge to building brands and developing techniques with a proven track record of success in the world of aesthetics.

The world threw the skin care industry a serious curve ball in March of 2020 with extraordinarily little time to devise a business survival game plan. Most were frozen in fear with their heads reeling on what mandated closures would do to the skin care industry as it was deemed nonessential.

The spa owners that shifted their business models to work with the hardships did one or both of the following: doubled down on an established online and social media presence or quickly pivoted their brick-and-mortar community and set up online e-commerce shops to stay connected. For these businesses, it meant the difference between weathering the storm or seeing their doors closed forever.

Presently, most states have allowed skin care professionals to return to work and reopen their spa doors to the public with restrictions on capacity. The business owners that made it to the other side by using either savings or paycheck protection program loans are still carrying the uncomfortable feeling of fatigue hoping they can become profitable with diminished revenue due to capacity restrictions. There is also the lingering thought of if and when this could happen again.

The strategy now requires answering questions regarding clients’ needs in a post-COVID world and growing a digital presence to guarantee a future stream of income exists. There are some simple ways to ensure long-term success by looking into search engines.

Melissa Black is the founder and owner of Bombshell Beauty Lounge Salons and Candy Coat Beauty Wax + Sugar with locations in Richmond, Virginia; downtown Las Vegas, Nevada; and West Hollywood, California. As a master aesthetician and permanent makeup and tattoo artist, she has been in the industry for more than three decades. Black has dedicated her knowledge to building brands and developing techniques with a proven track record of success in the world of aesthetics.

Cannabidiol (CBD) infused beauty products are rapidly saturating the skin care industry. Small, boutique lines were the first to pave the way, bringing awareness to the consumer of the benefits of CBD. Today, major skin care brands are rolling out their versions, touting their elixir- like qualities across the United States in grocery stores, gas stations, truck stops, and even multi-level-marketing (MLM) enterprises.

To the average consumer, products containing cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) still seem to be shrouded with a sense of taboo and mystique. However, the global CBD infused skin care market is predicted to grow at a rate of 32.9%, which means it will reach a value of $1.7 billion by 2025. It is paramount for skin care professionals to have a basic understanding of what these products can mean for their skin care practice and how to incorporate them into the treatment room.

So, you want to be a microblading star, no problem – if you are not expecting to be one without practice, practice, practice. Many skin care professionals in our industry are jumping on the microblading and permanent makeup bandwagon and rightly so. It is not just a lucrative service in the industry, but it is life changing for many. I have personally had so many clients burst into tears after seeing their new eyebrows. To be honest, the first time it happened it scared me half to death because I was not 100% sure if they were tears of joy or terror. Fortunately, I have only had tears of joy – It can really make you fall in love with microblading. I am telling you this because of the gravity of responsibility we carry performing microblading. It literally changes the way people see themselves, and it is truly palpable and inspiring.

Melissa Black is the owner of Bombshell Salons, Candy Coat Beauty: Spray Tanning, Waxing + Sugaring products, and creator Of CBD SkinPro Society, based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a master aesthetics instructor, master aesthetician, permanent makeup artist, and has been in the industry for three decades.