Skin analysis may seem pretty rudimentary at first glance. In fact, speaking as a skin care therapist myself, one of my concerns about our profession is that not everyone takes it seriously enough. Clients may think they “know” all about their own skin, and the skin therapist may lack the expertise to offer deeper insight. It’s my passionate belief that the skin analysis is the most valuable service we offer as professionals. I believe not only that every professional skin care treatment must be preceded by appropriate questions and an expert visual and manual examination, but also that every purchase of skin care product as well deserves to be shaped by this same consultation. This is the difference between a skin therapist who, as part of an overall professional practice, recommends products for a client’s at-home regimen, versus a salesperson who simply sells frocks, blueberry muffins, or cellphones. To treat someone’s skin, and to provide that person with the knowledge and products to correctly treat their own skin, you have to touch them — really touch them. A big part of skin analysis is problem-solving. This begins with powers of observation. Some of these powers are purely empirical, based upon Read More

Have you ever sat and wondered about your profession? Are you aware that you are in one of the best professions? Did you know that it offers an incredible number of opportunities? Many of us, when we graduate from aesthetic school, cannot wait to find a job to do facials, whether that is in a salon or spa. All we do is think and think about doing a facial cleanse, tone, and moisturize. Who will be our first client? Will they rebook? Will they tip us? But, our license offers us so many other opportunities that the possibilities are truly staggering. There are many that we have not even thought about, but make no mistake, with that license we can capture an amazing job that we will love. Read More

In our not-so-distant past, the pursuit of smooth, hairless skin drove people to extreme measures. They would scrape their suffering skin with seashells, scour themselves raw with sand, even apply disgusting concoctions consisting of “resin, pitch, white vine or ivy gum extracts, ass’ fat, she-goat’s gall, bat’s blood, and powdered viper” in an effort to—WHAT? – gross their hair out of growing? Sounds painful, smelly, and frighteningly drastic, but it is a clear indication of how much value is placed on hair-free skin. What these women—and men—needed, however, was a calming, skilled someone to take their hairy hand and say, “Let’s work together on this and you’ll be smooth faster than you can say, ‘Tigris and Euphrates’.” You are that soothing to someone. You can help your clients view hair removal as a beautifying, pampering treatment—not a visit to a world of pain. And you can build your business around hair removal treatments by bundling them together with other services. Read on for some insight from industry professionals on the latest trends in taking it off and suggestions for growing your hair removal business. Read More

Aestheticians have a big responsibility to their clients’ well-being in the treatment room as well as after they leave. While facial scrubs may be the most often employed method of exfoliation in the professional environment, knowing how scrubs affect the skin and how critical it is to properly treat the skin post-scrub can be the difference between exfoliation that can improve skin conditions and a procedure that promotes oxidation and aging. Scrubs are ingredient compounds usually formulated with small, hard particles suspended in a cream, gel, or lotion, often containing a light surfactant cleansing agent plus skin conditioners and moisturizers. Ingredients often used in these formulas to provide the “scrubbing action” include polyethylene beads, rice bran wax, carnauba wax, beeswax, and jojoba wax. You also will find scrubs that use almond meal, brazil nuts, walnut shells, apricot seeds, and even pumice from volcanic rock. Other forms of scrub compounds include simple sugars and sugar-like particles that come in various sizes and break down as they are applied. The one thing all scrubs have in common is that they are intended to cause a physical impact on the surface layers of the skin. Read More