c/estheticians

Overheard a client say her last esthetician used a dirty towel on her face

I was wiping down my station at the shop when I heard a new client tell my coworker she switched to us because her last esthetician wiped her face with a towel that smelled like old makeup remover. Gross. She said she watched her grab it out of a bin that wasn't even lined. Made me triple check my own laundry service. Anyone else run into former clients with wild hygiene horror stories from other places?

My esthetician friend in Austin showed me a hack for getting rid of milia without extracting

I was visiting her studio last weekend and she used a clean lancet to gently poke the top, then pressed a warm cotton round on it for like 30 seconds. Pushed the little keratin ball right out without any digging. Anyone else use this method or got a better way?

Pro tip: check your extraction fans before taking on a spray tan client

Had a client come in last Tuesday for a full body spray tan. Started the session and the extraction fan in my room was barely pulling air. By the time she was done, the whole room was a cloud of mist. She ended up coughing and I had to refund her $60. Spent the next two hours airing out the space. Now I do a quick fan check every morning before anyone walks in. Anyone else run into equipment issues that killed a service?

Finally switched to a serum-based facial after a disaster with a clay mask in Sacramento

I was doing a deep pore cleansing facial on a client last Wednesday and the clay mask dried way too fast on her combo skin. It started cracking and pulling and she said it felt tight and uncomfortable. I felt so bad. I had to soak it off with warm cloths and switch to a hydrating serum mask halfway through. She was nice about it but I could tell she was annoyed. Now I'm testing serums on myself before using them on clients. Has anyone else had a clay mask go wrong on a specific skin type?

A client's comment about my lighting changed how I do brows

I've been doing brow waxing and tinting for about 4 years now. Last month a regular client said my brow mapping looked uneven under my overhead light. She was right, the shadows from that single fixture were throwing off my symmetry. I swapped to a ring light with adjustable brightness and positioned it at 45 degrees. Now I check my work from both sides before finishing, and the difference in my photos is huge. Has anyone else had to rethink their lighting setup?

Finally switched to oil-based cleansers after 8 years of using micellar water on oily skin

My face stopped looking like a grease slick by 2 PM, but I had to wash my pillowcases twice a week for the first month so has anyone else dealt with that transition period?

Tried that LED mask everyone raves about. Got a sunburn on my face.

Used the Dr. Dennis Gross mask for 20 minutes last Tuesday. My face was bright red for 2 days. Esthetician friend said I was using it wrong. Apparently you have to build up tolerance. Didn't see that on the box. Anyone else make this mistake?

Can we talk about switching from cotton rounds to reusable pads for toner application

I used to go through bags of those round cotton pads from CVS every month, probably 3 or 4 packs easy. Now I've been using these reusable bamboo rounds I got off Etsy for about 6 months and I just wash them with my towels. Idk maybe it's just me but my toner seems to absorb better and I'm not tossing all that waste. Anyone else made the switch and noticed a difference in product usage or skin feel?

Heads up about the facial room at that new spa off Broad Street

I went to check out a new spa that opened two weeks ago downtown and I noticed the facial room didn't have a sink near the bed. Like they expected me to haul hot towels and products from the back hallway every time. I asked the owner about it and she said they ran out of budget for plumbing. Just a heads up if you're scouting new spots to work or refer clients, make sure you actually walk through the treatment rooms first. Has anyone else dealt with a setup like this?

Used to slather on hydrating serums without toning first... what was I thinking?

Back when I started out 4 years ago I'd just slap a thick serum on dry skin after cleansing and wonder why my esthetician clients in Austin kept looking greasy, then I finally learned that using a pH-balancing toner before moisturizing changed my results completely, has anyone else had that awkward moment where you realized you were doing a basic step totally backwards?

Had a client freak out over a tiny breakout after a facial yesterday

This woman in her 40s came in for a basic exfoliating facial and left with three small whiteheads. She called me two hours later saying I gave her acne and wanted a refund. How do you guys handle clients who don't understand purging vs a bad reaction?

Spent $80 on a fancy LED face mask and it made me break out like a teenager

Had a client bring in a picture of a celebrity from a magazine and ask for 'exactly that glow'... the picture was from 1998.

Serious question, how do you handle a client having a visible reaction during a facial?

I was doing a basic hydrating facial at my studio in Tampa last month, and about 10 minutes after applying a new serum sample, my client's cheeks got super red and warm. She said it was starting to sting. I immediately rinsed it off with cool water and applied a calming gel with aloe. The redness went down after maybe 15 minutes, but it was a tense quarter hour. I felt awful, even though she was understanding. Do you guys keep a specific 'reaction protocol' written down, or just go by feel in the moment? What's your first move?

I was steaming faces for years before a client in Dallas said her skin felt tight and dry after

I realized I was holding the steamer way too close, like 6 inches away, for way too long. Anyone have a good rule for timing and distance based on skin type?

Honestly, I used to think all LED masks were basically the same until I tried two side by side

Tbh, I bought a cheaper one online for about $80 and used it for a month on my clients. Ngl, the results were barely noticeable. Then I rented a professional-grade Omnilux mask for a week to test it. The difference was crazy. The professional one had way more diodes and the light felt more intense. After just three sessions, I saw a real improvement in redness and texture that the cheap one never gave me. Has anyone else found the budget masks just don't cut it for actual treatment-level results?

I read a study that said most people only use 20% of their sunscreen bottle

Found this in a report from the Skin Cancer Foundation last month. It means clients are likely not applying nearly enough for real protection, even if they think they are. I started showing a nickel-sized dollop in my consults as a visual guide. Has anyone else found a good way to get people to actually use the right amount without scaring them off?

A facial I did in Portland last week made me switch up my steam machine timing completely.

I started the steam a full 15 minutes before the cleanse instead of right after, and the pores were so much more ready, so what's your usual pre-steam routine?

A spa in Denver made me rethink my entire approach to extractions

I watched a senior esthetician there do a full facial without ever using her nails, just these angled metal tools and constant steam. She cleared a stubborn blackhead in under 10 seconds that would have taken me a minute of pressure. Anyone have a favorite brand for those tools that doesn't cost a fortune?

Pro tip: stop using that cheap magnifying lamp from Amazon on everyone

I mean, I see it all the time in local Facebook groups, people bragging about their $39 lamp. I had a client come in last week with broken capillaries on her cheeks she swore were new, and her last esthetician just cranked that thing to max and pressed it right on her skin. You can't treat every face like a flat surface, and that intense heat and pressure can cause real damage. How do you all handle clients with super sensitive skin when you need to see detail?

A client in Phoenix told me my extractions were too fast and it made her skin flare up for days.

She said I was rushing through the congested areas on her cheeks and not letting the steam really open things up first. I started adding a full 10 minutes of steam time before I even touch a tool, and I do a second pass with a warm towel halfway through. Her skin looked so much calmer at her follow up. How do you guys pace a tough extraction session without making the client uncomfortable?

PSA: A client's reaction at the Denver spa show made me rethink my consultation script

I was giving a demo on hydration serums at the Denver spa show last month, and a client stopped me to ask what 'non-comedogenic' really meant. I gave my usual line about not clogging pores, but she pressed me, asking for the actual ingredients that cause clogging versus the ones that don't. I realized my script was too vague and didn't actually help her make a choice. Now I always list specific pore-clogging oils and waxes by name during consults. Has anyone else had to totally rewrite their basic talking points after a simple question?

A client swore by a specific brand of LED mask for acne, and I was wrong to doubt it.

She showed me her before and after photos from just 8 weeks of use, and the reduction in active breakouts was huge. I'm looking into adding a similar device to my treatment menu now. Has anyone else had a client convince them to try a new tool?

Remember when everyone had those little steamers for facials?

I bought a fancy $250 facial steamer back in 2015 thinking it would be a game changer for my home clients. It broke after maybe 20 uses, and the company was out of business so I couldn't get parts. Do you still use a steamer, or have you moved on to other methods for opening pores?

Noticed a spa in Portland using a simple trick for mask application

They had a small, soft-bristled art brush at each station for applying clay masks around the eyes and lips. It gave such a clean line and felt way more precise than using a spatula. Has anyone else tried a tool like this for detailed work?