The Making of an Esthetician

Often, at the end of a facial treatment, it feels strange to give the client home care advice to follow. It seems like it’s so repetitive and like it’s generally the same for everyone: cleansing AM and PM, toning, exfoliating and moisturizing. And although everyone’s skin type is different, I understand that it is our job to tell them the ingredients and types of products that would work best for them, and if they should be adding something or eliminating something from their routine.

A lot of the clients I’ve had are not interested in buying our professional line products because they are happy with the results they are getting from products you can buy at the local drugstore, such as Walgreens or CVS Pharmacy. Being the product junkie that I am, I use a mixture of both professional skin care products and drugstore-purchased skin care items, and I am happy with the results that I get from both.

I guess my question is, if the client isn’t willing to spend a lot on their product, is it OK to recommend some of my favorite drugstore items that I know will help them? Or do I really encourage them to try a professional product, even though they think it’s way too expensive and hope that one day they’ll give in and buy from our line of retail products?

I understand that retailing and selling our products is a huge part of our business, and I don’t want to send them elsewhere, but I also want them to take care of their skin. Thoughts?

1. Svetlana
   May 12th, 2008 at 5:29 pm

   The truth is that the book that you study is so old, and there were so many inventions in skin care product formulations in the last decade, that it’s very confusing for you at the moment, hard to find the difference between a professional brand and drug store one. The other thing is - what it means “they’re happy with the product they use now”? Is their skin condition perfect? No dryness, no comedones? They come for your professional help and expertise. So, ask your instructor about the product difference, gain the knowledge and share it with your clients.
   In the real world you’ll continue your education, go for manufacturers’ classes, read the professional literature and find that seed that will grow and become a confidence. But you have to exercise it now!

2. Diane, Aesthetician
   May 13th, 2008 at 9:56 am

   I can’t believe I read this email. I don’t care if you use products both over the counter and professional. YOU ARE A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL.
   So act like one. The difference in the products you are selling is the grade of the ingredients in the product and you must be a trained professinonal to sell those products. Anybody can walk into Walgreens as you state and buy products. Though personally as a licensed professional there is nothing in Walgreens I would put on my face unless I absolutely had no other choice.

3. Colleen
   May 13th, 2008 at 11:05 am

   Svetlana - what you said makes a lot of sense. There have been so many new inventions in skin care! And I think your advice will come in handy when I am trying to recommend products to my client. When I find out the products they are currently using from the drugstore, I can say “OK, so you like that about it - how would like this product that we can offer you which has that AND this.” I can work with what they have to get them to what they need. Thank you for the comment.

4. Cynthia Ellis
   May 14th, 2008 at 11:04 am

   Dearest, If you bought a beautiful new dress that needed to be dry cleaned only would you throw it in with your jeans, detergent and bleach? No, I think not. How can your client enjoy the benefit of your skin expertise if you encourage them to slap that pH-jacked up stuff on their skin that you worked so hard on? Its a course of treatment. It’s about you helping them take the best care of their skin. Why bother doing a treatment if all your hard work is going to go down the drain with the first time they apply C-Breeze?

5. Colleen
   May 14th, 2008 at 12:13 pm

   Cynthia - I complete understand what you are saying. I think I should rephrase what I was thinking so it’s more clear. If a teenage girl comes in for instance, with acne-prone problem skin and she is not able to afford our professional products and does not have someone in her life that is willing to spend the money on the products (let’s just say) - then should I at least recommend some drugstore items that would help her condition so she is treating the problem in some way other than not at all? And maybe this is a rare case, but it was a genuine question that I had - which is why I decided to do an entry on it. A woman that is using Oil of Olay eye cream as opposed to NO eye cream at all is better off, is she not?

6. Svetlana
   May 14th, 2008 at 8:19 pm

   Dear Colleen, we see many teens, that come for our professional advice. They are very often looking for a compromise. We do not charge for a consultation. If they bring a money issue up, we revise their budget and suggest to get moisturizing and retexturizing products first, instead even of a facial,if they can’t afford both.
   And instead of continuing using their drug store cleanser we refer them to a grocery shop for yogurt,as it has acidic pH. Same for the masque, as probiotics reduce the inflamation and bacterial invasion. For exfoliation it’s very effective to use pineapple etc. They usually leave happier and come back later for many more treatments and products: when you see the result, it’s easier to believe; when you look better you gain the confedence; in such situation you become more resursful, save money and manage them wizely.

7. Colleen
   May 16th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

   Svetlana - thanks for the comment. I love the idea of using yogurt, pineapple, etc as skin care products. Are these just things that you learned along the way? It also makes caring for your skin more fun when you use these types of products. This is the kind of information I am looking for to give my clients!

8. Svetlana
   May 16th, 2008 at 8:17 pm

   Dear Colleen, I grew up this way, and also collect recipes along the way. Sure, you’ll do the same.

9. Deanne
   May 18th, 2008 at 2:39 pm

   clients are not interested because you don’t believe in your product. In order to recommend a product you need to believe in it. Once you graduate you will find it easier to retail your products. Find a comparison for your clients that takes them to a level they can relate to. If you purchase a new car, but never go in for maintenance, your car will not run efficiently. If you don’t maintain what I’ve done here during your treatment at home you will not find the results you are looking for. Home care is essential for great skin. If your client is purchasing low quality items just because it’s cheap, there is no way they will get the results LONG TERM they are looking for. Believe in yourself & your products.

10. Maggie
    May 20th, 2008 at 2:24 pm

    What a great question, I’m glad you had so many responses. I find that it’s best to keep constantly researching ingredient technology and updating your home care product knowledge of the wonderful professional brands that we work with in addition to some of the better drugstore brands so that you are aware of what your client may be using and what would be the best course of action to switch them to another product if necessary. I personally spend the $$ on pro skin care for my own daily regimen because I have found products that I find genuinely superior to those I have found at the drugstore and also superior to other professional brands. Remember, just because it is a ‘professional’ skin care line does NOT make it automatically fabulous–be aware of marketing techniques and never let them fool you. That’s where your own study and research comes in to really stay abreast of what a product’s performance capabilities really are. And not every drugstore line is ‘SeaBreeze’ (which, by the way, if they are using they NEED to stop). This isn’t 10, 5, or even 2 years ago. That’s why it’s so important to keep continuing your knowledge, which it sounds like you’re really interested in doing. I will say that I had a client who wouldn’t wear sunscreen because she said she couldn’t afford it and I educated her on the importance of a quality spf product (the most important step in my opinion and necessary for all skin on a daily basis). While she wouldn’t budge on purchasing ours (and I didn’t bully her because that is not my style) I, with the knowledge I had on drugstore sunscreens thanks to keeping aware, confidently recommended Neutrogena Sensitive Skin sunscreen spf 17 that contains titanium dioxide as one of the active sunscreen ingredients and does not tend to clog pores. Ethics are very important to me and I feel I am nothing without them. If I genuinely feel a product would be good for their skin (and many drugstore products, I still feel, would not be) I recommend it. Pretty simple. It sounds like you really care about the concerns of your client and will be a great esthetician!

11. Colleen
    May 21st, 2008 at 12:32 pm

    Maggie - Thank you for the comment! And I DO really care about my clients! I just want to tell them about the best products out there - both professional and non-professional. Like I said, I want to make sure they are at least using something - just like in your case where you decided to recommend the Neutrogena sunscreen. That’s really what my question was about and you answered it right on! I don’t think every product in the drugstore should be off limits - but I DO understand the importance/strength/benefits of professional products and how they will help my clients. Thank you for understanding where I am coming from! :)

12. Greenman, Aesthetician
    May 26th, 2008 at 8:55 pm

    Yes, yes, yes! I will probably come under attack for this, but what the hay… If you know how to read your ingredients’ and decipher the unholy amount of claimed product ingredients’ well, then amply put yes. A lot of product lines that have stronger and so called professional or aesthetician rated properties go under the label of natural or organic (this really peeves me). They have some of the same synthetic, bio-engineered and chemical additives as say a product such as one found at a Walgreen or other market might have. I hate to admit it, but you can find almost all professional lines for sale to the public online such as skin1 and some others. The difference, they have the 100% mark up and the person can by without even knowing their skin type really or the proper home care regime; they just need to know their credit card # (sad!). I like Svetlana’s advice for you. She seems very caring and well informed. I do not want to make an argument of this as some would maybe think. As an aesthetician it is your job to provide your clients on how to take care of and maintain a healthy skin. Not whore out products. I would recommend store products if the person was on a fixed income or in dire times or give them home recipes from fruits and other food products. I am into organic certified skin care and it is expensive and hard to come by. It is a balance. I am 39 and a male Aesthetician and have used products from drug stores when I was younger. I just wonder if the one commenter on here would send their clients into the sun without sunscreen for the sake of bypassing a Walgreens? Keep up your endeavors and good journeys to you.

13. Greenman, Aesthetician
    May 26th, 2008 at 9:03 pm

    ps, just read Maggie’s and fully agree. have a good nite!

14. Annabella, esthetician student
    June 11th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

    I’m literally into my third day of classes, but I am so excited to finally be in this field that I can’t help but read ahead in my textbook. I want to know everything I possibly can, but I also don’t believe there is a textbook answer for every situation.

    Enter, the wonderful world of ethics.

    Your job is to be knowledgable about skin care. You are trained to perform specialized services, but also to advise and educate clients on products as well as techniques.

    That said, you have to decide what is priority to you. Your mixture of personal and professional ethics is what makes your service different than all the other estheticians. It is why (or why not) you have the clients you have (or don’t have). Does that make sense? If you’ve decided that you’re going to work for a more retail-oriented company, and you need to be sales driven or meet a quota as part of a job requirement, then it is your duty to your employer to push the salon’s product (and hopefully it’s one you believe in). On the other hand, if you are working independently, or would really rather keep your client’s coming back to you because you’ve earned their trust, then you should feel free to recommend any product you honestly believe would be beneficial for them, and they will appreciate you for that.

    The answer to this question is all about perspective. There is no right or wrong. You don’t have to say or do anything to a client that you don’t feel comfortable and CONFIDENT in saying or doing. Our textbook mentions this in the beginning, but it sounds like common sense to me.

    These extreme skin snobs (and aren’t we all, to a certain degree?) that say ‘I would never put that cheap stuff on my face let alone tell a client to” and so on and so forth, have every right to say and practice that. But that doesn’t make them better or worse, than any other esthetician and that shouldn’t deter you from making a decision you would normally make. If strict routine is what’s important to the esthetician, the kind of client who feels the same way and would appreciate that sort advice will find that kind of esthetician. If that’s you, that’s you, and if it’s not, it’s not. Plain and simple.

    My point is, it seems like you, personally, are willing to put all other obligations aside for the benefit of your client, regardless of the avenue the client may end up choosing, and you will be successful because you will gain their trust and they will want to come back and see you, and only you. You seem like an option giver with an emphasis on in-order-of-importance.
    And p.s., suggesting something to a client outside of your spa’s line of products isn’t sending them elsewhere, unless they don’t come back. And if they don’t come back, they weren’t really serious about skin care (on a professional level anyway) in the first place, and that’s what you’re in the business of; offering your professional opinions and services. These clients pay you to be a consultant, and you can’t effectively consult someone who doesn’t value your advice, or someone who isn’t seriously interested in the long term. Don’t get me wrong, those potential clients can be great business if they are serious about seeing a difference, or capable of keeping an open mind and can be flexible with priorities and expectations (money, time, options)… these are the people you can capture. But you can’t expect everyone to fit that ideal client mold (not that you do, I’m just saying…).

    As long as you don’t recommend something that you aren’t sure of, or share information you aren’t comfortable sharing, or speak on something you aren’t in any way an expert on, you will be just fine.

    It’s not your job to change the clients’ mind (haven’t we all met pushy sales people and avoid them at all cost?), but it IS your job to educate them as much as they will let you (and for some people, that’s only an arm’s length, ya know?) and to guide them as best you can into making decisions that would be most beneficial for the concerns they have presented.

    Some people already have their minds made up, but if you can show them or teach them why another avenue would be better, then great! But if you can’t, that doesn’t mean you haven’t done your job to the best of your ability, or “lost a client,” that just means they didn’t really want to hear it, or didn’t necessarily agree with what you had to say.

    There are some products out there in the department stores and in the drug stores that are better than others, and in my personal opinon, I feel it’s good to be realistic and keep that in mind. In an ideal world, everyone would get facials and use professional products and linger on every word of advice you gave, but let’s face it, that’s sooooo unattainable. Those products are out there, there’s nothing we can do about it, people are going to buy them whether you’ve told them so or not, so you might as well play the hand you have been dealt, since that whole industry is not exactly going to pack up and go away. If a client mentions store brand stuff to you, obviously they were thinking using it, and wouldn’t it be in their best interest for you to say “Well I really believe in (insert best option here) based on the concerns you’ve told me and this is why (insert personalized service here), but if you MUST buy at a drug store, I would (insert alternative here),” and be able to guide them, rather than not know that’s what they were going to do and miss an opportunity to prevent them from making a mistake or wasting their money? People are pretty good at being able to tell what your objective is, so obviously we want them to trust that we want what’s best for them. Now if they choose to opt out of what we think is best, that’s their choice and that let’s you know how highly they regard your expertise.

    Think of it like hair color. My mother is the poster child for why you should not use box color and instead just spend the money to go see a professional. Do you think she hasn’t been told that? Of course she has. Is she going to buy box color anyway? Of course she is. Is home hair color going to disappear from the shelves so she has no choice BUT to see a stylist? Of course it’s not. Do you think for one second that if she ruined her hair doing it herself and walked into a salon hoping someone could fix it, that they would send her away? No, of course someone would fix it (and for a lot of money, at that!). And don’t you think exactly four weeks later my mom would be back in the drug store purchasing a box color? You could bet the farm on it. Point being, one would HOPE that after the professional at the salon fixed her hair, my mom would see the light and realize it might be best to leave it up to someone who knows what they’re doing, but despite what seems like the obvious solution to us, she would STILL go back to the cheap store stuff eventually, because that’s just how she is. And there are a lot of people like that in the world. You can’t break ‘em. But you can help them out a little. The Hair Stylist knows that damage she’s done to her hair, she’s warned my mom about the danger, but *sigh* if that’s what my mom is so determined to do, then at LEAST stay away from (insert long list of yucky stuff and mention the lesser of two evils…here).

    Don’t fret. Be confident in your education, keep on learning, stay true and honest, and your clients will appreciate you for it =)

    xo,
    -A

15. Colleen
    June 11th, 2008 at 1:43 pm

    Annabella - I definitely think you have picked the right industry to get into. You sound extremely passionate about esthetics! Thank you for the comment - I enjoyed reading it. If I end up working for a spa that encourages retail sales, I will certainly make sure I believe in the products I am selling. But I am not a pushy sales woman and I am all about being honest and up front with my clients - and I hope that this will keep them coming back for more! I couldn’t agree more about the “skin snobs” - I mean I think some people just take it too far…..but I understand that everyone is different. Each esthetician is unique and how they work and interact with clients is going to determine what kind of people they work with throughout their career. I think you and I both have exciting careers ahead of us. Keep in touch and let me know how you are liking school. I think you and I can learn a lot from each other. Thanks again and best of luck to you.

16. Stacey
    June 12th, 2008 at 6:13 pm

    I don’t think it is ever a good idea to give customers any advice on store bought items. There is no way to get truly dermal corrective results w/ a drugstore brand because the ingreedients can’t be active enough. Even most of the dept. store brands lack the research by highly skilled chemist and Dr.s that go into proff. products. I recommend the client who’s leary of spending $ on product to forgo a facial every couple months and invest it in product because home care is roughly 80% of where the lasting results come from. If they still don’t buy products after 5 or 6 treatments I politely decline to do facial services on them anymore. They may THINK they are happy w/ what they are using but when they experience what a top grade, correctly perscribed home regimine can do for their skin they will thank you for educating them on the value of your products. You may loose a few $’s initially on your comission on the facials but you will have proven yourself more valuable to the client and to the company you work for and the $ will come back to you 10 fold. In my opinion, NOT recommending proff. products (as well as using them yourself) is a disservice to both them and you.