The Making of an Esthetician

Today at school, my friend Helen had some friends come in for treatments, and Sandra and I each took one of them. My client wanted to get a spa facial, but my teacher recommended that I offer her the VitaMineral facial because she had aging, more wrinkled skin. The VitaMineral facial is good for toning, firming and tightening the skin, and when I told my client about its benefits, she was more than happy to switch to that one. She lives in California and was just in town visiting some family members. I could tell that she was enjoying the California sun because she had quite a bit of sun damage. I really emphasized the importance of sunscreen for her skin, and she said she currently uses products with sunscreen in them. Both her and the other client that I had in the afternoon expressed concerns about laugh lines, as well as wrinkles in the forehead and crow’s-feet.

I tried working on those particular areas a lot while doing the massage. Is there anything else helpful that I can recommend or do for diminishing the appearance of these wrinkles? My afternoon client said she used to get Botox injections in between her eyes to help smooth out the wrinkles, and she was happy with the results, but that it fades over time, of course. I assume some microderm treatments, as well as collagen-boosting products would be good for both clients.

I had a different instructor get my products ready for my second client. I think she was just helping out for the day because I did not recognize her. One of the products used in the facial is an exfoliant, and I have always used the regular-strength product, since this is what the protocol says to use. When I started to apply the product to my client’s face, I couldn’t help but notice the strong scent of cinnamon and she asked me if she was really supposed to feel the product on her skin. This of course made me nervous, and I asked her to describe what she was feeling. After my training at Sephora, we were taught that when using a product, tingling is terrific, but burning is bad, so I usually have my clients explain the feeling according to this. She said it was tingling but was getting worse, and I noticed her skin was getting very pink and showing through the white product on her face.

Although you are supposed to then steam the face with this on the skin, I was not going to add anything more to aggravate her, and I told her I wanted to get an instructor before we continued. I explained the situation to the head instructor of our school, and I told her I was concerned with how my client was reacting to the product. She knew exactly what was going on and explained the smell of cinnamon and the tingling that my client was experiencing. It turns out I was given the extra-strength exfoliant and was not told! Thank goodness I decided to ask someone about this! I wish the woman who mixed my product would have told me ahead of time. I guess we were currently out of the regular-strength product, so this is all we had to use. My client said the tingling was not unbearable and she wanted to continue using it, so we just shortened the time that it was on her face, and I removed it with cooler towels to sooth her skin afterwards. I would definitely classify her as a sensitive skin type, and although she wanted to have a peel done, after this experience, I didn’t think I should give her a peel because it would be too much for her skin.

In the middle of the afternoon, my girlfriend came in for an underarm wax. And as I mentioned in an earlier entry, this is one of my favorite body parts to wax, and I have practiced the service a lot. I thought it would be quick and simple, but she had very thick, coarse hair, which I was surprised to see. It was good for me to work with a new type of hair because I had to work differently than I normally would, and I had to tweeze more than usual because the hair would not all come up with just the wax. She said she has issues with ingrown hairs a lot, and I think getting her on a regular waxing schedule would be beneficial as it would lesson the amount of hair and make it easier to wax each time. We tried waxing a strip on her leg just to see if we had the same troubles and, once again, not all the hairs would come up with just the wax. But I can’t imagine having to tweeze that many hairs left behind on a leg! Any waxing suggestions for women and men with thicker, coarser hair?

1. Svetlana
   May 27th, 2008 at 10:59 pm

   We have a choice of hard (peel off) wax, or strip wax in our spa. For bikinis an underarms as well as for coarse hair we’d use hard wax, and for soft, fine hair - strips. We almost never tweeze after waxing,as using the proper product ensures the result.
   As for the facial product, I would recommend to always prepare it by yourself to avoid such situation. But you probably already learn your lesson. Assistance may help when it comes to washing a client’s face or taking a calming kind of a masque off. We sometimes help each other on this sort of tasks. But what makes you actually professional is taking a decision on what ingredients to use on each particular person with any particular skin condition. If I have doubts, I don’t mind to invite one of my colleagues to the treatment room for another opinion. Honesty is always appreciated.

2. Colleen
   May 29th, 2008 at 6:11 pm

   Svetlana - we are actually not allowed to prepare our own products for treatments. Our instructors do it to make sure we are not using too much and to make sure it’s being mixed/made correctly. But sometimes I wish we were allowed to get our own product because it would be a good learning experience for us and it would prepare us for working with the product in a spa. Maybe I should just make a point to watch and ask questions as they put my products together so I know what I am bringing into the room with me at all times. Thank you for the comment and for sharing your knowledge with us!!

3. Diane Bruch, Esthetician
   June 12th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

   Are you using Bioelements? I trained on that line - You can use 1/2 the amount of extra strength enzyne in place of regular strength. I used the used the extra strength enzyme on most clients over 30. The redness is normal - you can calm the redness by using cool towels, Immediate Comfort mixed in with the mask and a couple drops of Calm Down Booster in the toner. I used this approach for the Double Peel facial with great results - My clients never left with a red face.

4. Lizz, LMT, LFS - Light Weaver Massage
   July 10th, 2008 at 6:12 am

   I’m glad that you had a good result after your scare. In school I had similar situations and learned the following trick… If you have a fridge: Take some facial cotton (the kind that comes in the rolls) and make it damp. Place it in a container with a lid and store it in the fridge. That way if you have any redness/reaction for which water is not contraindicated, and even for sensitive skin after waxing, pull out some and layer it on the skin. This is a very cooling, soothing way to improve comfort and sometimes reduce redness. With enzymes you would have to make sure that you had removed all the product, perhaps even re-cleansing the skin depending on the product, before putting any more water on the skin.

5. Roberta, esthetician - Dynamic Duo
   July 28th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

   When I was in school,one if the instructors suggested to put the wax on with the way the hair grows and than come back the oposite way. Sometimes this will catch the hair that wouldn’t catch.

6. Carrie, Instructor - Into Skin Aesthetics
   August 7th, 2008 at 3:02 am

   For ingrown hairs, I always suggest exfoliation scrubs to avoid them. Especially in the bikini area. I also agree with using the right product. I use the roll on wax for every waxing treatment I do. I’ve had really good luck on trying to apply or pull in different directions to get the criss crossed hairs that are growing in a different direction amongst the others. Very rarely do I have to tweeze!
   As for the Extra Strength Enzyme Therapy, there is a huge difference in sensation between the original and extra strength! I have pretty ‘thick’ skin and I can feel a major difference. That’s good that she brought it to your attention, and the instructor should have informed you of the change/switch in product. Our students are required to obtain their own products. We train them the proper mixing amounts as well as have the Bioelements rep come to the school before they start servicing clients, to ensure they understand the line completely. That is part of their learning experience to prepare them for the ‘real world’.
   Good luck!!!!

7. Anonymous, 52819 - 63720
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