c/estheticians

Heavy week in the books, what's your worst day ratio?

Had a Tuesday where I did 6 facials back to back and every single one had some kind of reaction or complaint, then a Thursday where everyone tipped 20% and one client brought me cookies. Do you think bad days are just random or is there a pattern to when they hit, like full moons or holiday weeks?

1 comments

lisas78•6d ago

Is it just me, or does everyone over-exfoliate their clients?

I keep seeing estheticians in my area pushing 3-step exfoliation routines on every face that walks in, even the dry, sensitive ones. Last month in Phoenix, a client came to me with a compromised barrier after another spa sold her a $180 package with a peel, scrub, and enzyme in one visit. My training says less is more, but maybe I'm the odd one out here, so do you guys find that aggressive exfoliation gets better results or just more repeat bookings for repair work?

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anna717•8d ago

Still thinking about the bride who pointed at her face and said 'fix this'

I had a bridal consult last month in my little studio off of I-35, and she sat down, held up her phone flashlight to her chin, and just said 'fix this' without any hint of what she wanted addressed... I asked her three times what she meant and she just repeated the same two words, louder each time. I ended up doing a basic facial and light makeup trial, but she left without booking and I still don't know if I missed some obvious issue... Has anyone else had a client who just could NOT explain their concern, and how did you finally get them to open up?

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taylor_wells•9d ago

Aesthetician client told me my brow mapping was giving her 'angry eyebrow' energy

Had a woman in Seattle last Friday who straight up said my arch placement made her look permanently annoyed. I'd been doing the same brow shape on everyone for 2 years. She pointed out her eye socket sits higher on the left side, so my symmetrical mapping looked off. I redid the left arch 3 millimeters higher and changed my whole approach. Anyone else get constructive criticism that actually upgraded their technique, or was I just messing up for that long?

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gibson.troy•11d ago

Saw too many esties skip patch testing on tinted SPF this week

I worked a bridal trial in Scottsdale where the client broke out in red welts on her neck after using a new tinted sunscreen the MUA brought. We had to restructure the whole look in 20 minutes because no one checked the ingredient list for niacinamide sensitivity. Has anyone else run into irritation from products that claim to be "gentle" but still cause reactions?

1 comments

ivan462•11d ago

Hit 100 regulars this week, still feels weird

I counted my booking list on Tuesday and realized I have 100 people who come back at least every 6 weeks. That number surprised me because I only opened my booth in Portland 18 months ago. It matters because this time last year I had maybe 25 regulars and I was posting discount codes just to fill gaps. Has anyone else hit a milestone number that made them stop and think about how they got there?

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thea_bell•12d ago

Caught myself using the same spatula for everything for 7 years

I was doing a facial on this client last Tuesday and she asked why I was using the flat spatula to scoop out the clay mask. I said it's what I always used. She goes, 'don't you have a scoop?' and I just froze. Turns out I'd been cross-contaminating product jars the whole time with that one tool. I thought rinsing it between uses was enough, but I never thought about the shape leaving residue in the corners of the jar. Now I'm wondering how many other basic tools I've been overlooking. Anyone else have a moment where a client pointed out something obvious you'd been doing wrong for years?

1 comments

the_hayden•13d ago

Do we ruin skin barrier with 'gentle' cleansers?

That derm's take rubbed me wrong, but I also saw a 45-year-old in Austin last week who stripped her face raw using a 'purifying' gel every day. I'm split between thinking we overcorrected toward gentle products and knowing some skin needs that extra help. Has anyone here switched a regular client to water-only and seen real results, or did they bounce back to cleansers fast?

1 comments

river_thompson•15d ago

The 20-minute facial I botched because I forgot to patch test rosehip oil

I used a new serum on a regular client last Tuesday and she broke out in hives 15 minutes into the service, so now I patch test every product on my own arm for 48 hours before it ever touches a face, but how do you all handle clients who are in a rush and want products used right away?

1 comments

mitchell.avery•15d ago

Switched from facial rollers to gua sha stones, here's what happened after 3 weeks

I was using a jade roller every morning for like 2 years but finally swapped to a stainless gua sha tool after a client swore by it. The difference in de-puffing is nuts, my cheekbones actually show up now even with my 6am coffee bloat. Anyone else made the switch and noticed their product absorption changed too?

1 comments

sandra_moore30•17d ago

Came across an old facial steamer at an estate sale, now I'm rethinking my whole routine

Found a vintage steam machine at an estate sale in Cleveland for $35. It looked rough but the lady said it still works. I took it home, cleaned it up, and tried it on myself. The steam output is way gentler than my modern one. My skin felt softer after one use. I'm curious if older equipment just hits different or if I got lucky. Has anyone else tried older spa tools and noticed a difference?

1 comments

perry.jesse•20d ago

A client told me my highlighter placement was aging her, and she was right

I did a full glam on a regular at my station in Tampa last Thursday, and she looked in the mirror and said 'honey, that shimmer under my eyes is making me look 50.' I switched to placing highlight on the very tops of her cheekbones and skipping the tear duct area, and the difference was wild. Has anyone else had a client point out a technique that you'd been doing for years without questioning it?

2 comments

ward.diana•22d ago

The peel I did without checking the lamps ruined a client's weekend

Honestly, last Friday I did a medium depth peel on a regular and didn't notice the LED lamp in the room had a broken bulb that was throwing off my timing. I rushed the neutralization because I thought the solution was farther along than it was. She texted me Saturday with redness and some peeling on day one, way earlier than it should happen. I've since started checking every light source before I even mix anything, but has anyone else had a lighting issue mess up their treatment results?

2 comments

kellyallen•23d ago

The peel that took 9 months to finally get right

I have been doing chemical peels for about 5 years now, but this one specific protocol for melasma on a client just would not cooperate. She came in every 6 weeks like clockwork, we tried the usual lactic and mandelic combos, and her skin would look great for a week then the dark patches would creep back with a vengeance. Finally after the 5th session, I stopped guessing and started testing her actual pH and moisture barrier at home for two weeks straight with those little test strips. Turns out her barrier was compromised way more than I thought, so I backed off to just gentle enzyme masks and a super basic ceramide routine for 8 weeks before touching a single acid. When we finally did the same peel I started with, it actually stuck, and it took a full 9 months from first visit to seeing consistent clearance. Has anyone else had a case where the real fix was pausing all actives instead of adding more?

1 comments

waderamirez•26d ago

Vent: a senior esthetician told me to skip double cleansing on oily skin

After following her advice for two weeks my breakouts got worse, not better, so I went back to my oil-based first cleanse and my skin cleared up in 3 days - has anyone else had a mentor give advice that just didn't work for your skin type?

2 comments

caseywalker•28d ago

My mentor told me to stop over-exfoliating clients and just use enzyme peels instead

She said I was stripping too many barriers on oily skin types, so I swapped to a gentle papaya enzyme peel on three clients last month and saw way less redness and better glow after just one session - has anyone else made that switch and noticed a difference?

2 comments

abby_fisher•1mo ago

Bought a $120 LED face mask off Amazon and it did nothing for 3 months

I caved and got one of those popular red light therapy masks back in January. Three months of using it 5 days a week, 10 minutes each session, and my skin looked exactly the same. No reduced redness, no glow, nothing. I finally took a multimeter to the thing and found out it was barely putting out any light at the right wavelength. Total waste of cash and time. Has anyone else tested their devices with a meter or am I just paranoid?

2 comments

henry_anderson54•1mo ago

Took me 4 tries to get a hydrafacial extraction right on this one client

I had this client with really stubborn comedones around her chin and nose area, and no matter what I did the first three sessions they just wouldn't budge. Fourth time I finally slowed way down and used a smaller tip setting at a lower pressure, and it worked like a charm. Has anyone else had to adjust their whole approach for a specific skin type or condition?

2 comments

alex820•1mo ago

Spent 45 minutes trying to figure out why a client's skin was peeling wrong

I had this client come in last Tuesday with a peel that just wasn't lifting right. She said she followed my instructions exactly but I could SEE the flakes were uneven and patchy. Took me a solid 45 minutes to realize she had been using a retinol serum from a different brand the night before without telling me. The ingredients just clashed and locked up the peel solution. I felt like an idiot for not asking her outright about her home routine before starting. Now I make EVERY client list out every single product they used in the last 48 hours before I touch them. Has anyone else run into this kind of product interference that took way too long to spot?

2 comments

anthony_jackson31•1mo ago

Had the worst week of my career last August and it actually changed how I work

I was booked solid for 5 days straight at my little studio outside Austin. Tuesday a new client came in with super sensitive skin and I used a product I thought was gentle enough. She left with red patches all over her cheeks. She didn't complain but I felt awful. Wednesday my extractor tool broke mid-facial on a regular. Thursday two people no-showed. Friday I found out the product I ordered online was a counterfeit version of my usual brand. I was ready to quit by Saturday morning. But that week made me start testing every new product on myself first and I switched to only buying from local distributors I can verify. Has anyone else had a stretch of bad luck that pushed you to change your whole routine?

3 comments

river_thompson•1mo ago

Thermage vs. microneedling - I made the wrong call for a client last winter

So I had this client in her late 40s who wanted tighter jawline skin, and I was torn between Thermage and microneedling with radiofrequency. Everyone in my local esthetics group (we meet in Portland every other month) swears by Thermage for laxity, but I pushed for microneedling because I figured the collagen response would be more dramatic. Well, after 3 sessions and about $1,200 spent on her end, she saw maybe 15% improvement in her jawline. She ended up booking Thermage elsewhere and called me to say the difference was huge in one sitting. I felt pretty stupid honestly. Now I tell people that if the skin is really loose, Thermage is probably the better first choice even if it costs more upfront. Has anyone else had a bad experience steering someone away from the popular option?

2 comments

ray613•1mo ago

Just compared LED vs traditional face masks on 12 clients over 3 months

I mean, I thought the cheaper LED masks were basically the same, but the difference in results was pretty clear. The professional-grade one I rented from a supply shop in Denver gave way more consistent results for acne clients, especially after 8 weeks. Has anyone else noticed a big gap between the home devices and salon ones?

3 comments

the_rose•1mo ago

Still debating if my mentor was wrong about using ice rollers daily

My esthetics instructor swore by ice rollers every morning to reduce puffiness, said it tightens pores and boosts circulation. But after 6 months of doing it, I started getting broken capillaries around my nose that I never had before. My dermatologist said the extreme cold was actually damaging my skin barrier over time. So was my mentor just repeating old school advice, or did I mess up the technique somehow? Has anyone else here dealt with capillaries flaring up from cold therapy?

3 comments

emma_lee22•2mo ago

Spent 45 minutes trying to get a stubborn comedone out yesterday

I thought it would be a quick 5 minute extraction before my next client, but that thing had been hiding deep for weeks. Has anyone else had a simple extraction turn into a whole ordeal?

3 comments

ryan_hart38•2mo ago

I was dead wrong about beet peel facials until last Thursday

A regular of mine swore by them for 6 months and I finally tried one on my own skin after a breakout, and the redness calmed down way faster than my usual routine. Has anyone else found a treatment they ignored at first that ended up working really well?

3 comments