Titanic of Esthetics

     If your employer goes through more employees than you go through spa towels in a day then it might be time to reevaluate your job security. If the staff turnover is so high that your employer is constantly hiring new staff, frequently changing product lines, and forever offering dirt cheap specials you might want to walk, NO RUN NOW, before you find yourself a passenger on the Titanic of Esthetics. If anything I said sounds  familiar, it is time to consider a move to another spa before your ship sinks! A healthy and stable spa does not have high turnover rates; they do not change product lines every few months; and they don't have to offer rock bottom deals just to get clients in the door. It doesn't mean your employer should never consider a product line change, offer incentives to get new clients in and/or fire useless employees, but it does mean you need to be in charge of your own career and watch for red flags!

Does Your Height Matter in Esthetics?

This one is written for one of my readers, named Les, who asked me if her height (4'll) would negatively impede her ability to work as an esthetician. 

Dear Les,
Thanks for reading my blog. Being 4'11 should not stop you from going into esthetics at all! As an esthetician, you are in charge of the esthetician stool and the facial bed. You should alter both the chair and the bed accordingly. Please do not let your height stomp on your dreams!
Please send me any questions you have about esthetics, and I will be more than happy to answer your questions.
Grace Riley

New Estheticians Blooming This Spring!

Welcome Spring! Many soon-to-be estheticians will graduate during this time of flowers in bloom and butterflies fluttering. May is right around the corner, and many of you esthetician students will be blooming into your career soon. Congratulations! This is definitely an exciting time. You are about to graduate and obtain your license, now what? Here are some tips for a successful start:

(1) Join a professional esthetics association
(2) Obtain liability insurance
(3) Take an additional class in Brazilian Waxing (if your school didn't provide this training)
(4) Get a professional picture taken to include in all resumes sent out
(5) Write outstanding resume; ask your esthetician instructor to review.

Hands Can Age Your Clients More Than Their Face

           Most of your aging-conscious clients do everything they need to do to maintain the health and integrity of their skin. They get regular anti-aging facials; purchase the appropriate skin care products; and they use sunscreen. They might even get cosmetic fillers and Micrcodermabrasion to enhance their skin, but do they treat their aging hands as well? Offering add-on services to any facial treatment is a great way not only to earn extra money for your practice, but it is the perfect way to help your clients with total body anti-aging treatments. There is nothing worse than a woman with flawless skin who is sporting some serious GRANDMA HANDS! Many women focus on their facial skin, but they forget about their hands. There are so many add on choices for hand services to include with the facial--vitamin c enzyme peels, glycolic acids, exfoliantes, Microdermabrasion, and a plethora of facial creams that you can add to the hands. Don't let your clients walk out the door with glowing skin and grandma hands.

Which Esthetics School Should You Attend?

      There are many choices in the world of esthetics schools, so how do you pick a good school? It all comes down to your preference and financial ability. A lot of schools offer the fluff of pretty clinical areas for a hefty price tag while other schools (think community colleges) offer a budget-friendly program that doesn't offer all the bells and whistles as the more expensive schools. Do you want to take a loan for 10K or more to attend the higher priced schools, or do you want to graduate debt free? Or can your parents pay your tuition for you? How fast or long are the programs? Do you want to be on a community college schedule or do you need to finish school faster? Most employers don't care much about which school you went to. They want you to be licensed in your state, have high quality references, and a record of continuing education classes. When it comes to your esthetics school choices, think long and hard before signing on the dotted line!

Using Homemade Skin Care Products on Clients: Bad Idea!

               I know, everyone loves homemade, organic skin care products and you are a chemist in the making, but using homemade products on anybody but yourself is a BAD IDEA! Remember the Material Safety Data Sheet? Unless your product line has a Material Safety Data Sheet on file, and your products have been tested for harmful reactions, I say keep your homemade stuff at home. Incorporating homemade skin care products in your business is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Now, if you really love creating products then consider investing in a private label (hiring a company to create it for you).

Grace Riley

Don't Sell Junk Esthetics Products Just for Money!

         You get that awaited call from a skin care company who wants you to represent their product line. Excitement  might overwhelm you, but wait until you have actually tried several of their products before taking the plunge. Some of these start up companies that advertise on the local job boards are people cooking up their own recipes in their kitchen, and packaging them and sending them out the door. There might be some great products being developed in someone's home kitchen as I write these words, but the product lines that I have come into contact with thus far, under these circumstances, have been less than stellar. Remember, this is your career and only sell what you believe in. Don't sell junk for money...no one wins, your customers won't trust you, and at the end of the day you won't feel good about yourself. Take your time and find the right company; a product that you feel good about selling; and a product you would actually use on yourself.
Grace Riley

Why I Love www.estheticianchannel.com

          Anyone who reads this blog knows that I love esthetics, no matter how you cut it, as an esthetician or as a client, I am obsessed with esthetics! I love it! Part of loving esthetics is that I am always constantly reading about new things in the field, and I came across www.estheticianchannel.com a while back. It immediately struck my eye because I have yet to find a website that is geared towards students (or new professionals) that offers a plethora of esthetics information. It has everything from state board information to career resources to trade shows. It is an amazing tool for any esthetics student, or recent graduate looking for esthetics information at their fingertips.
          For me, getting my book, Jump Start Your Esthetics Career: A Guide For Newly Licensed Estheticians on www.estheticianchannel.com was an enormous professional milestone. I am proud to have my book on a highly informative and professional website as www.estheticianchannel.com.

High Staff Turnover at the Next Interview

      If you find yourself interviewing at a spa that has a high employee turnover rate, stop in your tracks and think long and hard before you accept the position. There is a reason why this spa is in the employment classifieds every other week. I remember an esthetician friend of mine telling me about a chain esthetics spa that she only lasted a mere two weeks at before she quit. I couldn't understand why she would quit so soon because she was a very diligent and professional person, but when she told me the story about how they actually video taped each employee to give them pointers of how they could sell the products more effectively, and anything and everything the employees did wrong I definitely understood.This place had a very high staff turnover rate, and it is obvious why. Sometimes the offer seems great, especially right after esthetics school, but stop and think before you agree to a revolving door type of spa.

Esthetics: Client Safety First

                I've had a few facials from well meaning esthetician students who are very diligent at cleansing and exfoliating the skin that they neglect client eye safety. Eyes are very sensitive and prone to painful reactions to skin care products, in school you are taught to use an eye flushing station in the event products do get in the eyes, but why not use PREVENTION as the best method? Take extra care around the client's eye area, not only is the skin very delicate and fragile there, most clients won't take kindly to having a glob of product in their eyes. No one is perfect, but try to slow done and focus when you are close to a client's eye region. Here are some useful tips for eye safety:
(1) Always ask clients if they are wearing contacts
(2) Consider using baby wipes instead of traditional eye make-up remover
(3) Never put cleansers near eye area-some estheticians are taught to do a 3 point finger circle around the eye and brow; use extreme caution while doing this. Too much drip from water/cleanser and the liquid will end up in the eye.
(4) Use folded/moist cotton rounds over the eye ball.

Esthetics: Sink or Swim!

            In every esthetician's career, there will come a point when you have to decide if your salon is the right financial fit for you. If you know you are an exceptional esthetician, but business is slow and the phone barely rings then it is time to come up with a new employment plan. Many salons fail because they are not in high traffic areas with good visibility; some are not successful because of a poor management system; and others don't make it because they haven't implemented a stellar marketing plan.
          These types of salons are sinking ships. You can choose to stay on and sink to the bottom, or you can choose to swim your tail out of there as quickly as you can. Don't let a sinking salon take you under with them!