c/estheticians

Picked up a hot tip at a skincare conference in Austin last weekend

A speaker named Sarah showed me how she uses cool LED masks before extractions to reduce inflammation, and I tried it on my last three clients with way less redness. Has anyone else tried timing their LED sessions around extractions like that?

2 comments

the_holly•1d ago

That one Thursday last month where every client canceled back to back

Honestly, last month I had a day where I prepped for 4 facials and a microneedling session, stocked up my fridge with chilled masks and serums, and then got three cancellations within 45 minutes. One lady said her dog ate her keys, another claimed she had pink eye but her Instagram story showed her at a pool, and the third just ghosted me. That left me sitting in my empty room for almost two hours scrolling through Shopify restocks and re-sorting my spatulas by color. Ngl, it felt like a weird victory in a way because I got to deep clean my ultrasonic scrubber and reorganize my product shelf by category. But I also lost like $300 in potential income that afternoon. Has anyone else had a string of no-shows or last minute cancels that actually gave you time to fix something you'd been ignoring?

2 comments

grace508•3d ago

Had a client last week who knew more about my own products than I did

She pulled out a tiny magnifying mirror and started reading every ingredient on the bottle I was about to use. Said her dermatologist told her to avoid anything with denatured alcohol after a bad reaction in 2022. Has anyone else had clients come in with their own research like that?

3 comments

murphy.linda•3d ago

My client's mom was a licensed esthetician in the 80s and she said something that shut me up

I had a client last Tuesday who brought her mom along for a consultation. Her mom used to run her own skincare studio in Portland back in the late 80s. She watched me set up for a hydrafacial and just goes "you know, we used to do extractions with a warm washcloth and our fingers and got better results than half the machines I see today." I kinda laughed it off at first but then she showed me a trick for reducing inflammation around the nose by pressing a specific lymph point for 30 seconds. Wild. I mean, I love my tools but it made me wonder if I lean too hard on them. Has anyone else had an old-school esthetician drop a tip that totally worked better than your usual method?

3 comments

nancy_ross•7d ago

TIL picking the right toner for oily skin makes a huge difference - tried witch hazel vs salicylic acid

For months I was using a witch hazel toner on my clients with oily skin and getting okay results. Last week I switched to a salicylic acid toner for one client who kept breaking out after extractions. Her skin calmed down way faster and she texted me a photo 3 days later looking so much better. Has anyone else seen better results with one over the other?

2 comments

jamie_white•7d ago

Rant: That expensive LED mask I bought was a total waste of cash

Honestly, I dropped $400 on one of those popular LED light therapy masks last spring. Used it every morning for 6 weeks like the instructions said, hoping it would help with my acne scarring. All I got was a weird tan line around my eyes and zero change in my skin texture. Anyone else feel like these things are just a gimmick for estheticians to upsell clients?

2 comments

anna_ross19•10d ago

Tried a 10-minute pure steam facial vs. my usual 20-minute double cleanse routine last week

I was running late for a client session and decided to just do a quick steam with no double cleanse beforehand. Honestly, my skin looked way more plump and the extraction was easier than when I spend forever massaging cleansers in. I tested it on myself three times this week with clients getting the full treatment after, and the difference is pretty clear. Has anyone else swapped out part of their prep for straight steam and seen better results?

2 comments

williams.kim•10d ago

I finally stopped over-exfoliating clients after a bad reaction at a wedding trial

Had a bride last month whose skin peeled 3 days before her big day because I kept doing those strong enzyme peels every visit. Her makeup artist sent me a photo and I felt terrible. Has anyone else had a moment where less really is more with aggressive treatments?

2 comments

derek656•11d ago

Dropped $800 on a high frequency machine and it either saved my business or wasted my money

I bought the NuFace Trinity Pro after a vendor swore it would double my facial bookings but I'm still on the fence four months in. Anyone else dump serious cash on a tool that either paid for itself fast or just collected dust?

2 comments

nathanj56•11d ago

PSA: I noticed a huge difference in my clients' skin after switching to a 3 minute wait time between products

I run a small esthetics studio in Portland and last month I started timing myself between steps after a client told me her old esthetician did that. I always just layered serums and moisturizers back to back before. But after I tried waiting a full 3 minutes for each product to absorb, the results were pretty eye opening. My clients started coming back with less redness and their makeup sat way smoother by the next day. One lady even said her fine lines looked softer after just two weeks of me using this method. I think we rush through routines too fast in this industry because of time pressure. Has anyone else tried waiting longer between steps and seen changes in their clients skin?

2 comments

sam_murphy39•11d ago

That one Tuesday where three clients all had the same weird reaction to retinol

I'm still shaking my head about this. Last Tuesday, I had three different clients come in for follow-ups and all of them had this angry red peeling around their nose and mouth. Not like normal retinol purge either. It looked like they all used the same cheap drugstore brand or something. Turns out they all bought that new Retinol Renewal cream from the grocery store aisle because a TikTok girl swore it was a dupe. One of them even said "I thought peeling meant it was working." I spent my whole lunch break writing up a little handout about proper retinol layering and buffer creams. Has anyone else seen a wave of these DIY retinol disasters lately?

2 comments

max_ross•11d ago

TIL using too much vitamin C serum wrecked my client's skin barrier

Had a regular client come in with red, stinging skin after she started using a 20% L-ascorbic acid serum twice a day. Turns out the pH was way too low for her sensitive skin and she was basically giving herself a chemical burn every morning. Had to tell her to cut back to every other day and buffer it with moisturizer first. Anyone else deal with clients overdoing the active ingredients?

2 comments

nathanj56•12d ago

Took me 4 years to realize I was over-exfoliating my clients' acne-prone skin

A derm friend pointed out their barrier was shot after I sent them a photo of the redness I kept getting, and that's when it clicked that scrubbing the hell out of breakouts was just making everything angrier, so has anyone else had to back way off on the acids for certain clients?

2 comments

the_charlie•16d ago

Tried a new enzyme peel on a client last week and it went sideways fast

I was in my booth in Portland when the client's face started turning bright red after 3 minutes instead of the 5 I had tested. I panicked, neutralized it with cool water and a soothing mask, and she was fine after 20 minutes but now I'm not sure if I should stick with the brand or toss the bottle. Has anyone else had a reaction like this with enzyme peels and kept using them?

2 comments

henderson.wesley•16d ago

The facial I gave last week made me miss the old days of skincare

Last Tuesday I had a client come in asking for a 12-step Korean routine facial. Three years ago people were happy with a simple cleanse, steam, and a mask. I spent 45 minutes just layering serums and toners when a good extractions session would have done more for her congestion. Does anyone else feel like we are overcomplicating things now compared to 2019?

2 comments

blairtaylor•18d ago

PSA: I was steaming faces way too close for 2 years

Had a client last Tuesday pull back hard from my steamer and say it was burning her nose. I always kept it about 6 inches away because that's how I was taught in school. Turns out I was basically blasting her with condensed hot water droplets instead of a gentle mist. A senior esthetician at the next station showed me to hold it 12 to 15 inches away and angle it upward. Anyone else get taught a technique in school that turned out to be totally off once you got into a real spa?

3 comments

the_sandra•18d ago

Unpopular opinion: facial extractions are way too hyped up

I had this client come in last Tuesday with cystic acne, and she begged me to do extractions on every bump. I spent 45 minutes picking and ended up with red marks all over her face that took a week to heal. Am I the only one who thinks extractions do more harm than good half the time?

2 comments

jana119•18d ago

I finally figured out I've been steaming wrong for 3 years

I always steamed my clients' faces for 10 minutes straight before extractions. Last week a senior esthetician at a workshop in Portland told me that's way too long - it actually dehydrates the skin barrier if you go past 6-7 minutes depending on skin type. She showed me how to time it per zone and my extractions have been so much smoother since. Has anyone else been oversteaming like I was?

2 comments

kim693•20d ago

Had a client tell me my facial routine was too slow and it got me questioning my whole approach

She said she'd rather have a 30-minute express facial than my usual 60-minute one, and now I'm wondering if I'm just doing extra steps for no reason... has anyone else felt pressured to speed things up or am I overthinking this?

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lauras83•24d ago

Walked into a spa in Portland that used those disposable plastic spatulas for everything and it bugged me more than it should

I popped into this trendy place last Friday for a quick facial observation and every single product they applied came out of a jar with a single-use plastic spatula that just got tossed right after - has anyone else noticed how much waste that actually creates compared to just sanitizing metal tools?

2 comments

riley_schmidt•24d ago

Ditched my usual LED mask for a cheaper red light bulb setup - here's what happened

I swapped my $400 mask for a $25 red light bulb from Amazon 2 months ago because I kept forgetting to charge the mask. My acne spots are clearing up just as fast, maybe even faster since I use it on full body now too. Has anyone else made this swap or am I the only one who got sick of cords?

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lucashart•27d ago

Unpopular opinion: microdermabrasion is overrated for most skin types

Three years ago I stopped offering microdermabrasion at my studio in Portland after seeing better results with gentle chemical peels on 80% of my clients, has anyone else ditched a popular service for something that actually works better?

2 comments

emma_clark•1mo ago

My LED lamp crapped out mid-facial yesterday

Just had my go-to LED lamp flicker and die right in the middle of a client's treatment yesterday afternoon. I had to scramble to finish with a backup that barely had any power. Has anyone else had this happen and found a reliable replacement under $200?

3 comments

claire_ramirez•1mo ago

Overheard a client say she dries her face with a paper towel, not a cloth

I was at a coffee shop last week and this woman at the next table was telling her friend she switched to paper towels for her face because she got tired of washing her regular towels. Said her skin cleared up in like 2 weeks. I've always told my clients to use soft cotton cloths but now I'm wondering if paper towels are actually better for acne-prone skin? Has anyone else noticed this with their clients?

3 comments

simonh74•1mo ago

Can we talk about how IPL before and after pics are sometimes misleading?

I did a series of IPL treatments on a client with light sun damage about 6 months ago. Most people rave about the results after 3 sessions, but I honestly saw more change after the first 6 weeks of strict sunscreen use than the actual IPL. The clinic lighting also makes a huge difference-same face looks totally different under natural light vs their fancy treatment room lights. Has anyone else noticed the results are less dramatic when you see clients again in normal daylight?

2 comments