c/estheticians

Switched from cotton rounds to reusable bamboo pads for toner application

I used cotton rounds for like 3 years. Felt bad about the waste but thought it was no big deal. Then my coworker at the spa in Portland told me to try reusable bamboo pads. Picked up a pack of 14 for $10 off Amazon. Night and day difference. The bamboo holds way more product so I actually use less toner. Plus they feel softer on the skin. My acne redness went down after a month. Just gotta wash them in a mesh bag every few days. Anyone else made the switch and noticed their skin calmed down?

PSA: I just learned that 80% of facials fail because the pH of the product is way off from the client's skin

I stumbled on this stat in a dermatology journal during a late-night rabbit hole (my husband thinks I'm obsessed), and now I'm rethinking my whole product shelf - has anyone else checked their toners and cleansers with pH strips on different clients?

Lactic acid peels vs glycolic for acne scarring - which way do you go?

I've been doing 30% glycolic peels on my breakout clients for years, but a mentor in Austin swears lactic is gentler and gets deeper results over time. Has anyone switched from one to the other and noticed a real difference in healing time or final texture?

That $50 steam cleaner I bought off Amazon actually saved my bristle brushes

I was sick of my foundation brushes getting all gunked up with old product after a few uses. I tried soaking them in alcohol and dish soap but it never got the deep stuff out from around the ferrule. Picked up a cheap handheld steam cleaner for $50 and ran it over my brushes for like 10 seconds each. The gunk just melted off and I haven't had a breakout on a client since. Anyone else tried steaming tools instead of just soaking them?

Had a client today who made me rethink how I do extractions

She was maybe 22, comes in with really clear skin except for these tiny closed comedones along her jaw. I start working on them and she goes 'oh please be gentle, my last esthetician ruined my skin barrier.' Spent like 20 minutes just checking in with her pressure levels instead of my usual routine. Has anyone else had a client totally change your technique mid-service?

Finally got that stubborn milia under my client's eye after 7 months

I had this one client who came in with a tiny milium right under her lower lash line. Every month I'd try to extract it and it just would not budge. I tried different lancets, different angles, steaming longer, everything. Finally last Tuesday I used a warm compress for a full 10 minutes before poking it, and it came out in one clean piece. The client actually teared up because she'd been dealing with it for over a year. It took me 7 months of seeing her once a month to finally figure out the right approach. Has anyone else had a milia that refused to leave no matter what you tried?

Tried a high-frequency wand vs LED mask for post-acne redness. No contest.

I did a side-by-side for a client in Portland last month. She had stubborn red marks from cystic breakouts. Left side got the high-frequency wand. Right side got the LED mask. Three sessions over two weeks. The wand side cleared up way faster. Less red. Less blotchy. The LED side barely showed change. I was honestly surprised. My training always pushed LED as the go-to. But I'm switching to wand for my post-inflammatory work now. Anyone else find one tool works better for certain issues?

That before and after on a 55 year old client scared me straight about vitamin C

I had a client last week who insisted on getting a lash lift even though her natural lashes were super short and brittle

I warned her it might not hold well, but she pushed for it anyway and now she's upset the results barely lasted 3 days. Do you guys think we should push back harder on clients who want treatments that clearly won't work for their lash type, or is it their call at the end of the day?

That stubborn mask reaction took me 3 hours to figure out...

Had a client break out in hives after a vitamin C mask last Tuesday and couldn't find the cause... turned out I'd left a new hydrating serum on her skin underneath that she never reacted to before, but mixing them created a chemical reaction. Has anyone else run into product combos going bad like that?

A client asked me why I was wearing gloves during a facial and it caught me off guard

She said she felt like I was keeping her at arm's length, but I explained it's about hygiene and product absorption. Has anyone else had to explain basic sanitation to a regular client?

Debate: Should we push extractions hard even if the client says no?

My mentor told me to always respect a client's no and skip extractions, but I did a facial on a friend last week who refused extractions and ended up with a breakout two days later. Do you push for what you know they need or back off completely?

Had to pick between a LED light therapy mask or a basic red light panel for my studio

I was setting up my little esthetics room in Portland last spring and needed to offer LED treatments but had a tight budget. I went with a cheap handheld red light panel instead of the $300 mask because I could treat more areas at once. Has anyone else found that the cheaper panels actually work just as well as the fancy branded devices?

Hot take: That facial massage technique everyone raves about might be overrated

My mentor in Chicago swore by gua sha for lymphatic drainage and said it's the only way to depuff, but after 6 weeks of doing it on my clients I saw zero difference in retention or results. Meanwhile I tried skipping gua sha and just using cold rollers on 12 clients last month and 9 of them said they felt more lifted. Am I wrong for thinking traditional gua sha is getting hyped up more than it actually helps?

Overheard a customer say 'facial is just expensive face washing'

I was at a coffee shop last week and heard some lady tell her friend that facials are just paying $150 for someone to rub soap on your face. Made me want to scream. How do you guys explain what we actually do to people who think it's nothing special?

Had a client prove me wrong about that $90 enzyme peel...

I used to swear by those cheap enzyme masks from the beauty supply, but a client who works at a spa in Scottsdale brought in her own bottle of a pricey one from a medical line. She convinced me to try a patch on her oily skin and the difference in 2 minutes was wild... it dissolved all the dead layers without any sting. Has anyone else tried branching out from the budget stuff after a client showed you something better?

I used to double-cleanse every client no matter what - now I skip it for dry skin types

For two years I was all about that oil then gel cleanse on everyone, but after a 45 year old client in Phoenix told me her face felt tight after every facial I started paying attention. Switched to a single cream cleanse for dehydrated clients about 6 months ago and their post-facial glow is way better. Anyone else ditch the double cleanse for certain skin types?

Shoutout to the client who brought in half a bottle of expired retinol serum

I had someone come in last Tuesday with a wrinkled bottle of retinol that clearly expired in 2021 and she kept insisting it still worked. She got red patches and peeling after I used it on her skin and now she's blaming me for the reaction. Has anyone else dealt with clients ignoring expiration dates on products they bring from home?

Had a client cry during a facial last month... still thinking about it

Tried a new acne treatment on a client and her skin peeled like crazy

I used a higher strength salicylic acid peel on a client last week, 30% instead of my usual 20%, because she had really stubborn congestion around her chin. She said her skin felt tight by the next day, then by day three she had visible peeling that she wasn't expecting. I learned that even small jumps in percentage can cause way more reaction than I thought, especially on someone who hasn't done peels before. Now I'm thinking I should start lower and build up slower, even if the client wants faster results. Has anyone else had a similar surprise with upping the strength on a peel?

Had a client tell me my extractor was leaving tracks on her face last Tuesday...

She said I was pressing too hard and dragging across her T-zone instead of lifting straight up, so now I angle the tip at 45 degrees and pulse instead of holding it down, has anyone else dealt with clients who hate the traditional extraction method?

I finally had a talk with a dermatologist that made me rethink my acne protocols

Last week I was at a lunch with my cousin who is a derm. She told me that some of the benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid combos I use on clients are actually overkill and causing more irritation than clearing breakouts. She said a lot of estheticians stack too many actives and wreck the skin barrier, then wonder why things get worse after 3 sessions. It hit different because I've seen that exact pattern with about 6 clients in the last 2 months and never connected the dots. Now I'm going back to basics with gentler ingredients and longer healing windows. Has anyone else had a doctor call out their work like that?

Shoutout to the esthetician who told me to switch from gel to cream cleansers for dry skin

After six months of using a gel cleanser on my clients with dry skin and seeing them struggle with flaking, I tried a cream based one from a local supplier in Nashville and the difference in hydration retention was obvious within two weeks, so has anyone else found a cleanser type that just works better for certain skin types?

Overheard a client at the salon say she only washes her face with bar soap

She had the worst breakouts I've ever seen and when I asked about her routine she said she's been using a $2 bar of Dial for the last 10 years because her mom told her it worked fine, so how do you politely convince someone to try an actual cleanser without sounding like you're just trying to upsell them?

Swapped my regular facial steamer for a nano-ionic one after 5 years of stubborn congested pores

I mean it's only been about 3 weeks but my extractions are pulling way cleaner and clients keep asking what I changed in my routine, anyone else made that switch and noticed a difference?