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Tag: skincare

What Is Face Mapping???

Have you ever heard of face mapping? Have you ever had a small little pimple break out on your face? Maybe one that keeps coming back in the same spot? Or, your getting a lot of breakout on a few repeat areas of your face? Maybe a repeat or return pimple? I’m creating this post to give you tips for breakout and ideas as to what could be causing them. I’ll explain face mapping and breakdown different areas of you face along with the organs those areas are connected to.

What is face mapping?

When I was studying in my esthetician course on the island of Maui we had a very thorough education. Being we were on the island there is a huge Asian influence we were taught a few more things stemming from the Asian cultures. There are a lot of Japanese or Japanese Hawaiians living on the island as Japan is 5 hours away from Hawaii. So a lot of people had migrated over from Japan and mixed with the Hawaiians and the Hawaiian culture. That being said we actually learned that face mapping came from traditional Chinese medicine. I wanted to point out the Japanese Hawaiians because the whole island has an Asian approach to doing things. Basically the concept of face mapping is like this. Your face tells a story. There are points on your face that are connected to your internal organs or areas of the internal body. If something could be going on internally with an organ it can show up on your face as a pimple or breakout. It doesn’t just have to be pimples. You can also just be getting red patches that could be surface dryness but can be stemming from something internal.

Example: The nose point would be connected to your lungs, there are two spots by the mouth and they are connected to the small and large intestine. There are the areas on the face that always break out when you are stressed and there is the hormonal area. I will draw a map of the face with the points I learned and these have been proven time and time again in my career and when I mention an area the person can put the break out to a reason that can be affecting the internal body.

The Map

Would like to note here this is the map I learned from. If you goggle face mapping or look up other articles there may be different face maps that represent the facial areas different. I also have had that happen with reflexology of the hands and feet. You can take into account that nothing is set in stone but this is a general guide. I feel confident sharing this map as through the years I have seen the connection of these points on the face with myself and my clients with results for figuring out skin issues.

As you can see on the map the different points on the face and how they relate to the internal organs. Essentially the idea is. if you had a break out and it was around your nostrils your lungs are being exposed to something and it is coming out on your skin. So the two spots next to the nostrils would be considered your lung points. The two points next to the corners of your mouth would be considered your digestion. Within the lines of digestion are your small and large intestines. Sometimes you can get breakout along the small and large intestine lines if your eating something your intestines cannot handle.

To the side of either of the intestine lines is your hormonal breakout. Normally you can get a pimple in that area when you are either ovulating or getting ready to have your period. Its just a large dose of hormones and the excess is coming out on the skin. Anytime you get a pimple right on the jaw bone but underneath it that area represents stress. Hands down I see it on my own face if I get stressed. The spot right under your nose that is above your lip in the little dip represents the uterus. Now I have only learned this as the uterus. If I had to take a guess for men it would be one of their male sexual glands. If something is going on internally in your uterine area or reproductive organs you may get a pimple right in the middle of the upper lip. The general area that I know from experience if something is going on in your stomach you can have break out on the forehead and also the cheeks.

What to do about it

Just be informed. I am explaining this concept to bring an awareness as to why you could be breaking out. I can say from my own experience when I was in manicure school and we were working with acrylic, I had pimples many times next to my nostrils. I know it was from breathing in the acrylic chemicals. My body was not used to the strong chemical and I was being affected by it.

I have learned that a hormonal pimple is not always a pimple and does not pop the same as a pimple. If that’s the case it is actually better to leave the bump alone and let it heal itself. You can know you have a hormonal pimple by the location on your face and it usually is a more spread out bump. If the breakout doesn’t come to a complete head or look like a regular pustule it is best not to touch and it will go away.

If you have little pimples on the intestinal line then that can be a food allergy. You want to pay attention to what you ate the night before or a day before to see why you can have little breakouts on that area of your face. I know that I am allergic to seaweed and every time after I have eaten say a sushi veggie roll the next day I will always have tiny little bumps on the intestinal line. That is my body reacting to the food and sending it out through my pores.

If you have a pimple in the uterus area something can be going on with your uterus and or your reproductive zones. But also you can just have a hormonal thing going on and if your ovulating or getting ready to have your period you can get a pimple in that area.

Also the stress pimple on the jaw line. If you get a big pimple right around the jaw line it is in the stress area or zone of your face. You can almost check in with yourself and see if you have a stressful event coming up or something going on that is stressful. A pimple on the bottom of the face right around the jaw bone area usually represents stress.

Now the area which I marked on both cheeks and the forehead, that area would mainly represent your stomach. What ends up happening is if you are allergic to a food or you are consuming something that your digestion doesn’t handle well it can manifest on your face in the cheeks and forehead. I know when I was consuming almonds and was allergic to them my whole forehead had a lot of breakout. It some time before I put it together that what I was consuming I was allergic to and my skin was definitely showing me.

Can I just throw this out there? Not always the case, but sometimes when people part-take in a recreational drug that gives you, let’s say the munchies it can cause a lot of break out on the cheeks and forehead. Sometimes people do not realize they are allergic to that said drug and the body is detoxing it as best as it can and as fast as it can. Hence why the breakout on the cheeks and forehead. It is a larger surface area and can help to get the toxins out. Not always the case but something to think about. It doesn’t even have to be a drug that gives you the munchies you could also be taking prescription drugs and your body can react to it with a little break out here and there.

Another area I want to add that is not drawn on the map is the liver. Under your eyes on the inner corner represents the liver. Yes you could have no sleep and have dark circles. We all can get that. However, if you have puffy eyes and a lot of dark color under your eyes this area represents your liver. Ask yourself are you consuming something your body cannot handle? If you drink a lot of wine are your eyes dark underneath the next day? Sometimes people are allergic to pasta and they get dark circles under their eyes. Also believe it or not burning scented candles can cause puffy eyes and dark circles. Fragrances can be taxing on the liver and it will show on your face. Also again prescription meds affect your liver.

Knowledge is Power

I just want to bring an awareness to this topic. The more you know the more you can try and heal your skin. Sometimes it starts on the inside. Once in awhile you have a lifestyle change and start breaking out and you cannot figure out what is causing it. Instead of running to get an anti acne cover or a new cleanser maybe just think about any recent lifestyle changes and what could be causing it?

Another note is the skin on your body. Sometimes you may get a pimple on the back or arm or maybe even the buttocks. Nine times out of ten that is an ingrown hair and it has developed due to friction and then causes the hair to grown into the skin and a little pus to form around where the hair is growing in. I always suggest to pop and get the pus out. Why? If you don’t open the pustule and get air into it the hair follicle will keep growing internally. Have you ever had an ingrown hair and you can take a needle to it and get it out and it is nice and tight curls and really long? Well I have had that happen and I can honestly say it is better to pop and remove them on the body then to let them stay growing. Just a nice poke with a sterile needle and then some alcohol after to clean the skin. But you want to look for the hair and maybe even use a nice sharp tweezers to try and get the ingrown hair out. I always say if you don’t get the ingrown hair out it will stay in your skin and keep growing.

Conclusion

Now that you have learned the concept of face mapping you have an ability to spot other issues going on in the body. If you do have a breakout or pimple I always say first drink a lot of water. Dehydrated skin is dry skin and tight skin. The lymphatic system is always cleaning from behind the skin and the more water you drink the more it aids your system to flush out toxins. So water water and more water is always the first step. Second you now have a new awareness and maybe you cannot handle certain foods in your body. Again water water water as that helps get things moving out that shouldn’t be in the body. Also consider your surroundings and environment. If your breaking out by the nostrils maybe there is mold in a work place or home or place you frequent and your body is letting you know. Or you take a weekend trip to a city with lots of pollution and you get a pimple by the nose point?

Face mapping is just another way to be in tune with your body and aware of what is going on. Having this tool can help you to solve little issues you or a family member may not be aware of. If someone says to you, “I don’t know why, but I keep breaking out in this spot.” You now have a tool to help them or suggest to them maybe something is going on. Leave me a comment if this has helped you or given you a new light on breakouts on your face. Would love to know how you find this post helpful in your skincare journey.

March 28, 2025
How I Cleared Up My Psoriasis & Product Recommendations (to help heal skin) Part 3
In this post I am going to talk about the signs of psoriasis and what you can look for to know if you have psoriasis. Also I will share my personal story of how I developed psoriasis to help you understand how one could develop psoriasis and not even know they have it. Finally I will give you some pointers on products you can use to help sooth the redness and eventually balance or heal the red patches.

Definition: Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition characterized by thick, scaly, and often itchy patches on the skin.

Common symptoms include:
- Dry, thick, and raised patches
- Red, scaly patches
- Itching or soreness
- Flaky patches
- Patches of dry skin
My Personal Story

So here we are again years later in my life and now I have relocated 2 different times since I had my massive acne breakout. My skin had gone back into balance and I was doing good. I had lived in Buenos Aires for two years and the climate there was a little more dry than on the island of Maui. So I had adjusted my products accordingly. I point this out to help you realize that the climate you live in affects your skin. You want to be aware that sometimes you will need to change the type of skincare products you are using based on where you are. Especially your cleanser and your face cream. Again some factors in your daily climate that affect your skin:
- If your in a dry desert like climate very drying for the skin
- If your in a cold climate and staying indoors with a heater on. ( Especially a gas heater is very drying for the skin)
- If your in a hot climate and staying indoors with an air conditioning system, again very drying
- If your in a tropical climate, a lot of humidity can add bacteria on your skin
I relocated to Miami Beach and I was now back living in a very hot and tropical climate. Everything was good as I prefer that type of climate but all of a sudden I was noticing red patches on my skin? It was not making sense. How could I have moved to a very heavy humid environment, more humidity than on Maui and my skin was getting dry patches? This was not making sense? So I started to use a gentle cleanser and was using the heaviest cream possible on my face. If I could I would of slathered my face with shea butter. Nothing was working though and nothing made sense? So this went on for about 4 to 5 months. The mystery of the red patches right below my eyes and on my cheek bones. Another pattern of me changing products and brands constantly to see if anything would work better than the first heavy cream I had tried.

What was more perplexing and annoying is that I am an esthetician and this is my field and I cannot even get my own skin balanced or figure out what is going on with my skin. So as the months went by and I was working part time at a restaurant one day it all came together. I had probably been complaining to my manager that my skin was so dry in Miami and I couldn’t figure out why. He made the comment that changed everything. He said something like, “If your using the water on Miami Beach than anybody’s skin would be super dry as the water is so full of chlorine.” I was like BINGO maybe that is it? So I had to come up with a plan to test this new discovery.

First I needed to stop washing my face with the tap water. Now how was I to do that when I was wearing makeup? I decided that my face needed a strong washing at night but in the morning how dirty was my face? I had done a good cleaning the night before and now it was pretty much clean I just needed a light cleaning. So I bought rosewater in a spray bottle and in the mornings I would use a cotton round and spray the cotton round with my rosewater and wipe across my face. If the cotton was dirty I would use a new cotton round and wipe a second time. Then I would continue with my morning routine of adding moisturizer and then makeup. This became my new skincare routine. After a few weeks, (remember it takes 28 days for anything to change on the skin) I started to see the red patches disappear. So the conclusion to all my problems was the chlorine in the water was stripping my face. Honestly this could happen to anyone, anywhere and so it is a story I wanted to share to point out that changing climates and environments can really affect your skin.

Its All About The Water

Also I point this out because it is good to be aware of what is in your water and what type of water you are using to wash your face. I have never gone back to using water to wash my face in the mornings. That was well over 10 years ago. I have moved since then to different cities but using basically the (Toner Method) to wash my face in the morning is what has worked for me. You really want to be aware of the water you use on your skin.

Another thing to consider is travel. I noticed after I had figured out what was going on with my skin if I traveled to a dry climate my little red patches would start to appear. I would use my healing cream on them and they would instantly heal up. Just flying on an airplane can cause your skin to be really dry. Not to mention you want those 8 glasses or 64 ounces of water in a travel day that is hard to get consumed. By the time you land and if your using tap water to wash your face? You could start to develop little dry red patches.

Signs and Symptoms

Some people do not even realize they may have psoriasis. What you are looking for is fine little red patches on your face. It almost always starts out under the eye right around the cheek bone and usually on the Left side of the face I have noticed. If you walk around and think oh my skin is always red it may be that you are using to strong of a cleanser and then creating the patches and they are light but they exist. Or again the water in your area can be full of chlorine and hard chemicals that are hard on your delicate facial skin. Like I said balancing the skin is a vicious cycle and you really have to be on top of things and aware of what can affect your skin. There are different levels of psoriasis. From just light small patches on the face that come seasonally to red almost raw skin. Some people do not even realize that there are cures and creams for these red patches. Some products I swear by that help through all this red and dry patches are listed below. (none of these are sponsored)

Treatments
- My go to ointment (every home should have this great for cuts too) https://www.healingedge.net/store/product238.html#tab-1-div
- Arcona the best toner to cleanse your skin with in the morning https://www.arcona.com/product/cranberry-toner.html
- Bloom Effects BEST BEST moisturizer for dry skin https://bloomeffects.com/collections/all/products/royal-tulip-nectar
Now having worked in the field and given many facials I can say that this brand that I worked with absolutely blew my mind when we did these specialty facials on either a sunburned skin or someone with severe redness. If you ever want a special spa treatment I can recommend this brand, it is only found online or in spas. The brand is called Repechage and here is a link for the spa locater. You will see the facial on the menu basically described as a Red Out facial or something along those lines. Click this link here for a spa locator https://www.repechage.com/pages/locate-a-spa

They also retail the skin care line for redness here:

https://www.repechage.com/collections/skin-sensitivity-redness

A great product line to use for redness and also if you want to treat yourself and have an expert in the field work with your red skin use the spa locater to find a location close to you or where you may be traveling to enjoy a relaxing service.

This has been my experience with psoriasis and I wanted to share with you just in case you may have a similar situation going on with your skin. Just to emphasize that yes your climate does affect the dryness of your skin. Yes red little patches can be the beginning of psoriasis. Yes your cleanser that you start the day with can affect your skin (it can be to stripping). Yes there are ointments and creams that you can be using to help heal your patches and dryness. The most important factor here is that it is important to consider the water that you are using to wash your face with. I will touch on water filters and what is best for our hair and skin on another post.
December 29, 2024
What Your Acid Mantle is and How (Your Cleanser) Affects Your Skin Pt.1
Skincare 101

We are going to take this post to the basic skincare 101 science of skin. In this post I will try and breakdown and explain what the acid mantle is in understandable terms and also guide you on cleansers and why they are an important factor when considering your acid mantle and skin type

The acid mantle is very important in determining your skin type and how to balance your skin. I searched the definition of acid mantle in Wikipedia and it was a little to scientific. I checked back to the more understandable definition from the Milady’s study book and found this explanation.
Definition: The acid mantle is a thin, slightly acidic film covering the entire surface of human skin, serving as a protective barrier against pathogens and reducing body odor.

Composition: The acid mantle is composed of:
1. Free amino acids and α-hydroxy acids (lactic acids) excreted from sweat
2. Free fatty acids and amino acids from sebum
3. Urocanic acid and pyroglutamic acid
pH Range: The surface pH of the skin’s acid mantle typically ranges between 4.5 and 6.5, with an average assumption of 5.0 to 6.0. However, recent research suggests that healthy human skin naturally tends to return to acidity levels below 5.0 when left untouched by skincare products or water for extended periods, with an ideal pH value of 4.7 and some individuals showing levels as low as 4.3.
How I break it down to a facial client

Everyday from the time we all wake up our skin is starting to balance. There can be a lot of environmental factors that affect the balance of your skin. I will mention those later. Now as you go about your day I always say between 12 and 3 pm we all start to develop a little sheen or shine on our face. This happens to everyone male or female. The amount of shine one produces varies by climate so there can be a little of a give and take. That sheen on your skin is your acid mantle. What that does is it is designed to protect you. A natural protective barrier. Now if you cleanse your face and your cleanser is to strong it will strip your skin and make it feel nice and tight. So what happens? As the day goes on your brain will realize “Oh they do not have their protective barrier let me produce more oil for them.” Now you begin the vicious cycle of trying to balance skin and you can produce more black heads and pimples. This causes your to go into a fight mode of trying to protect you and in the meantime your producing more oil. If you naturally have dry skin and your using a strong cleanser this can cause your skin to become extra dry and then eczema or psoriasis can occur.

That is why with any skincare routine one of the most important products is your cleanser. If you are washing your face in the morning to start your day and after you cleanse, your face feels nice and tight. That is an indicator that the cleanser you are using is too strong. So my rule number 1 with cleansers: You never want your face to feel tight after you cleanse your skin. Yes it could happen with an exfoliant but we normally do not want to exfoliate more than 2 nights a week. Night time is better for exfoliation followed by a deeply hydrating moisturizer.

Rule number 2 which can be the next step in your morning routine is no alcohol in your toner. The alcohol can also be drying and stripping. Remember when we are using a skincare regime we are looking for that balanced glow.

If a product is to strong and strips your skin you will produce more oil throughout the day. If the product is to heavy for your skin and the molecules of say an oil or cream are to heavy that too can cause breakout on the other end of the spectrum.

Rule number 3 is the water you are using to cleanse your skin with. Do you live in an old building with old rusty pipes? Have you looked up the region of where you live and the main water supply and what they put into that water? If the water is heavily chlorinated then you will be essentially washing your face with chlorine. Another stripping agent. (Not to mention when you shower you are breathing that in) A website you can use to check your local water supply: https://www.livescience.com/59935-tap-water-database.html

Rule number 4 how is the weather or climate where you are? What time of year is it? In winter we use electric and gas heaters to heat living spaces and that can have a heavy drying effect on the skin. If you are going outside and it is cold with a chill whipping breeze on your face, that wind can chap your skin as well and cause heavy dryness. If you live in a tropical climate, is it with heavy air conditioning usage? Air conditioning can cause the skin to run on the dry side. Tropical humidity can sometimes make you produce what feels like more oil and you can have a layer of dirt and sweat mixed and cause a breakout reaction. Climate is a very important factor to consider when you are searching for the correct cleanser for your skin.

Conditions that can be caused by your acid mantle being stripped are:
- acne
- blackheads and breakouts
- eczema
- psoriasis
- extreme dry skin
Again these main skin conditions can all have a root cause of the cleanser that you start your day with. Its not a formula for all because each individual has a story but in a round about way when it comes to balancing skin it starts with the cleanser and your acid mantle. Then you have the conditions of rosacea or psoriasis. That (in my opinion) is also a cleanser that is to strong stripping your skin. I will side note here a lot of times the redness can be caused by the climate. Especially the Northeast winters. You can see the rosey red cheeks on the fishermen and a lot of times people do not attribute this to the climate. (there is a natural homeopathic cream for this redness stay tuned for part 2 post.)

Types of Cleansers

When we go to the beauty store or any section of any store that sells skincare products it can be overwhelming to understand the different types of cleansers and what they do or how they work with the skin. Let me explain 5 common types of cleansers you’ll find and how each one can affect the skin.
- Milk Cleanser
- Foaming Cleanser
- Gel
- Oil Cleanser
- Micellar
- Bar Soap
I’ll start with my personal favorite which I think is good for everyone and that is the milk cleanser. Some brands might have a cream cleanser or call it that variation but essentially it will be a more creamy type of cleanser. This cleanser is more gentle on the skin and will not strip your skin. Next we have the foaming cleanser. The foaming cleanser is normally designed for more oily skin. It gives the sensation of a deep clean because the foam scrubbing feels like your really getting in there and cleaning but these types of cleansers can be harsh for the skin so be careful. If you are using a foaming cleanser and have noticed some breakout I would probably discontinue use. Also refer back to the rule. If you cleanse your skin in the morning does the cleanser make your skin feel tight? I wouldn’t recommend that type of cleanser for you. I’m going to place the gel cleanser in the same category. Gel and foaming cleansers are designed for more oily skin types so if you notice any tightness after a use or wash I’d say it would be a no for your skin.

Now oil cleanser is considered to have the heaviest of molecules of all the cleansers. A little bit close to micellar on the spectrum but more so heavier than all the other cleansers. To be honest I wouldn’t start my day with either of these cleansers. If you had massive dry skin or maybe an older menopausal skin this may work for your skin type to start the day but other than that I would use this type of cleanser in the evening and with a wash cloth. Also I would suggest here that Micellar is a great make up remover. Both eyes and face.

My final cleanser here is bar soap. I used to not be a fan of bar soap at all but now here I am with my own brand of bar soap. https://elementlufu.com/store/lavender-cleansing-bar/ When I switched to more clean beauty products I started really looking into the breakdown of soaps and ingredients and what is in everything. The right bar soap can be very clean (such as mine) and be effective and non stripping. What I find appealing with my bar soap and any “clean beauty” soap is if you can understand the ingredients. That has become the most important thing for me in my products is to clearly understand what I am using on my face.

Conclusion

All in all you just do not want your cleanser to be stripping your skin. Remember stripping equals more oil production. When you cleanse your skin you are not looking for that tight tight feeling. That is an indicator that the cleanser is to harsh for your skin. I know sometimes that it can be mental and someone might desire that tight feeling to think that their skin is really clean. But we just need to let that go because in the long run it is not going to serve you well. If you want that, “I need to feel super clean feeling,” you can always follow up with a non alcoholic toner and see the results on a cotton round.

To not make this info to overwhelming I’ve decided to break this post into a Part 1 a Part 2 and a Part 3 because there is so much detail into really balancing the skin. Like I’ve mentioned before, me personally I have been on both spectrums of skin. I was an acne model in facial school where they could use my face to demonstrate how to properly extract black heads and pimples and then I was borderline psoriasis when I had moved to a new city. I want to explain how those two conditions happened to me so that if anyone else may be in similar situations they can learn for themselves how to get back into balance or just realize the climate their living in and how it can have a dominant factor on skin. So I will explain in Part 2 how my acne skin condition happened to me and recommend various products that I personally used to get back into balance.
December 14, 2024
Confessions of a Licensed Esthetician
This post is for anyone working in the beauty industry or anyone thinking about working in the beauty industry. I’m going to be brutally honest here and tell you the ups and downs of working in the beauty and spa sector. There is always the good the bad and the ugly of working in any field. If your a people person there is more good than bad.

Lets start with what could be the bad. Nothing is that bad there are just some facts to point out in this industry that not everyone realizes are going on behind the scenes. When your a customer you will not always think about these issues but its a reality in this industry. Disclaimer here these are things that are coming from both my personal experiences and my opinion.

The Bad
1. Free Services or giving away your time and skill with no pay. An example I would give here is obviously a free nail service or facial or whatever it is in this industry you do for a job interview. This is a reality. When you go to an interview you have to show your work and you will have to perform a service with no pay. Where that can get not so pretty is if your constantly interviewing and having to give services and no one will pay you for that. I am okay with this in the sense that this is part of the reality of this industry. Another not so pretty is once you get hired and then you need to train you will be doing more free services. Imagine if an establishment has 8 different services on the menu. They want you to learn all the services and be able to perform them well. So you will be doing lots of services to practice and this is normally at a training rate (minimum wage). Occasionally people can tip you while your practicing.
2. Insurance depending on where you work you may need to provide and pay for your own liability insurance. Some companies will allow you to work under their insurance but sometimes you will have to provide and pay for your own insurance. Why this is necessary is if you have a rare experience or incident with a client (for example the wax was to hot and you waxed a client and their skin ripped and scarred) that client can sue you and you would want to have coverage.
3. Low commissions, tricky pay or an establishment keeps your tips. When you interview some places are not so transparent and they will offer information about your commissions, percentage and gratuity in the interview process while discussing your pay. You can start working and realize they set up the commissions in their favor by their booking process. Or you can work and I’ve had this happen personally where the establishment charges a service fee and they state on the website in teeny tiny fine print that the service fee is not for your service provider but if you would like to leave an additional gratuity you are encouraged to. (this is after the client was just charged 20 percent service charge on top of the service price.) Pretty sure the client is thinking that they just tipped.
4. Do not love product or brand I’m working with. Another frustration I have had throughout my career is not being in love with the product. Imagine getting hired at an amazing place and having amazing clientele and then the product or brand the place chooses to use you are not in love with. Its not always that your not in love with the product but you know from your knowledge and experience that there are better things out there. Imagine too that your expected to sell that brand and can earn commissions but the product could be a high price point and you do not believe in it. I have done so many facials where someone will ask me, ” so what do you use on your face?” You know its not the brand your working with but it puts you in an awkward response of well these products I’m using on you right now are good but for your skin there could be something better. Always not an easy thing to juggle.
5. Disease and condition of the nails for the nail technicians. People do not realize that you will be working on fungus on both the nails and the skin of the feet. Sometimes it smells. You are responsible for the proper sanitation and clean up after that client. Hopefully the establishment where you are working has gloves and provides gloves because I’ve had that issue where the order didn’t arrive and now we have this type of client to work on.
6. You become a free therapist. It has been said that psychology should be a pre requisite to work in the beauty industry. A lot of people tell you a lot of things. Some things you could go without knowing. I’ve been doing services where people can be sharing very intimate details about their life and sometimes you need to know how to respond.
7. The questioning. Guaranteed you will be questioned everything about yourself and your life. I have worked in the high end sector with high end and private clients and your trained not to ask them personal questions. On the contrary they will ask you anything and everything about yourself. Sometimes I think I don’t know you and I do not feel like answering this question but you kind of have to navigate how to answer with grace as they are a paying customer.
8. Bossy or controlling customers who tell you what to do or how to do your job. It can happen sometimes where instead of someone coming for a relaxing service they want to tell you how to do the service. You usually have to tip toe around them as you can never tell if its their personality or they are unhappy with the service being performed. Or they could be having a bad day and you are the lucky chosen one to receive the brunt of it all.
Even though the bad can seem super negative there are also some amazing positive aspects to this type of career. I have had way more good than bad and that is why I have stayed in the industry as long as I have. Taking it to a more positive note we can explore the good side of working in the spa and beauty industry.

The Good
1. Amazing clients. You can meet the most amazing people and depending on where you work you can have regulars and once in awhile(no guarantee) they can become life long friends. You can always learn a lot from your clients too. Many people that I have done services on have became friends or found ways to stay in touch.
2. Receive services at a discount and do trades. Always nice when you have extra time to practice services with a coworker and have a little surprise pampering time all while having a little extra coworker bonding.
3. Friendships with coworkers can be amazing. Normally working in the same type of environment and having studied from the same book it brings a commonality and you can usually find someone in your work space you “click” with. I have loved working with so many people in all my different spa and salon jobs and have great memories with them all.
4. Back to the amazing clients I have learned so much from my clients. It has always been interesting when someone has an interesting career choice or owns their own business and talks about it. Its fun to hear from people and different perspectives and learn something new as your working.
5. Product discounts. Always a perk when working with spa and beauty products to be able to get a discount or wholesale price. I have quite an array of spa products in the bathroom but they eventually get used.
6. Staying up with the latest trends. For me personally its nice to be in a career where your getting exposed to the newest trends. There is always change in this environment and growth. You can choose to keep it old fashioned and stick to the basic facial styles, or learn the equipment and machine facials. Its nice to be able to incorporate a little bit of both styles to a facial for example.
7. Trade Shows are the best. This is what keeps you in the know and its always fun to see the new concepts and trends being launched out in the industry. Normally bonding with a coworker or two as you attend the trade shows and being able to buy most things at cost as your attending the show with your license.
8. Great pay. If you set yourself up at the right establishment you can definitely make a great commission and pay rate. I’ve learned over time what places are good to work for and what commission scale works in the therapist favor. Note: I would probably never work for a place that offers either or whichever is greater in a two week period. That usually pans out to making minimum wage and you do all the work and the establishment gets paid in their favor. Again speaking from experience.
9. Down time you can give yourself a service. Always a plus. Sometimes from working in the industry it gives you the time to pamper yourself too. I have worked in some not so busy places and let me tell you my nails always had polish on them during that employment.
In conclusion working in the spa or beauty service industry can have its ups and downs but as long as you can focus on the booking and the end goal it can balance out to be a rewarding experience with each client and thus a rewarding career. I have loved working on all my clients and have some great memories through the years of some clients and the things they did or said that stay with me. I can still remember that special client that would always book a service every Friday for example or my male client that only wanted me to do his manicures and would work around my schedule every 2 weeks. There is definitely a human connection in this field of work and adding the beauty and benefits of enhancing a persons looks or the feeling of helping someone to feel pampered is a great reward.

Through it all the good or the bad the spa and beauty industry is a service industry that incorporates the power of touch. We all end up touching and enriching each others lives whether it be by the touch of a hand or the power of a skincare or body suggestion to enhance your overall feeling of health and well being. It is a great industry to work in and very personable on many levels. After over 15 years in the industry I can say that I am very happy I made the career choice that I did. Write a comment if you want to add to any of the pros or cons of the industry that I may have missed in the comments section. Also feel free to reach out with any questions per the contact button.
November 14, 2024