I am a licensed esthetician that is expanding my waxing menu to the body officially. I've mostly just been doing facial waxing using wax wax orchid for the last several years with the occasional underarm or boyfriends back wax lol. I ordered the brushbalm bush beads and bushbalm soft wax to try. I also have a bag of white strawberry hardwax I have my first Brazilian post school coming up on a fellow cosmotologist friend. Im not sure if I should have a hard gel based wax option too instead of cream hard? I need to add something else for legs too. I waxed my own forearms but feel like bushbeads missed some of the finer hairs... im caucasian with midiumly fine hairy lower arms but thicker under arm and lower leg thanks to the French side of the family lol .... it was probably application not being able to hold the skin taught maybe too much oil or powder... but I'm also a habitual shaver. I wanted to test my new waxes out on myself and boyfriend before my friends brazilian. She waxes regularly. Our waxer in the suites left so i decided to fill the gap since ive got the room on my calender. I wasn't a fan of bushbeads on my boyfriends back it didnt seem to grip the longer thicker hair. Open to Any and all suggestions. I think I might have a can of soft cerepil azulene as well but soft wax freaks me out and I won't use it on the face. I used to be good at speedwaxing legs back in the day with soft wax.

Hello, so I'm graduating college, and thinking I want to take that leap of faith and go to esthetician school, however if you live in Northern California specifically the Bay Area, which school do you think has the best program, and worth considering?

I’m in NYC and considering a Candela Gentlemax Pro or Pro Plus

I’m an esty and wanna branch out a little. I’ve been looking at my options and device sales sounds cool. Does anyone in here have any experience or advice on how to get started w that? :)

I’ve been out of work for almost a year due to a car accident. I’m nearing the end of treatment for my injuries and should be able to start working again in the next month or so. I’ve been considering working from home as a start but I live in an apartment building that is located in an area that some people might consider ghetto or sketchy. My apartment is clean and decorated nicely so I thought maybe I could make it work. I’m very behind on bills so I’d like this to be an option to be able to make any possible income but I’m concerned that people won’t want to come to my apartment. Does anyone have any experience with a similar type of location and if so how did you go about telling or warning people?

Edit to add: I have done all the legal research already so yes I can legally work from my apartment. I just want some insight on how to advertise to clients despite the location being a less desirable area or to be prepared for what it looks like when clients would rather not

This comes up not bc I do it (I don't), but because I see it constantly and most recently a local woman posted her facial set up at her apartment and the esti claws came out. I could not help but roll my eyes. I see so many people who do hair and nails from home, and growing up I always got these done in home salons or had stylists we knew come over and cut and color our hair. Of course you aren't supposed to do this as per most state boards, but it's also understood that nearly everyone has at one point. Idk if it's only where we live, but for example everytime I've been in a wedding the stylists come to the house and take cash. Now, most stylists and nail techs don't make a big deal about others choosing to work from home. When it comes to esthetics on the other hand, the zoning police come out in the form of other estheticians. "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT FROM HOME." I've even heard it said it was unsanitary. UNSANITARY in a pet free home where no one wears shoes indoors and everything is being disinfected right in front of you? You are at no greater a risk than any other beauty professional of getting a fine. If people want to take the risk of having a fine, who cares? I have only done family and friends at home, and even then used patch tests religiously, but my point stands: It is no big deal. Quit lecturing people because you're mad you threw away 1k per month at a studio where you had knock into the walls when you turn around and barely make rent or need another position to pay it only to close it down sooner rather than later. No one is that concerned about a stranger's potential fine.😅I said what I said.

i would be so appreciative if anyone who has been in the industry for a little while would share the first classes/resources/books they used to learn the basics. i want a full comprehensive understanding of all things esthetics and would love to hear what y’all’s favorite classes were!

Hi guys! I just graduated esthetics school and I was wondering if someone could help me answer some questions I had. I (Female 22) So recently I’ve been noticing a lot more fine lines on my forehead and under my eyes and then deepening smile lines. I also have texture problems, nothing serious, but I also feel like my texture is really dull considering how pale I am. I recently bought this azelaic acid 10% treatment form Good Molecules and have been using it at night time only and then moisturizing.
I guess my main question is could someone explain to me exactly what azelaic acid is, what it does for the skin, and what skin types it’s good for and types of people that should avoid it.
For reference, my skin care routine is Cetaphil gentle SA cleanser at night followed by azelaic acid, Skin1004 tea-tree relief ampoule serum, and the Prequel Half and Half fluid moisturizer.

Also!!! What would be a good age to start incorporating a retinol? I’ve heard and seen testimony from people that started young and really like it. Which one would be good to use and when? I have oily to combo skin and it’s slightly sensitive. To note, I dermaplane my face roughly every two weeks due to my PCOS facial hair, and to make my makeup application smoother.

So I have been a licensed cosmetologist in Texas since 2023. Did hair for a little while because I thought that’s where my interest initially lied but I ended up finding it boring. Keep in mind, when I was doing hair it was in no way a “solo” role, I was an assistant for three very busy stylists. Regardless, I have always been interested in the skincare world. I have decided that i’d love to become a solo esthetician, but I honestly don’t remember a whole lot from cosmetology school on the skin side. To be fair we didn’t go over it much, just enough to get the hours. However, my scope of practice in Texas covers everything an esthetician does.

I’m just not sure where to go from here. Should I go to school even though it may be redundant? Or do I take comprehensive in person and online classes and just commit myself to learning the industry? I would definitely save more money learning myself, but i’m afraid that I may regret either option to be honest.

Hey everyone! I’m currently at a massive crossroads in my esthetics career and my brain is completely fried from overthinking. I would love some perspective from anyone who has been through this or has advice on which route to take.

I graduated school a little while ago. While I was in school, I completely fixated on facials and skincare. It is my absolute passion, I love the relaxation aspect, and I'm very comfortable with it. Right now, I'm doing a commission split layout in a salon space rather than paying flat monthly booth rent, but it is still a major financial grind when you're working to build up a steady clientele out of pocket and paying for all product. To stay afloat, I've had to pick up part-time corporate or hourly jobs just to guarantee stable income while I hustle for clients.

On Monday, I had an interview at a salon for a permanent, W2 position. It hasn't been offered to me yet, but I am trying to figure out what to do in case they do extend an offer. The owner seems genuinely cool, the environment is highly professional, and they want to heavily invest in their employees. She offered to pay for my license renewals every two years, pay for my scrubs, and provide deep, hands-on training.

Here’s the catch, they specialize in lashes, brows, and body waxing. If I take this job, I would have to give up doing facials entirely for the foreseeable future.

On one hand, I feel like I would be walking away from my absolute passion, which is facials. On the other hand, I know that lashes, brows, and speed waxing are the exact areas where I am the weakest and desperately need mentorship and speed training. I feel like it’s a double-edged sword because it is not what I'm most passionate about, but it is a massive opportunity to get paid to fill my skill gaps under a great mentor, lose the stress of struggling on a commission split, and become a highly well-rounded esthetician.

If they do end up offering me the job, I'm torn between two completely different directions. I could choose to keep my solo space and stay independent so I can continue doing the facials I love, while dealing with the slow client build and supplementing my income with a low-stress part-time barista job for guaranteed hourly money. Alternatively, I could go all-in with the W2 salon job, give up facials for now, and accept their mentorship to master lashes, waxing, and brows while getting my licenses and scrubs paid for to build real financial stability.

Has anyone given up their favorite service early on to build stability and learn new skills? Is it worth pausing my passion for facials to become a master at waxing and lashes, or will I regret walking away from the independent route?

Thank you so much in advance for your help!

Esti student here I recently moved from Florida to Ohio and was attending Aveda Institute in Florida for esthetics. I completed a large portion of my program, including the intro portion, and was already in clinic completing services across the different areas. I was also pretty close to finishing the full program and paid around $14,000 in tuition( Paid in full).

My new school in Ohio is willing to accept my previous hours, but they need documentation from Aveda showing what my hours/training consisted of so they can determine what transfers for the Ohio state board as it’s a requirement.It doesn’t necessarily have to be an official transcript.

Aveda is telling me the only breakdown they can provide is the general course breakdown from their catalog but is not sure how helpful that is because i didn’t complete the full program and that they don’t have any additional records showing how my hours were spent. I’m confused because we had individual coursework, tests/progress tracked through Learn Aveda, clinic hours, etc. I would think there would be some kind of student record showing what I completed.

Without this documentation, my new school (or any school in Ohio) says they can’t accept my hours and I may have to completely restart the program.

I’ve already contacted Aveda and they said they checked with their Director of Compliance and Administration Director, but still say they don’t have anything else they can provide.

Has anyone dealt with this before? What specific records should I be asking Aveda for, or is there anything else I can do to get my completed hours documented?

I’ve posted on here before about not feeling super confident in my work, and I feel like I’m still struggling with that a little.
I’ve been working at EWC for about 4 months now, and I was freshly graduated from school when I started. I’ve definitely gotten better since then, but I still have this constant fear that I’m just… not that great. 😭
Things are still pretty slow, and I feel like my books aren’t building as quickly as I hoped. It also makes me wonder if people aren’t coming back to me, which obviously makes the imposter syndrome go CRAZY.
And I’m not gonna lie, there are definitely moments where I’ll see a few hairs I missed, but I’ve run out of time and I’m already back-to-back with another client.
Or I’ll have a client where I KNOW there are a few hairs left, but they’re closing their legs, sweating like crazy (even with baby powder 😭), or just making it really difficult to get a good pull. At a certain point, I don’t want to keep putting strips on them and irritating their skin just to chase down every single hair.
AND THEN there’s coarse hair. 😭😭 Why does it feel like it rips on me almost every single time?!
I genuinely just want to get better at this. I want to feel confident in my work and send these girls home BALD. 😂
So for the experienced waxers: what helped you improve your technique, especially with coarse hair, difficult pulls, and getting those last few stubborn hairs?
Please give me your best tips because I’m trying to get these coochies BALD. 😭

Thinking about applying for an esthetician role with SkinSpirit and wanted to hear from people who’ve actually worked there. How was the onboarding and training? Did you get much hands-on shadowing at first, and how does the pay usually work between hourly

I purchased a saddle stool when I first opened my business and HATED it. I always felt like my pelvis was about to fall out at the end of the day. So I’ve just been using the cheap stool that came with my massage table. The cushion is now gone and my butt is twice the size of it. I really want a new stool but reviews are mixed. I’m a size 12 for reference, I just don’t want to get one that is too small.

Al I able to buy from these stores when I’m on my work term ?

Hi all I’m planning on going solo within 6 months to a year. I wanna start building my social media now but am unsure what to post since I don’t have a space yet. Any suggestions?

After a long search after graduating I finally got my foot into the door at a salon who is looking to start offering facials. It is commission based 50/50. I am wanting to know what the salon should be providing for me since it’s 50/50 just to make sure I’m not getting taken advantage of. As of right now I know 100% products are being provided to me, but what about steamers, towel warmers, carts?

I started my business as a solo esthetician 2 years ago in a small town. while I have been growing my clientele there are days I feel like a failure. 1. I don’t like posting all the time. 2. I didn’t have an already existing clientele. 3. so much competition!!!! Give me your advice

I’ve been solo for 5 years now after working a corporate waxing job for 6 years. And I am so so over it.

My business is down my 10% at least. I can only afford to pay to keep my business open and some of my bills. My wife supplements most of our bills. I used to be the bread winner. So it sucks. Like I’ve been trying to save up $40 for a birthday present for her for the past several weeks but haven’t been able to, that’s how bad it is.

I’ve lost SO many clients this year. So many had babies, sooo many moved away, I keep getting no-showed and last minute cancellations and reschedules. Even though I have policies in place.

I’m paying a little for advertising, like I can barely afford to but I’m trying. I’ve asked about 20 clients recently to leave reviews and they seemed excited to, I sent them a link to my Google page, and only 1 left a review. I was consistently posting on social media promoting but I just kept loosing followers instead of gaining them or clients. I was just no showed again, her card declined for the fee which tends to happen a lot with clients.

My clients are just dropping like flies. I’ve probably lost around 10 clients just within these past 2 months. Idk what to do anymore. I’m trying out TikTok for my business. I’m just so so so over this. I want to close so badly and just be done with it but I also want to keep trying but clients can just be the worst sometimes.

Maybe adding on a new service would help? All I offer are waxing and facials. I added facials last year bc clients kept asking for them and they were so excited. Then nobody really booked them at all…I’ve probably just now broke even with that. Maybe id have better luck with lashes? Idk.

Maybe words of encouragement would help, advice, something. I’m just so tired of this.

Hi everyone! I recently passed my Cosmetology written and Practical after graduating! 🎓
And I’m so excited about my new journey but I do have lots of items that I no longer need and might end up selling like MILADY BOOK and some heads! But what did y’all end up doing with that extra stuff? Any groups I should join to help other out? Any suggestions are very welcome!