Hello All,
We are here to wish you a Happy New Year for 2023. We hope you had a memorable holiday full of rest and quality time with your loved ones.
In this blog, we update you on the courses we are running throughout the year 2023 and the career paths they can lead to.
Our VTCT-accredited Level 2 course perfectly introduces facials and skincare to aspiring aestheticians. Ideal for those that are want to become an aesthetician in the future.
In the course, students learn about a professional facials, covering massage, steaming, exfoliation and moisturising. Learners will also develop their theoretical understanding of the skin and the right skincare ingredients for the different skin types. Finally, the course will introduce students to working in the beauty industry and develop their client consultations.
Previous qualifications are optional to join the course; all you need is a passion for beauty, to be over 18 and have a good command of the English language.
The course is run on a part-time basis on Saturdays only, once a week for six weeks:
Do you already have a level 2 qualification but want to advance your treatment skillset this year? Level 3 facial electrotherapy is an excellent course to learn more advanced facial treatments.
Throughout the course, students train in 5 new electrotherapy treatments, including Microcurrent, Faradic, High Frequency, Vacuum Suction, and Galvanic. These form the basis of any facial treatments using machines and are skills in high demand from established clinics.
Students will also complete their Level 3 Anatomy & Physiology on the course, which is mandatory to move on to any Level 4 or 5 courses.
If you are interested in the course and would like to enrol, we have the following dates available:
We have chosen to run this course as a part-time option as we understand many students are working already. Our Level 3 facial electrotherapy is a Saturday course that runs for eight weeks. Please remember you must have a Level 2 Facial qualification already.
Our most popular facial course allows learners to go from beginners to facial experts in just seven weeks! No previous qualifications are required as you will learn everything you need throughout the training. Five weeks of the course will be in the classroom, with two weeks in our commercial LSBM student salon for hands-on training.
Upon completion, students will have the following qualifications, ensuring they can jump into employment immediately:
If you want to join the course, we offer it on two different part-time schedules to make it more convenient for all interested. The available date options for Monday to Wednesday:
Or, if you’d prefer the Wednesday to Friday option:
Would you like to learn everything about beauty to discover where your passions lie as a beginner? The VTCT Level 2 Beauty Therapy diploma is the most popular choice for those finding their foot in the beauty industry.
Running for 24 weeks as a Saturday-only course, you do not have to quit your job to pursue your passion and hobby. Instead, spend your weekends learning the various popular beauty treatments, including manicures & pedicures, facials, waxing, brow and lash treatments.
The available dates for this course are:
Do you already have a Level 2 qualification in beauty and want to move up the ladder at work? Then there’s never a better time than the new year to upskill yourself.
Using your previous qualifications from your Level 2 certification, learners will add more developed treatments to their roster, including body massage and facial and body electrotherapy. Finally, once all training is completed, our students work in our commercial LSBM salon to further their experience.
Spread across 24 weeks on Saturdays:
Are you looking for an intensive course to help kickstart your beauty career faster? Well in just 24 weeks, you will go from no beauty qualifications to 3:
Students will learn everything from the VTCT Level 2 and Level 3 course. We have the following dates available for enrollment:
Are you already Level 3 qualified and want to add an advanced aesthetic qualification to your belt? To join the course, learners must already have Level 2 and 3 qualifications in a relevant course.
On the course, our expert tutors will cover the underpinning knowledge behind laser hair removal and skin rejuvenation. They understand how to use the laser machine to permanently reduce their client’s hair growth. In addition, the course teaches students to tone and remove pigment, red veins, and acne.
Our Level 4 Laser and IPL training is our most in-demand training, so we now offer two alternatives for those interested. First, you can enrol in the fast track option, which is only five days. Alternatively, the part-time version is spread over six weeks with one day a week lessons.
The following dates for our five-day course:
For 2023, the available dates for our six weeks are:
If you would like to discuss any of the following courses with our enrollment consultants, please get in touch with us. There is no obligation to enrol; they are there to answer your questions and advise you on the best route to achieving your goals.
You can call us on 0203 966 8690 or send us an email at contact@beauty-school.co.uk. If you’d prefer, you can leave your details in our contact form on the right side of the screen, and someone will be in touch with you as soon as possible.
In our last blog, we spoke about the steps to performing a beauty treatment client consultation. However, we got many questions from students about what to include on a basic client consultation form. So we’ll break it down in this guide for those looking to create a client consultation form for their beauty business.
Client consultation forms are great for Beauty Therapists and Aestheticians to understand their clients better. As mentioned in our previous blog, a beauty client consultation should cover the following:
Aside from aiding the therapist with understanding their client better, a client consultation form is also there to protect the beauty professional. Yes, that’s right! Client consultations may seem tedious and unnecessary, especially if it’s a returning client. But without them on record, you can get into a lot of trouble if anything goes wrong.
You might be wondering, how does a client consultation form protect your beauty salon? If a client claims they were hurt in your care and tries to sue you. Your insurance company will want to see that you completed your due diligence by filling out a client consultation form with both parties’ signatures on the page. The consultation will prove that you asked the client everything you needed to know to carry out the treatment safely. You’d be surprised at the number of clients who might withhold a medical condition from their beauty therapist or aesthetician for fear of not being suitable for the treatment. The signed client consultation form will prove that the therapist did ask about these conditions but was not told about them.
We’d recommend splitting your client consultation form into six sections, which we’ll break down for you now.
This one is pretty straightforward; you want the client’s information details—their name, date of birth, mobile number, email address and potentially their address.
If you need to reach out to the client down the line, consider any contact details you need and put them on your client consultation form. The contact details will also help you build a database for your clients and organise them all efficiently.
Please note that it is essential to safely store your beauty salon’s client consultation forms in line with general data protection regulations. If you would like more information about GDPR and how it will affect your beauty business, we recommend reading this helpful article by Professional Beauty.
Section 2 on your beauty salon consultation form is optional but will help understand how new clients discover your beauty/aesthetic business.
Include questions such as:
These questions help you understand where to focus marketing efforts for further success. For example, you might realise that most of your clients come from Instagram, which justifies your social media budget.
In this section, you also want to follow on from your client’s contact information and understand when you’re allowed to contact them.
Ask clients these kinds of questions:
The marketing section can be moved around anywhere on the form, but for clarity, we recommend following the contact section before moving on to the treatment section.
This section is very straightforward and doesn’t have to be lengthy. For example, you can list all available treatments and let the client tick the ones they are interested in.
Alternatively, you could leave a little section to write out the treatment they are getting. We recommend listing all your available treatments on the consultation form and letting the client tick them off. This method is effective as they might see other therapies that will spark their interest and enquire about new treatments.
Firstly, do they have oily, dry, sensitive or combination skin? Their skin type will determine the products you choose for the treatment. You might complete the section following a skin analysis, as clients sometimes need help understanding their skin type correctly.
Secondly, you want to understand their at-home skincare routine and the products they are already using. Knowing if they are currently using acids, retinol, or laser is crucial, as their skin may be more sensitive.
Finally, you want to comprehend their desired results from the treatment. What is the client looking to achieve by completing this treatment with your beauty services?
Throughout this section, you want to assess your client’s medical history properly. Any possible contraindications should be put on your client consultation form for the client to tick off. Rather than asking the client to write down their health conditions as some conditions may slip their mind or they may feel it is not worth mentioning when it is.
We’ve included an example of such medical history questionnaire down below.
As you can see from the example, you want to be as thorough as possible, as if anything goes wrong, this will ensure you cover all your bases. After this point, you might find the client unsuitable for their desired treatment and discuss alternative options. You can move on to the final section if they have no contraindications.
In this final section, you confirm that the client is of age and has consented to the treatment. Again, you should ensure that everything the client stated throughout the consultation is true.
In addition, you could include an ‘exclusion of liability.’ As the name implies, you have considered all possible outcomes and the primary possibility that the client may break the agreement, excluding you from all liability. An excellent example of this is if you’re a laser therapist and the client isn’t transparent about sun exposure which negatively affects their treatment. You could choose to have a clause stating that if the client were dishonest about any contraindications, you would have an exclusion of liability. This is a basic example of the exclusion of liability, and we recommend seeking legal advice for this part of the beauty consultation form.
Most importantly, you want to get your client’s signature confirming everything discussed in the client consultation and safely store it in your archives. Once completed, you can get your beauty/aesthetic treatment underway.
Client consultation is a critical part of any beauty/aesthetic treatment. It is so important that it is among the essential foundation training across all our beauty and aesthetics courses.
A proper client consultation helps you as a therapist deliver the best treatment possible to your client and achieve their desired results. During the consultation with the client, you get to ask them questions concerning:
As you can tell from the list above, the main goal of a beauty treatment client consultation is to open a line of honest communication with the customer. You are asking the client questions to understand better what they want but also for you to know if these results are possible to achieve based on the client’s age, lifestyle and health.
It doesn’t matter if the client is a first-timer or a repeat customer of your business; you should always complete a consultation.
The consultation will make first-time customers feel more comfortable with you. Sitting down with the client for a little while rather than immediately starting the treatment will allow them to loosen up. In addition, a natural chitchat will occur as you ask questions about them and get to know them better.
As with any consultation, the more the customer is listened to, the more respected and understood they feel.
You should see your client consultation as part of the customer service performance. Your product is your treatment, and the consultations are a part of the service. As mentioned earlier, a well-planned and comprehensive consultation makes the client comfortable. If they are a repeat customer, you should recall essential information they’ve shared in earlier consultations. Remembering information about individual clients will make them feel catered to and memorable, ensuring their return to your business. After all, who wouldn’t want to stick to their beauty therapist who knows all about them and their needs rather than try out someone new with whom you have to start from scratch?
Handling your client’s expectations of beauty treatments is a vital part of that open line of communication a beauty therapist should have with their client. If your client has acne, for example, are they expecting one facial to clear it all up? Of course, as a beauty professional, you know this is impossible, but your client might not know that. Especially nowadays, social media marketing feeds viewers all sorts of unrealistic beauty information. Being honest will help your customer avoid disappointment in the results they get from the treatments.
During the client consultation, you should discuss what outcome your client wants to achieve from the treatment and how long it may take them to see these results. It may even arise that they are not a suitable candidate due to possible contraindications. However, as a specialist, you must always be candid with the client to protect your reputation and business.
At The London School of Beauty & Make-Up, we teach Client counselling/consultation techniques across our Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 courses.
Step 1: Introduce yourself to the client, swapping pleasantries
This is a very straightforward step at the beginning of every appointment. Get into the habit of carrying out small talk with clients at the start of sessions to ease them up. We recommend printing out a little leaflet or handbook about your business/treatments for clients to flick through if they want.
Step 2: Question Time
In this step, you want to know everything there is to know about the client, their skin/hair/nails and their health. Then, to make the process smoother and consistent every time, create a client consultation form. Finally, throw in a mixture of open and closed questions to initiate more conversation with the client.
Below are some ideas of questions you could include:
Step 3: Physical Analysis
The client consultation requires you to take the client’s word for much of the information they offer, such as lifestyle and health. But when it comes to the area you are treating, you are the specialist and must analyse for yourself. Checking the affected area will enable you to find possible problems that the client may not even be able to recognise.
Step 4: Record Information
Set up a client database, whether physical or virtual, with all your client’s information that you can always access and refer back to. Then you can access all their information (allergies, previous treatments and upcoming appointments) during every client consultation, regularly updating. Keeping a record of your client consultation will also protect you from future liabilities that might occur.
If you work alongside other therapists on a shift basis, maintaining client records will also help your colleagues fill in for you on appointments.
Step 5: Deliver suitable and high-quality service
You can then get into delivering their desired or agreed-upon treatment from your client consultation.
Are you wanting to become a successful Beauty Therapist? Now is the best time to join the thriving beauty industry. Clients spend £100s a month on beauty and aesthetic treatments to ensure they look and feel their best.
As a beauty therapist, you are qualified to deliver facials, massages, manicures, pedicures, waxing and electrotherapy treatments. What other skills do you need to be a successful beauty therapist?
The skills you will need to be a Beauty Therapist:
Patience is critical for any job that deals with customers, and beauty therapy is no different. Being patient will help you thoroughly understand clients’ concerns and what they want to offer them a better service. Patience is also helpful when you have a customer unhappy with their service or treatment results, as you can quickly de-escalate the situation to ensure that your client leaves feeling content and can come back in the future.
To exercise Patience, remember to breathe, focus on what the customer is trying to say rather than how they are saying it and deliver a service that will exceed expectations.
No matter how great your products or services are, your business can succeed only with excellent customer service. When you give your clients good service, they will make that connection with happiness with your services, leading to a long-term relationship. There may be better beauty therapists out there, but if you can treat your clients with kindness and respect, you will stand out in the industry and succeed.
If you’re unsure of your businesses customer service, ask yourself the following questions:
For many clients, a Beauty Therapist is almost like their therapist. While getting a facial or massage, they may also choose this time to vent about their life stresses or seek advice.
Presenting yourself as a friendly therapist will make it easier for your clients to open up to you. It will also ensure clients are more comfortable around you, creating a more comfortable environment for the more intimate treatments.
Finally, being friendly as a beauty therapist will make it easier for clients to take your advice and even upsell treatment. As you have more knowledge regarding therapies and products than the client, building a friendly relationship will make them trust you more and understand you are looking out for them rather than just trying to make a profit.
Not only does being organised make your life easier, but it will also make you a more reliable Beauty Therapist. Make a note of your appointment times to ensure you are always on time to attend an appointment with a client. Clients are likely to get irritated if you run late or have to cancel your appointment, as they would have set the time aside out of their day. Regularly cancelling or running late for appointments will give you the reputation of being an unreliable therapist, and no one will want to book with you.
Keep your workstation organised and know where all your products are. It will make you look disorganised and unprepared if you search for products during treatments.
Completing an accredited course is the most necessary criterion for becoming a successful Beauty Therapist. To become a licenced Beauty Therapist in the UK, you will need to have completed a Level 2 and 3 Beauty Therapy Diploma from an accredited awarding body.
Here at The London School of Beauty & Make-Up, we offer our students the following accredited beauty therapy courses:
Alternatively, if you want to combine both courses to complete them faster, we offer it as an integrated course. The VTCT Level 2 and 3 Combined Beauty Therapy Diploma runs for 24 weeks, half the time it would take you to complete each course individually.
On the Level 2 Beauty Therapy Diploma, you will master the basics of retail beauty therapy, whilst Level 3 will build on these basics and teach you more advanced treatments. After both of these qualifications, students can successfully:
All of the above will ensure that you are qualified to join any salon as a thoroughly trained and qualified Beauty Therapist.
Here at LSBM, not only do we teach you everything you need to know about the VTCT Level 2 and 3 Beauty Therapy Diplomas to become a skilled Beauty Therapist. In addition, we have the largest commercial salon in London to ensure that you have mastered patience, customer service and organisational skills by the time you’ve finished getting qualified.
Working alongside our experienced tutors in the LSBM salon will help you encounter real-life scenarios to prepare you to work as a beauty therapist in London or wherever your career takes you.
If you would like more information about our famous beauty therapy training courses, why not submit an enquiry today? Our helpful course consultant will then be in touch as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can call us directly on 0203 966 8690 between 9 am – 5 pm, Monday to Friday.
With permanent hair removal becoming more popular, there are many options for professional or at-home permanent hair removal. You may be sitting there wondering which route is better for you, your hair, and your skin. Do you need to go to a professional, or can you do it at home?
No matter the permanent hair removal option, we want to ensure you are fully informed about the differences and benefits of both laser and IPL.
Before we can tell you the differences between Laser and IPL as permanent hair removal choices, we should explain what they are, right? Laser and IPL use powerful light energy to slow and reduce hair growth on the body. They both work by using light to target the melanin pigment in the hair, travelling down to damage the hair follicle. However, while they both use light, their light source is what makes them different.
Laser hair removal uses a consistent targeted monochrome light source. IPL, which stands for Intense Pulse Light, uses a quick flash of broad multi-spectrum light. It’s important to remember that IPL is not a type of laser. Instead, think of it as a light bulb that releases light, one short burst at a time.
Laser is more powerful for many reasons; because it’s monochromatic light, the colours performing are effective in hair reduction. IPL is a multi-spectrum light, so not all the colours that flash will be effective. Secondly, laser machines use a specifically targeted type of wavelength; because it’s targeted, you get a concentrated amount of light in your desired area. IPL machines work with a broader spectrum of wavelengths, covering a larger area in a single flash, decreasing the power significantly.
We covered the benefits of both methods of permanent hair removal, but why even consider permanent hair removal in the first place?
Laser and IPL both use light to target the pigment in the hair shaft, interrupting their hair growth and damaging the hair follicle long term.
If you have the extra money lying around or can find a deal on multiple sessions, you should go for professional laser hair removal. However, you can achieve the same effects or similar with IPL as long as you maintain your sessions. It is always good to have a professional look at your hair and skin; they can advise you on the method that would be most suitable for you.
To find out more about Laser and IPL hair removal and skin rejuvenation and how you can potentially offer the service to your clients, check out our renowned course. LSBM is one of the leading beauty training centres for Level 4 Laser & IPL. We incorporate the best in the industry with our tutors and machines.
Call us today at 0203 966 8690, so you can speak to our friendly enrollment officers, who will answer all your questions and guide you in the right direction.
Running your own business is no 9-5. More likely, even when your shop is closed, you’re still working behind the scenes:
If only you had a helping hand sometimes to make entrepreneurial life a little easier. Well, there are! We’ve compiled a few apps that will take care of all the little details so you can focus on doing what you do best.
Whether you need help planning your social calendar, implementing a smoother booking system, or creating a concise brand kit, we’ve got you covered in this post.
The only social media scheduler you will ever need.
Later is a social media scheduler that allows you to plan your feed from your desktop, phone or tablet. Planning posts out can be tricky from your phone, especially when making sure there are no grammar or spelling mistakes. With Later, you can dedicate an hour a week to schedule all your social posts. The app will even analyse the engagement you’ve had on your previous posts and advise you on the best times to post. Think about all the time you can save!
Another great feature of Later is the capability to visually plan your Instagram feed. It sounds like such a minor feature, but the ability to move around upcoming pictures for a more cohesive Instagram feed is worthwhile!
Social media is the 2022 equivalent of a shop’s storefront. Your potential clients are very much judging your business by the cover. A cluttered feed will likely make your business look unorganised and unprofessional, whilst a well-blended grid screams professional. Especially as someone offering a beauty service, you want your Instagram feed to be beautiful. Later’s visual planner will ensure that you have an aesthetically pleasing social media profile that will at least start a conversation with potential clients.
Create easy yet aesthetically pleasing images.
Gone are the days when you needed to be a Photoshop professional to create stunning visuals for your business. Canva hosts thousands of templates for you to use, making creating those social media posts a little easier. We mentioned just above, the importance of a cohesive Instagram feed, and Canva makes that more straightforward. On the app, you can create your own brand identity. Your brand identity will feature your business’s colours, themes and font choices, making it easier to apply these settings to any template on their website. Everything you use on canva can be made unique to your brand.
Canva goes beyond social media posts, as you can create logos, flyers, website images and more there. It will be the only image editing app that you need!
A booking software that helps you run your business.
Struggling to find new customers or even manage the customer base you already have? Fresha is a booking system app that allows you to schedule appointments in an easy-view calendar, but the app doesn’t stop there!
Using Fresha, you can virtually increase your marketing efforts. The app features auto campaigns in which you group your current customers into different groups to target them more effectively. These customers are categorised based on their loyalty, spending power, frequency of use, and recent use of your services. You can then send out automatic email campaigns to the various segments. For example, you have a client who hasn’t visited in over 6 months, and you want to get them back? You can send inactive customers a discount voucher if they book a service with you over the next month. We think it’s a brilliant feature that all beauty businesses should take advantage of.
Fresha also offers your customers the chance to leave reviews of your business after their appointments. A good review will show potential customers that you are reliable and worth choosing over your competitors. Fresha is definitely one of the best beauty booking systems out there.
The most popular video-sharing app to date.
TikTok is probably one you’ve already heard of and might even use personally. We’re mentioning it because the impact TikTok can have on businesses given the right exposure is tremendous. Honestly, businesses have blown up overnight with just one viral post.
To successfully take advantage of TikTok and its organic growth, you must be consistent. Don’t be discouraged if your first few videos don’t get a lot of views, it will happen eventually. Choose popular sounds to put over your videos and create content that you would enjoy watching yourself. Maybe you can do transformation videos? Or a satisfying video of the process behind a treatment? Your videos don’t have to be perfect. Instead, they should capture the aspects that make your business unique.
Our previous blog, where we caught up with some CIDESCO graduates proved to be a hit! We have decided to continue to share updates of our alumni across various courses, and hopefully, more people will consider a career in the beauty industry. Especially after so many people contacted us, stating that they’d been interested in studying a beauty course but were unsure what they could do after.
There’s a common misconception that there are only so many career options after completing a beauty qualification, which is not true! A beauty qualification can open you to many new opportunities in the UK or internationally!
What are you doing now as a career? What are your future career ambitions?
Currently, I run an ‘exclusive private in-home salon, specialising in lashes, brows and skin’. Which is a fancy way of saying I work from home. I have been working from there, full-time, since the end of the second lockdown in April 2021.
As far as future plans? I have so many, but my main aim is to be regarded as an expert in my field so that I can assist others in their learning journey.
How did you find your course? What were your best bits?
Great but super fast. I enjoyed the variety of topics covered from manicures and pedicures to electrotherapy devices. It was also really valuable to finally put everything we had learnt into practice at the end, in the schools’ in-house salon, despite the pandemic doing its best to interrupt this.
What were your course tutors like?
Fantastic. Always helpful and easy to get on with.
What is your favourite part of your current job?
Meeting so many amazing people, my clients are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I love that I can improve their lives by taking a daily job away from them (brow & lashes specifically).
Would you recommend The London School of Beauty & Make-Up to someone interested in studying beauty therapy?
100%
What would your advice be to someone looking at starting a career/course in beauty therapy?
You should be prepared for the amount of headspace it will take, but the reward is so worth it. Beats a desk job any day, for me at least.
If you’re interested in keeping up with Caroline’s work as a beauty therapist, then follow her on Instagram! She really is amazing at brows and lashes! @neikidbeauty
The VTCT combined beauty course is ideal for those who are looking to go from a beginner to fully qualified! With the correct training course and training provider, you will learn everything you need to be able to enter the beauty industry immediately upon graduating.
Our Combi beauty course runs for 24 weeks and qualifies students with:
VTCT Level 2 Beauty Therapy
VTCT Level 3 Beauty Therapy Diploma
VTCT is a globally recognised awarding body, that sets the curriculum for our combined beauty course. The Level 2 & 3 Beauty Therapy courses are two fundamental qualifications needed to become a Beauty Therapist in the UK and internationally.
By studying our combined beauty course, you will not only leave with a reputable qualification. Students will have received all the necessary training under one roof. Here at LSBM, we have the largest student salon in London. Students have the opportunity to practice their treatments on commercial clients, ensuring they work to a high standard.
Whether you are looking to become a freelance therapist, open your own beauty salon or work in a spa, the VTCT combi beauty course is a great option!
Our last blog was about the different skin types most people have; oily, dry, combination, normal and sensitive. To further expand, we’ll explain how to care for and maintain those different skin types. So how should you cleanse if you have dry skin or how to reduce the excess oils as someone with oily skin?
Knowing how to manage and take care of your skin type correctly will help you handle the pesky problems that might come with your skin type. It will also help you avoid products that could cause more damage than good to your skin type. It is essential for your skincare routine and the overall health of your skin that you choose the products best for you.
For those with dry skin, your skin is dryer than the average person, so it needs extra moisture, and then more! Find products that promise to hydrate your skin. From your cleanser to your toner, they should all be adding moisture to your skin rather than drying it out. We also recommend using a hydrating mist throughout the day, ensuring your skin stays moisturised from morning to night. Remember, dry skin is prone to premature signs of ageing, so consider starting an anti-ageing routine soon!
Unless you enjoy having dry skin, you’re probably looking for products that will give you more hydrated skin.
Hyaluronic acid is great for everyone but especially those with dry skin. We often see hyaluronic acid in serums and moisturises as it combines with water and retains moisture in our skin.
Glycerin is very beneficial in toners for those with drier skin types as it provides a slip to the skin and draws moisture from the air providing more moisturised skin.
Skincare-friendly oils are an excellent choice for those looking to soothe and lock in moisture. Jojoba and rosehip oil are renowned natural oils that we’d recommend for a dry skincare routine.
Finally, as important as it is to moisturise the outside, you need to keep your insides well hydrated by drinking lots of water and taking collagen-boosting supplements.
Unfortunately, with oily skin, you will probably always have oily skin, so you should find ways to control the excess oils. It’s more than likely that you lean towards products to dry out your skin. Immediately stop! Stripping your face of natural oils will tell your skin that it needs to produce even more oils, which you don’t want. Instead, you should find a routine that balances your skin. Cleanse your face in the am and pm with a gentle cleaner that will not strip too many oils from your face. Exfoliating regularly to remove the extra dirt and oils on your skin. Look for a good moisturiser, ideally one that is oil-free and water-based, and watch your skin transform for the best.
Don’t forget your sunscreen! Many people with oily skin don’t use sunscreen, thinking it will make them greasy, but SPF is non-negotiable. There are sunscreens for all different skin, so choose one for oily skin.
When looking for products suitable for your oily skin, opt for water-based products rather than oil-based ones. Keep this in mind for your moisturiser, foundation etc.
Clay is favoured for drawing out and absorbing the extra oil in the skin. Consider a clay face mask once or twice weekly. You will notice after using clay masks, super soft, matte skin with smaller pores.
Niacinamide is a popular acid for those with oily skin. The acid balances inflammation and oil production. Consider serums with niacinamide, and you will reap the benefits!
As mentioned in the previous blog, combination skin usually combines oily and dry skin on your face. Many people with combination skin have dry cheeks and oily t-zone, which makes it tricky and tedious to care for their skin.
Treat these areas of your face separately! Use products suitable for dry skin around the cheeks and perimeter of your face. Opt for oily skin products in the t-zone. Whilst it can feel long when carrying out your skincare routine, you will appreciate it when you have beautiful, healthy skin.
Thankfully, we live in a time where skincare has advanced so much, and there are products for every skin type. Many brands have products designed specifically for combination skin, so do your research and choose the best products for you!
Understanding the differences in skin type is important for everyone, regardless if you are an aspiring beauty therapist, aesthetician or skincare fanatic. There are 5 common skin types which impact the products you use, how your skin deals with weather conditions and more.
The type of skin you have is determined by genetics, however, your skin type can change based on hormones, diet and other factors. These factors can include pregnancy, medication and more.
The various skin types are:
Depending on your type of skin will change how you cleanse and maintain it. So, knowing which type of skin you have is the first step in creating the perfect skincare routine.
As the name implies, those with oily skin will have skin that produces an excess amount of sebum. The excess sebum causes our skin to look greasy and extra shiny – not the good shiny either. If you have oily skin, you might notice that you’re extra slick in your T-zone (forehead, nose and chin).
Depending on the time of the year, your oiliness may vary. However, you are most likely never without a shiny face by the end of the day, even in winter!
If you have oily skin, you are also more likely to have enlarged pores. These enlarged pores often get clogged and lead to acne.
Another skin type that is quite common and on the other side of the spectrum from oily skin is dry skin. Those with dry skin have a skin type that produces less sebum than normal skin. The lack of sebum causes the skin to retain moisture, leading to dull and rough skin.
Again, depending on the time of the year, you might find your skin drier than usual. If you have dry skin, winter makes it hard to keep your skin hydrated, even leading to flaky, blotchy or scaled skin.
Those with dry skin type may notice that their pores are almost invisible. You may also find that after cleansing the face, the skin is extra tight and shows fine lines.
Those with a normal skin type are neither too oily nor too dry. The skin is perfectly balanced with little blemishes and imperfections. You would also not need any special maintenance with normal skin, so there isn’t much to write about this skin.
With combination skin, you have both oily and dry skin. Combination skin can be very challenging as different areas of the face require unique cleansing and maintenance.
So, you might find that your t-zone is oily whilst your cheeks are dry or normal. Combination skin occurs when sebum production is not consistent throughout the face.
The final most common skin type is sensitive skin type. As the name implies, those with sensitive skin have skin that is sensitive to many things. Unlike the other skin types, you can have sensitive skin alongside dry, oily and combination skin. Not fun, right?
Sensitive skin can feel burning, itchy and raw, making it hard to find non-irritating products.
For many people, sensitive skin is their natural skin type and the skin type they will have for their whole life. For others, their skin sensitivity temporarily increases due to products, environment or hormones.
Hopefully, these descriptions can help you figure out what skin type you are, but if not, dermatologists recommend a simple test. Complete this test at home if you are unsure which of the above skin types you have.
The next time you wash your face, monitor how you’re skin behaves after to figure out your skin type. Don’t add any products to your face, then wait for 30 minutes and check the condition of your face once the time has passed.
You most likely have dry skin if your face feels scaly and tight. If you notice that your face is shiny all over, then you have oily skin, but if you’re only shiny in your t-zone, then you have combination skin.
Simple, right?
It’s vital to understand your skin to better your skincare and overall maintenance, but also for health reasons. Those who know their skin well are more likely to notice any sudden changes, which can be a sign of underlying health issues.
If you are looking to check out some of our other blogs on skin and skincare, why not read:
Advancements in Facial and Skincare Technology
So, we’ve recently written about the beauty industry’s shift towards aesthetics. This information has led to questions from prospective students about the differences between a beauty therapist and an aesthetician. Today’s blog will describe the job specification for each role, their similarities, differences and the qualifications needed to achieve them.
A Beauty Therapist is a professionally trained therapist specialising in delivering beauty treatments. To successfully qualify as a beauty therapist in the UK, you will have to learn a range of treatments covering the face and body, alongside the anatomy and physiology of the human body.
These treatments include, but are not limited to:
For the purpose of this blog, we would like to clarify that we are referring to a non-medical aesthetician. A medical Aesthetician as the name implies would have some form of medical training, a Doctor or a Nurse, before moving to focus on the aesthetics side. An aesthetician needs to have in-depth anatomy and physiology knowledge, hence why there were only previously medically trained aestheticians. However, as times progressed, many training bodies realised the demand for anatomy and physiology training as a standalone.
A non-medical aesthetician would have no medical training but will have anatomy and physiology training. Therefore they would have a thorough insight into the human body and its inner workings, allowing them to safely work as an aesthetician.
As an aesthetician, you are essentially a skincare specialist. Working closely with your clients to understand their skin and its concerns before fixing and maintaining their skin. Treatments that aestheticians can offer are:
As a Beauty Therapist, you can cover a wider range of treatments concerning the face and body, as outlined further above. Beauty therapists will often work in salons and spas which are accessible to everyday clients. As they are offering a variety of treatments, beauty therapists will have a variety of clients.
Aestheticians, on the other hand, will usually focus on treatments concerning the face. The treatments offered by aestheticians are more complex, requiring more advanced training. Aestheticians are likely to work in clinics with expensive, high-grade equipment and treatments are a little pricier. Due to the bespoke treatments offered by aestheticians, their clients are willing to spend extra to reap the benefits.
In the UK, if you are looking to certify as a fully-qualified Beauty Therapist, you must achieve;
On the Level 2 qualification, you learn the basics needed to become a beauty therapist. The basics will cover skin analysis, cleansing and toning methods, facial massage and skin care. These are the foundations for most treatments, so they are mastered before you can move on to Level 3. However, due to the diverse nature of Beauty Therapy, Level 2 also teaches manicures, pedicures, waxing, eyelash and brow tinting.
During the Level 3 course, a Beauty Therapist will learn the more complicated treatments such as massages, facial and body electrotherapy, and head massages. The Level 3 Beauty Therapy Diploma also teaches students Anatomy & Physiology. As mentioned before, this is relevant for those offering treatments concerning the face and body.
Once the training for Level 2 and 3 Beauty Therapy Diplomas has finished, students can join the beauty industry as qualified Beauty Therapists.
Compared to the diverse nature of the Beauty Therapy Diploma, those studying to become an aesthetician will focus mainly on facial aesthetics. Therefore to qualify as an Aesthetician in the UK, you need:
The Level 2 Facial and Skin Care course teaches students to complete thorough skin analysis, massage, steaming, exfoliation and moisturising. Students will also learn how to understand their client’s skin better to create tailor-made masks and treatments. To successfully understand the client’s skin concerns, students training to be an aesthetician will learn how to conduct client consultations.
On Level 3 Facial Electrotherapy, students further their knowledge of advanced facial treatments. The treatments include electrical facials – facial electrotherapy:
These treatments are very advanced but are also the basis for most facials delivered via machines. Level 3 will cover Anatomy & Physiology also, which is necessary to move on to Level 4 Training.
Depending on the treatments you’d like to offer as an aesthetician would influence the Level 4 training you undergo. If you want to specialise in Laser, you train in Level 4 Laser & IPL. We will often recommend Laser & IPL training as the first stop for those interested in Aesthetics.
In the Level 4 Laser & IPL course at LSBM, students work with a professional laser therapist who will teach them how to use the industries leading laser machines. Laser is a popular choice for clients looking for a permanent solution to hair removal or for those looking to treat long-lasting skin concerns through laser skin rejuvenation.
At LSBM, we recommend Laser & IPL due to the in-depth nature of the course. Level 4 learners receive their training on 2 leading laser & IPL machines covering various body parts. This training will prepare them for other advanced courses and further their Anatomy & Physiology knowledge. Hence why we recommend Laser & IPL to those starting their advanced aesthetic training journey.
Simply put, it depends on your passions and interest. Maybe you are more interested in offering clients manicures, pedicures and the odd facial. Maybe you want to offer massages and waxing. Then the Beauty Therapy route is more suitable for you. As a Beauty Therapist, you should be passionate about the various beauty treatments you can offer as there is no guarantee of what your client will want.
If you are solely interested in the facial side of beauty, then you should consider an aesthetician career. For most people, their face is a large part of their identity, so they’re willing to make it look the best. As an aesthetician, this is where you come in, working closely with clients to give them their dream skin.
Regardless of the route you choose, here at The London School of Beauty & Make-Up, we can answer your questions and make your decision that bit easier. If you would like to talk to a member of staff about the best route for you, then give us a call on 020 3966 8690.
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