I'm in school currently and I love skin care, and Im familiar with a lot of the skin care lines.. but I know their are TONS. How did you pick your skin care lines besides what is offered at your salon? Was it just trial and error? 

I know entering a salon you don't have much control over what lines they carry, but Im curious on how you found the lines you like? Im not a fan of BioElements and Image.. I know A LOT of salons carry them, but I want something more aggressive.. 

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Lira Clinical is a new line exclusively sold to aestheticians.  The peels are great and able to be customized to each client.  Product recommendations are easy and will prep the skin for the peel.  The BB creams are great, they can be applied right after the peel as they are so healing.  

Hi dear. I use PCA and Obagi as my home care regimen. It took me a while to figure out which are the best and in the end I settled for these two lines. If its good enough for me its good enough for my clients. So I use the same line (PCA) in my practice. Obagi is too expensive to apply in treatment room but I do sell it at the doctors office I work at.

 

Choosing a product line can be daunting.  Sometimes we tend to focus on the product versus the demographics of our potential clients, their skin condition, and what synergy of ingredients are going to help correct it. A key to choosing goes beyond the label. Stay away from marketing buzz words -- gluten free, and whatever else seems to be the 'word-of-the-day.'  

A most important step is to really understand the core foundation of the science of the skin that goes way beyond normal-dry, combination, etc.  What is the responsibility of each cell in the epidermis and dermis and then understand what is "normal" cell function versus abnormal. You may wish to view the ASCP webinar that I recorded on "The Mighty Keratinocyte and Friends" and also another, "Essential Fatty Acids."  There are also other great presenters. 

What are the nutrients that are required for each cell and what is the importance of the cell membrane and its function?  THEN have a good understanding of what occurs to cells and the systems during each skin condition…. and what is the treatment/technology/ingredient that will assist this issue to correct?  The majority of skin care conditions are a result of the skin's barrier function. Anytime you see dry, flaky skin it is a sign that the barrier may be impaired.  Add photo damage, and it compounds.   There is never one magic ingredient/product that will support a condition. It is the synergy of in-clinic treatments, treatment technology, and a good plan for home care.  

Many times you have to think "anti-inflammatory" when treating …. especially when examining acne, rosacea, really dry, flaky skin, aging skin, photo-damaged skin.  It is all a sign of inflammation.  This has be be addressed in the first line of thought when choosing treatment and product.  Repair the barrier function and reduce inflammation - each feeds into the other. This could take many weeks of consistent, simple, not too aggressive care to obtain a more balanced acid mantle/barrier function.   Included in many skin conditions is essential fatty acid deficiencies.   The bottom line: The focus of understanding these core sciences is that it supports your pathway to choosing a professional product line that is going to address the needs majority of your clients. We must not overly disturb the epidermis during our treatments.  You can keep things simple when you understand the key ingredients/products that will make a difference on your client's skin.  Armed with a little cosmetic chemistry knowledge will help you choose the correct product line.

 

I have to say that when choosing a skin care line for me, it was important not only that the product produce results and be versatile both for my clients home use and for what i offer in the clinic room and the efficacy the  company. It has always been a  pet-peeve of mine to call a company to ask a question about a skin condition and the use of there products and be told "sorry I am  not an esthetician and don't know but i can call you back with an answer". A company should have other estheticicans that work there who understand the skin and how there product affect it, quality of ingredients and lastly that the company always keep up with the changes in our industry and be able to offer me new and exciting products for my clients and back bar.

I have used over 48 lines in my career and I always stay with IMAGE Skin Care! They offer me everything I mentioned above and more. Like FREE education, constant support should the need arise and everyone that works there is required to be a licensed esthetician. For instance they just did a new product launch this month to announce the new skin brightening system and new packaging to stay up to date and with other competition. This company by far knows what they are doing!

Thank you
I really like the company and would like to use them
How aggressive are the peels under 30%( not sure of ph levels)?

There peels can be as aggressive as you want them. You can cocktail your peels and layer them as well. They also have booster to kick up any peel to the next level. If you contact Image Skin Care they will put you in contact with your local rep and they will come out and meet with you for free and give you all the information you need to know. All of there sales reps are also Estheticians too.

Indeed, customer followup with knowledgeable companies who at least have an esthetician on board to answer questions if a first line insurance that wholesale customers get good answers.  Again, it is the knowledge and the understanding of how to "marry" the skin conditions with the product line.  Many of us have used numerous lines and it is the scientific understanding at the other end of the phone that can make a difference.  I was a "corporate esthetician" for a huge laboratory/manufacturer and my role was very vital to the sales staff and to potential clients.  It is a a learning process meaning that we never stop reading/listening to innovative information.

I like Skin Script because they support and help small businesses with free education, promotion, discounts for the holidays, no minimum order, flat rate shipping $5 only for one or a hundred products, free samples with each product that you order, they add your business in their directory with no minimum orders or other pressures like other big companies. Skin Script only sells to licensed estheticians and not to retail stores over the internet.

Other companies only care about using us (Estheticians) to promote their skincare products. We need to buy everything from them, from flyers  (information about their products), pay for their classes to learn about their products, their manual of the product (to learn how to use their products), samples and testers, etc.

When trying to find the skincare line you feel most at home with, it's very important (and often understated) to make sure the company's overarching ethics resonate with you on a personal level. I feel this is most important because, in the past, I had found a line that I enjoyed in the treatment room, but when I found out what their policies were regarding ingredients, quality of service etc I became horribly conflicted and ended up changing lines. I now work in a spa that uses only holistic and people-friendly lines. Notice I say LINES. Always remember that you're not required by any law to use only one line for your entire career (unless you work for one.) No line, not one line is able to cater to the needs of every client or every skin type. Specialization is key in our world, and lines that claim to do it all I tend to avoid. (because they often miss crucial treatment objectives by trying to manage everything and anything) In short, the best advice I can give you is to do your research. Call the company. See how you're treated as an inquiring student. You are going into the industry of caring for people, not just their skin. As such it is important that you start off on the right foot so you can feel great about what you do and the products you're using to do it. I hope this helps!

In order of importance:

Efficacy- the products MUST provide real, visible results. I can't stand behind products that don't work. I like "natural" but won't settle for products that are fluffy and ineffective. There is definitely a lot of trial involved, as I test out new lines.

Endocrine disruptor free- I prefer to avoid parabens, sulfates, synthetic frangrances, and (maybe this one is odd) polyethylene granules (because they are terrible for ocean dwellers). 

Progressive- I want lines that use new(ish) or uncommon ingredients like azelaic & mandelic acids, EGF, retinaldehyde, etc. I think it usually indicates a line that isn't afraid to reformulate or create new formulations as technology/research progresses.

Price point- I am not the sort of person to pay over $100 for almost any skin care product. It would have to be REALLY REALLY GOOD. So I don't expect my clients to be more free with their wallets than I am. If they want to throw money around, they can buy more products or come see me more often.

Cachet- If a product line is rare, I get to feel like the über expert. Clients love it that I have lines that they have never heard of and can't be found elsewhere. Frequently I'll have clients seek me out from the product line's "store locator" function.

Education- In the past I haven't cared too much if a line doesn't have good education, but moving forward I'll be MUCH choosier. It's so essential to really know products inside and out before putting them on a client's face.

I don't think any one line can really treat all clients effectively. I'd aim for two or three lines, avoiding duplicate types of product (e.g. not carrying vitamin c serum from several lines). It allows you to choose the star products from each line, so you can be really proud of each product.

Spot on Ally!

For my practice I chose to have three different skin care lines. Because all lines have sooo many products I also chose specific products to highlight from each line instead of having a bunch of all. I found it very overwhelming at first but have fine tuned everything to fit my needs. 1 line is my "higher end" 5 step package specifically for anti-aging. The next was lower price and also caters to acne and the final line is the 100% organic wild crafted for the clients that appeal to that. I found that each one has its highlights and therefore I am able to cater to a very diverse clientele.

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