Waxing mishap, how do you recover and gain back confidence?

Ok so today I royally screwed up a clients eyebrow.  I stupidly was using strip way because I just got my hard wax in and haven't had a chance to work with it, and definitely didn't want to experiment on a client, well, the wax seeped up and took off part of her brow that  shouldn't have been taken off...near the thinnest part too and hers were already pretty thin towards the end.  Well needless to say she was not happy, really upset, and so was I.  I felt like crying right there.  I then had to do a facial, which I think went well, and then I decided not only to do the wax at no charge but I did her facial for free as well.  Although she did rebook, I have a feeling she will cancel and I am worried I have now lost that client and I feel terrible about it.  Not just about losing her as a client but she has had the same esty for 8 years and after I did her first facial she told me she had finally found someone to replace that one (she had been to several since leaving the other esty because she moved) and when she told me that, I felt so honored that she chose me to be her regular esthetician....and now I feel that I have destroyed that confidence she had in me and feel absolutely awful.  I know these things happen, as this just actually happened to a friend of mine a few weeks ago where her eyebrow got hacked off and while she wasn't happy, she got over it, but I feel this client is much more sensitive and rightfully so, I would be furious.  She kept saying she wasn't mad at me, but I could sense otherwise and she left in a huge hurry, no hug like last time.   I did send her a text message apologizing again to her and about how awful I felt.

So I am just writing this to see what your thoughts are...did I handle the situation correctly, is there anything else I can do, has this happened to anyone else and what happened if so. 

Feeling really dumpy now and the confidence is in the gutter too.  I am new so I know I am bound to make mistakes but this being one of my first, I am freaking out a bit. 

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First of all do not beat your self up. Accidents happen.

You apologized sincerely and took responsibility. That is very important.

I would follow up with her in 3-4 weeks. Maybe offering her some brow make up advice.

She may want to treat her already thin brows with Latisse or RevitaLash.

You have done your job as a proffessional, owning your responsibility. It is her job to decide if you handled it professionally and courteously.

I would not offer her any more freebies.

Good luck

Thank you!!  I discusses the Revitalash with her...although I do not carry it, I was tempted to buy it for her.  I did tell her about how to pencil it in and use some powder for a more natural look. 

Thanks!!  I just wish i could stop seeing her poor eyebrow in my brain. 

I will definitely follow up with her!!  Thanks so much!!

Its ok! Yes this does happen once in a while. If it makes you feel any better last month i had a client that wanted leg waxing and i actually brought her in through craigslist. The day she came in i was glad and expected it to be a short and sweet wax. Boy was i wrong! She was beyond average in hairiness that didnt effect me. ....ANd then it got to the point where i had only did her front of legs and was running low on wax. It was the most horrible experience. I actually had to grab the spa wax(and i hate that wax) and take it to my room and use it. It was soft so i had to use strips. and guess what even worse the spa was out of strips!!! so here i am waxing tiny section by section with eyebrow sized strips oh it was just awful and the poor girl kept a smile on her face the whole time. I knew she couldnt have been happy. She kept saying it was her fault for being so hairy lol. And in my head i was thinking yes kind of! But no it was on me i was way over confident that i was fine with what i was using and didnt even consider the possibilities. I should have brought all my own supplies but too im starting out so im not completely stocked with supplies. so ya... anyways i ran out of strips and had to send her home to shave the rest. i wanted to scream! amazing huh. i felt like well i cant even say. She was there for 5 hours! i apologized a million times and didnt charge her. She re booked before leaving which i was in shock, She left me a $20 tip, again shock and we kept in touch and she is coming in again and she even went by my spa and grabbed a stack of my business cards to give to friends, She said although we ran out of wax she was very happy with the outcome of what we did accomplish and she will keep coming back. Im still in shock lol. You just got to brush it off and learn from it and be glad shes coming back lol.

Thanks for sharing your story Victoria!  I am beginning to become afraid of waxing which I do not want to happen.  I definitely feel that I need more training.  In school, we didn't get much waxing except facial waxing so waxing legs, bikini, etc really makes me nervous.  Glad your girl is still going to return and she at least tipped you :).  Mine didn't, which led me to think, she may not be back which I understand.  I know worse things can happen, just freaked out about being a new business in town and hopefully this not ruining my reputation as an Esty. 

:)

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