Just Brows-ing
You might be surprised to learn that my most booked service at CDB is my Brow Design, and it’s also the most stressful for me. Have you ever gone to a place where the practitioner completely messed up your eyebrows? You probably never went back, right? Exactly. When it comes to business, client retention is vital to your success. One single eyebrow hair can stand between the most amazing brows of your client’s life or complete disaster!
There are a lot of ways to be a brow expert in this industry, but as with everything else in my business, I prefer to take the simple route. I don’t offer tinting, laminating, or microblading because they aren’t specialties that I have any interest in performing. I also don’t fill in my client’s brows after a wax unless specifically requested. Why? For one, I don’t love the idea of applying makeup to freshly waxed skin. And unless my client is a person who fills in their brows at home or is trying to learn how to do so, I’d rather they just be able to appreciate the beauty of their fresh brows. There’s no reason for me to spend several minutes filling someone’s brows in if they aren’t the type of person who will ever do so on their own. Of course, I have had some ladies request that I show them how to fill in brows, and I’m happy to quickly do so free of charge. For those who are looking for a full one on one makeup session, you can book that here.
Like most of us, I’ve had a nail salon wax or two. It’s hard to resist the $5 price tag-but that cheap wax was just that. Eventually, I started seeing a professional esthetician for my eyebrows and learned the difference between cost and worth. Having someone ask you about what medications or products you’re using on your skin to find out if you are even a good candidate for waxing is vital. Occasionally, someone will come in for the first time and be absolutely bewildered that I make them fill out a consultation form for a wax. But there’s a reason for that. Did you know that you can’t get waxed for a WHOLE YEAR after you stop taking Accutane (an oral acne medication)? Some people don’t know that, and wouldn’t think to tell me if I didn’t ask. If I were to wax their brows without having them fill out a form, I would take a helluva lot of skin up with those unwanted hairs. Even simple antibiotics can make the skin more sensitive. Retinols, topical acne medications like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, etc. must be paused several days before and after a scheduled wax to ensure that skin doesn’t lift. Some redness and irritation is normal after waxing, but if the skin lifts, it could scab and even scar. When in doubt about a product or medication, ask your esthetician!
For my Brow Design, I have a few different waxes on hand to ensure I can meet any person’s needs, but I also have a few people who prefer to get fully tweezed. It’s the same price (though not as “crisp” as waxed brows), which is why the name of the service is “Brow Design” instead of “Brow Wax” (fun fact!). I don’t use soft wax (aka strip wax) for brows, which is commonly used in nail salons because of its cost effectiveness. In my personal opinion, it’s too harsh for the face. There are plenty of pros who use soft wax for brows, and to each their own, but I don’t. Hard wax is much gentler on the skin, and after many years of testing (I still continue to try samples to ensure I’m always offering the best!), I have found two that I think covers all of my bases. Are they more expensive? Yes. Are my clients worth it? YES. And I know it goes without saying, but at CDB I never ever double dip and follow the strictest sanitation protocols. I once watched a brow wax at a nail salon and the practitioner didn’t use gloves, BLEW ON THE WAX, and double dipped a stick. I’m still haunted by it, but you can rest assured that you won’t have to worry about that kind of thing with me. Safety first, always!
One last thing to note-I always hand my client a mirror so that we can discuss the desired outcome and so they can check in throughout the Brow Design process to ensure that it’s meeting expectations. I have had so many people comment to me that they’ve never been asked how they want their brows to look, which amazes me. Yes, I’m the professional-but it’s your face! Teamwork makes the dream work, friends.
Have you tried a Brow Design yet? If not, now is a great time to start!
Gotta Glow,
Cherrie
