All About Aftercare: Why Your Performance in the Treatment Room Isn’t Enough

[00:00:00] Shannon O'Brien: Okay, so you do know that you can't just sugar your clients and send them on their way. Right. You know, you can't leave it up to your clients to figure out what to do with their skin in between appointments. Right. Because you know, they will Google, or late night binge on TikTok to find the latest DUP or trend, and it's really up to us to make sure that they know exactly what to do when they get home.

[00:00:30] Don't leave your business the success of your business. Up to late night scrolling and desperation, get educated. Welcome to this sugar show. I'm Shannon O'Brien, body sugaring expert and licensed esthetician who's taken my own skincare business from zero to multiple six figures and has helped over 3000 students learn how to do the.

[00:00:54] Now, let me tell you, it wasn't all that long ago that I lacked the time, budget, and knowledge needed to [00:01:00] grow my small business as a body sugaring pro. If we were to press rewind, you'd see the many failed attempts and lessons learned that have helped me build the profitable business that I have today.

[00:01:10] One that runs on its own and gives me the lifestyle and freedom that I only used to dream of. I created the Sugar Show to hand you my secrets and give you the simple step by step strategies to help you do the. So if you're a cosmetologist or aesthetician or wax professional who's looking to fill your books, make more money in your business and enjoy greater balance between your work and home life, you are in the right place.

[00:01:38] Let's dive in.

[00:01:51] Home care. Critical. In fact, it's sometimes as important as the chaing [00:02:00] service itself. Welcome, if you're new. I am Shannon, the sugar mama, your host, the owner of Sugar Mamas in Folsom, California, and I currently practice inside the treatment room. I'm down to one day a week now, but my clients won't let me, uh, won't, won't let me completely out of their sites.

[00:02:19] So I know this firsthand from my 22 years as an esthetician. I'm dating myself, but my 22 years as an esthetician and shoot, how long have I been sugaring now? It's 20, 23. So 13 years as a sugaring professional, and I absolutely know that home care is critical. To the success of a body sugaring treatment because it ensures that the skin is properly taken care of before and after the treatment.

[00:02:51] Proper home care can help to prepare the skin before the sugaring treatment, as well as promote healing and prevent [00:03:00] potential complications after the treatment. You know, we've just slid all those beautiful hairs out by the, by the bull, by the root, and we wanna make sure. Between now and the next time we slide those hairs out, that the skin is perfectly maintained.

[00:03:16] So number one, your client is super happy with their results and it makes it easier for you. Number two, as an esthetician to remove that hair each and every time. The more you remove hair as we know. Less and less, it grows back. It makes those follicles weak, and if we can make sure that our clients are helping us in that mission to create the perfect masterpiece, no matter what part of the body it is, then if those clients can help us with that, then they will have great results and we will have less work to do inside the treatment room.

[00:03:51] So before treatment, home care can help to prepare the skin for. By first of all, ensuring that the skin is clean. [00:04:00] We want it to be free of any lotions, oils, or any products that could interfere with the effectiveness of the treatment. It is also important to avoid help tell them to avoid sun exposure and other activities that could cause irritation or sensitivity.

[00:04:15] Right before the treatment. So before your clients come in, educate them. If you need to send a reminder email out or a reminder, text notification, remind them nothing harsh, nothing. No lotions, no potions, no, no exfoliating, right before they come in. Really, really making sure that they understand that before they come in, they need to keep that skin free and.

[00:04:41] And then after the treatment, so we sugar them, right? We use our cleansers to keep that, to get that skin nice and clean. We use powder drying powder to make sure that any area that has moisture or oils on it, uh, skin oils, uh, will be nice and dry so that the sugar will roll [00:05:00] over the skin beautifully. The hair will slide out.

[00:05:03] And then we put a post-care product on, uh, as we see fit. Cause we're the professionals. We wanna make sure that at home, that we are giving them products to help promote healing if they have had any inns or any irritation from, from before, and prevent any profe potential complications, right? Like ingrown hairs or irritation from friction.

[00:05:28] Maybe they're wearing lace underwear, um, maybe they're at the gym all the time. We wanna make sure. With bikinis or faces, doesn't matter that we are really guiding them on the aftercare journey. So those dancers that wear tights all the time, you have to make sure that they have a proper barrier in between their, uh, leggings and their skin, right?

[00:05:52] Nice and hydrated. Good, healthy skin. Um, we want to, for facials, for example, provide. [00:06:00] Beautiful, gentle cleansers and moisturizers that clients can be using throughout the weeks in between their appointments. Sunscreens that don't have harsh chemicals in them, but rather like titanium and oxide. We wanna make sure that we keep, keep the skin clean and hydrated, as well as activities that could cause further irritation to the skin, like hot showers or steam rooms or saunas.

[00:06:25] Educate your clients about the proper home care and then it will help prevent ingrown hairs. And then they wanna associate ingrown hairs with sugaring because it's not the sugaring that's doing it, it's what they're doing in between that's causing that irritation. Okay. And it is, I'm gonna say there are probably people that are saying sugaring can cause ingrows.

[00:06:46] Sugaring causes ingrown if you are not working the technique properly. Right. So for those of you who are new here to sugaring, here are the basics. It body sugaring, as some of you may know, [00:07:00] uh, is a popular hair removal method that involves the application of sugar paste to the skin and removing it in the opposite direction of hair growth that we normally would with wax.

[00:07:11] So let me make sure I under, I'm saying that. We remove sugar with the direction of hair growth, which is opposite from wax. Okay, so wax pulls against the direction of hair growth. Sugar slides the hair with the direction of hair growth. And while body sugaring is a gentle and effective method of hair removal, really it is truly the aftercare that is the, the heavy hitter in this.

[00:07:39] We've slid those hairs out with the direction of hair. And that body care is really, really critical. Um, like I've been saying the last few minutes, uh, to make sure that that, that when we're sliding those hairs out, that we have. Really nourished and hydrated that skin and exfoliated in between appointments.

[00:07:57] So let's talk about dos and don'ts. Number [00:08:00] one, I want you to make sure your client keeps their skin clean and it is important to keep it clean after sugaring. So, uh, make sure that you use a nice quality product at the end of your treatment and tell your client, because everything's kind of an open pallet there, make sure they avoid any hot showers or baths or steam rooms or saunas.

[00:08:21] 24, 48 hours after sugary. Okay. I want you to make sure your client is exfoliating. We'll talk about this in a minute, but regular exfoliation helps to prevent inn hairs and keeps the skin smooth. However, because we've just exfoliated the skin and taken all the dry skin off in a sugaring treatment. Make sure that you let them know to wait 48 hours or so before exfoliating.

[00:08:44] You wanna just for the next two days, make sure that we're nice and gentle in that area. Um, and we're not over exfoliating by sugaring, you know, the next day or two. So, sugaring is doing the job for the next couple of days. They can wait for a little bit before they exfoliate. [00:09:00] Number three is moisture, moisture, moisture, moisture.

[00:09:04] Did I say moisture after sugaring? Um, we wanna make sure that we use a water-based lotion that is gentle in the skin. No fragrance, no China rain blossom, delicious smelling, fake product pht free. Absolutely. If there's gonna be a product that you're using that does have a little bit of, uh, not natural scent to it, maybe like a vanilla.

[00:09:29] Um, or a rose. Make sure that it's either a natural essential oil or it is a fate free fragrance. And you can look at fate free. Uh, I will put a link to fate free products or pht free. And what that means, it's fate with a pH, um, and really making sure that your client is applying moisture, bikini legs, arms, face.

[00:09:53] Even underarms every single day to keep that skin hydrated and healthy and soothe any redness that they might have [00:10:00] if there's someone who has eczema. Um, or really the goal is to ex is to soothe and hydrate the skin and keep it super, super healthy. Um, it's really a beautiful time to retail moisturizers, especially for the face and sunscreens as well.

[00:10:16] So, and then lastly, make sure that your clients are wearing loose fitting clothing when they come into their treatment and that they're wearing it for the next couple of days. We don't want any friction or tight clothing that's going to rub against the skin and cause any undue irritation. And you know, this just allows the skin to breathe.

[00:10:33] And we just pulled thousands of hairs out of the follicles and we wanna make sure that we're not causing any more, uh, you know, just activity in the area. Again, whether it's faces necks. Noses, whatever it is, we wanna make sure that we're protecting that skin for sure. So afterwards, we want to make sure that we avoid sun exposure.

[00:10:55] Uh, we've talked about that, making sure that your clients have access to [00:11:00] a broad spectrum sunscreen afterwards. So we have a beautiful tinted titanium and zinc, um, sunscreen that we, that we sell at sugar mamas in our shop. And the titanium and zinc actually are minerals that will culminate redness. It's a beautiful product to retail after the.

[00:11:20] Tell them if they can, to avoid touching the area because you know, their hands are dirty. Um, they can avoid sweating, things like that. We don't want to, um, put any dirt and, and, and makeup or anything on the skin directly after, because we want that skin to just be nourished and hydrated. And, Uh, really not anything, you know, excessive on the skin.

[00:11:42] Uh, like hot water, for example. Taking a bath, getting in a hot tub. Um, hot water can lead to irritation of those follicles. We want those happy, happy follicles. So, um, making sure that you have offering, you're offering those products for your clients. And that they also, maybe they're gonna ask [00:12:00] you, oh, hey, I use this moisturizer at home.

[00:12:02] Is this okay? So have really work with them to be their go-to person as it relates to all of their hair removal needs. So for those of you who are properly certified and already incorporating sh, incorporating sugaring into your treatment menu, I get asked this all the time, sugar Mama, what are your top must.

[00:12:26] Products to retail team, to clients. What? What are your top, what are your faves? And I will tell you this, the top three, if I'm to pick them, are exfoliation. We'll talk about this more specifically in a moment. Hydration and spot treatments, because clients are gonna come in with all kinds of issues. Make sure that you have spot treatments that can take care of immediate needs.

[00:12:50] So, um, like a clear stick, something that is, um, some people use, um, uh, you know, their skincare [00:13:00] products. Make sure you have your, like for your facials, make sure that you have retail on hand that can sued the skin, hydrate the skin, exfoliate the skin, and address any issues that they have. So if they already have blemishes, if they already.

[00:13:14] Broken skin, what do you have to address those things. And there are a few really beautiful, sensitive skincare lines out there that I love. You know, the ones I love. If not, jump on our, uh, Instagram pages and ours, and you can check out some of the partners and products that I love. Um, so exfoliation, let's talk about exfoliation.

[00:13:33] I do like having, uh, a few different kinds of exfoliators for clients. You know, they really, um, they really, there's different, different strokes for different folks, right? Different exfoliators for different folks. You can have body scrubs on hand. I like sugar over salt. Love sugar, body scrubs, cuz they usually just disintegrate right in the shower.

[00:13:55] And, um, you're not getting salt into any sort of, [00:14:00] Open, uh, open wounds or anything. I do love salt in general, and we'll talk about when I love salt, but sugar, I love for scrubs or ho hoba beads. I like for scrubs, especially for the face hoba beads that are round balls. Um, of course no apricot, walnut, that kinda thing.

[00:14:15] You don't want that on the skin. Uh, so exfoliators uh, scrubs are great. Manual scrubs. I do like mitts. You all know I love the suor, MIT, because it's not harbor bacteria. If you can avoid Lofas and ask your clients if they're struggling with breakouts, especially in the bikini or legs and they're using afa, it might be that they've had that in a shower for too long and you either need to be selling them one a month.

[00:14:42] Um, And maybe include that in your services. If you wanna include that cost in your service. They get a fresh luco once a month. It's a great idea. Uh, or I like the super core mix and those last for about a year. And so you can use those and those don't harbor bacteria in the shower. You won't be spreading bacteria onto that skin every time you use it.

[00:14:59] Uh, as well [00:15:00] for Exfoliators, I love, um, acids, a multi acid. Um, it's really, really great. Um, like glycolic, salicylic, manic. I love using. Multi acids, whether it's in a pad form a serum, or um, like gel. Those are really great to keep that skin exfoliated. Just be really mindful to be asking your clients a lot of questions about exfoliation and the acids that they're using, and especially make sure that they're using sunscreen.

[00:15:28] Um, cuz sometimes using app acids can be a little bit, um, a little bit tricky for folks and if they're over drying their skin or overdoing. We want them to back off and only use it about twice a week. So acids, you know, you're the licensed professional, so you can take really great care of them, um, because of your knowledge on skincare.

[00:15:46] And if you do not have knowledge on skincare, then I highly recommend that you get yourself properly educated with one of the professional skincare companies, um, because they have a lot of really great wisdom for you. So be educated. Don't count on [00:16:00] YouTube or, um, TikTok to be your educator. Get educated from a professional.

[00:16:06] And so it's full. We talked about scrubs, we talked about, um, topical. Um, there we go. So, hydration. Uh, I absolutely love for you to use, uh, soothing, um, body lotions and face lotions that have really gentle ingredients that are going to hydrate the skin with hyaluronic acid. Um, panol really working.

[00:16:29] Products in your skincare line that can benefit, especially the. The skin's barrier and make sure that that barrier is nice and healthy because your skin every day needs to be attended to, as you know, you know this, uh, but if you can really make sure that your clients understand that great retail opportunity and great opportunity for them to get that education, that you don't want them going on and finding a.

[00:16:58] Or a trend, the latest [00:17:00] trend for you are their person. Make sure that you know what to give them. Um, other products you can offer are sunscreens, like we talked about, um, soothing serums or creams with like hydrocortisone. Some clients are just very, very sensitive and you need to be mindful of. Any histamine reactions that they may have.

[00:17:18] We have a soothing bone that has hydrocortisone in it so that if they're someone who just, no matter what we do, for example, they get a histamine reaction on their lip or their eyebrows. We have that beautiful soothing cream with the hydrocortisone in it that they can bring home and use, you know, for that day and the next day to make sure that their skin knows that it's safe and it doesn't need to throw out a histamine response.

[00:17:40] So definitely think about having that for. Uh, we talked about exfoliation. Um, make sure, especially that you have a cleanser, be it body or face, a toner, body or face and moisture, body or face that is part of their daily routine. [00:18:00] Teach them how to do that. So when they get out of the shower, moisturize, when they are, uh, in the shower, twice a day, morning, night at the sink, they're cleansing properly.

[00:18:10] Your job to educate them, toning properly, your job to educate them and hydrating properly. And you absolutely have products that heat you can use in your skincare line or in your professional sugar supply line that will handle those things nice water. Hyaluronic aloe soothing products that can make sure that throughout the month that your client's skin is super, super healthy.

[00:18:35] Two other things that you might not be thinking of that you can retail. So those of you that have been doing this a really long time you want might wanna add these is I like having a good bath soak. I really love the idea of having a bath soak with magnesium. And epso salts, maybe some dead sea salts in there that can help detox the body, detox any, the follicles.

[00:18:58] Make sure that the skin is just [00:19:00] healthy and happy. The body is healthy and happy and detoxing the body to, um, rate itself of any toxin. So, Bath soaps are key. If you have someone who struggles with inns and you're doing all the right things, make sure they're not picking and make sure they're soaking in a bath at least once a week with epso salts, magnesium, uh, Himalaya, sea salts, things like that.

[00:19:22] And then lastly, intimate products. So some of you aren't thinking about the fact that. You know, you're, for example, your, with your bikini line, especially that you are sugaring those folks who are sexually active, and so they're gonna have issues down there. So make sure that you are, you know, providing them maybe with a pH balanced product for a cleanser, a pH, uh, spray for ingrown hairs.

[00:19:47] A I'm thinking of, um, what people that have that use. That use lube for toys, like some of those lubes terrible for the skin around. Uh, the, the genitalia is terrible for that [00:20:00] because it's filled with harsh chemicals and, you know, products that are just not good for the skin. So if you can provide them with alternatives for their toys, that will benefit you highly.

[00:20:11] And, uh, and as well, any sort of, um, moisturizer down there that can help with, um, you know, making sure that. Microbiome biome is ni nice and healthy and happy in the southern bits. That would be really, really wise for you so that you're not sending them elsewhere, that you're actually providing them with options inside of your treatment room.

[00:20:33] So, you know, really at the end of the day, I know some of this might seem obvious to you. Hopefully there's a few things that you learned that you might not necessarily have thought about. Intimate care for bits or soaks. Um, but really it's all about long lasting results and happy clients. It's about referrals because of your experience.

[00:20:52] It's about you being the go-to person for their hair removal needs, their intimate care needs, [00:21:00] their face needs, whatever it is that you are teaching. Make sure that you are properly taught so that you can educate, turn around, and provide the best education possible for your. Your pocketbook will Thank you.

[00:21:12] Your client's skin will thank you. Your time management will thank you and really educate your client on these dos and dotes. Make a card for them to take home the very first time they sugar and a couple years in. Make sure you're reminding your clients that have been sugaring you with you a long time.

[00:21:28] Ask them if they're soaking in a bath. Ask them what they're using. You don't need to ask them what lube they're using necessarily, but you can say, Hey, we just got this product in and it's super safer. You know, as a lube, you're gonna love it. Your husband's gonna love it too. Or your partner's gonna love it, right?

[00:21:43] Like have new products for people all the time that they can be trying to take their fun to the next level or their skincare on their face to the next level, be it a new sunscreen, whatever it is. But that retail, that aftercare is critical to the growth of your business. [00:22:00] Really the key to your success, your client's success in a beautifully smooth palate is sugaring and proper home care.

[00:22:09] Because if your skin is healthy and your clients are well prepared, it promotes healing and smooth skin and happy clients. And really we wanna make sure that our clients get the very, very best. And by following these techniques, I know that you can provide that for them as well. We have been doing a lot of talking about what sweet success looks like.

[00:22:32] We have interviewed. Gurus in the industry, uh, in estheticians that are killing it in this business. We've talked about everything from men, body parts, uh, you know, home care taxes, marketing trademarks. We have done so much to fill you up with. Just the, the baseline of information for you to take your business to the next level.

[00:22:55] And I promise you friends, if you join our Sugar Tribe, [00:23:00] you will take that even farther. So if you love what you're hearing in this podcast, first of all, I'd love for you to give us a review. Five stars would be amazing. Tell a friend about the podcast, share it in your groups. The goal is to make sure that we are as educated as we possibly can be.

[00:23:17] Uh, if you are, haven't already, make sure you join our Facebook community. We have 2000 estheticians that are on there that are sharing and laughing and loving on each other. We are at summits this year because we're back live, so we're at summits this year in trade shows this year. We are partnering with amazing sugar supply companies to provide proper education.

[00:23:39] We are taking our show on the road to large day spas that are really catching on to the sugar. I would say movement. It's not a trend. It's a movement. And be reminded your hands, your technique cannot be dup. Like they advertise on TikTok, you might be able to find a makeup dup, [00:24:00] but you can't dup your skills in your bedside manner and your technique.

[00:24:05] So really, truly keep yourself educated, surround yourself with an amazing community like the Sugar Tribe, and work really, really hard to be mindful in your business. Whether you're an employee or an independent contractor or a day spot owner doesn't. Every day we get up and we do the business of client care.

[00:24:26] Hopefully, you're working on your self care and really business care, so I look forward to seeing you or having you hear us on the next podcast and seeing you live very soon.