Question:
I have just completed a short intensive private course on Ayurvedic massage, and part of the coursework involved giving a facial. It consisted of:
* cleanse
* moisture cream
* face scrub
* face mask
* cold compresses
Now this is my first foray into giving facials, and I've had a few in my time!!!
I would like to do some add-ons that aren't the "norm". I don't want to go the cleanse, tone, and moisturise route, but feel that the way that I have been taught is just a beginning. I want to be excited about giving a facial, and unfortunately, don't feel it at the moment.
So, has anyone got any suggestions on how make this holistic facial have a bit more va va voom?
HI
I am no expert but have you thought about using oils in your facial? so you do a facial massage and rather than using a face cream use a facial oil. Could your cold compress include an oil -either a relaxing or an energising oil.
For the facial you would need to stick to the basics, but what you can do is do a second cleanse a more deep cleansing using suction movements, what you do is place your hands on the clients face, and pump up and down with the palms of your hands for a few minutes on the cheek area, put one hand to the forehead sideways and the other on the chin, and repeat suction movement.
Different types of massage, pressure point massage, or the drainage movements, is lovely working with oils, I use pre-blended oils, as I am not a Aromatherapist, yet, and offer different types of facials.
If you need more help with this pm me.
Hi Daisy,
As Spiritual mentioned above, a thorough face treatment is nearly always built around the foundations of cleanse/double cleanse, exfoliation, massage, mask and moisturiser. It's how you utilise these core elements that will set you apart from others, and the fact that you are offering an Ayurvedic diagnosis and (I would imagine) a specialised form of massage is the first step in this!
I love giving face treatments, so here are a few ideas which I have used in my treatments and picked up from others along the way:
I and many other therapists will break facials down into "themes" or "types", which will give the customer an idea of the results they can expect - e.g. relaxing, invigorating, deep-cleansing, age-defense, etc. Each treatment will have different elements which set them apart and make some more luxurious and indulgent than others - this helps create interest for the customer, and also for me as a therapist, as I'm not stuck with just one routine which I trot out over and over again! Every few months I will also create a limited "special offer" facial, which keeps the treatment menu fresh and is a wonderful way of exercising your creative talents! Ideas could be seasonal - for example a hydrating treatment for autumn, brightening party facial for winter, detox post-christmas, etc - or based around a new technique you have learnt, for instance.
A lovely way to open a facial is to include a "welcome ritual" that is unique to you, which may for example feature a foot bath, mini-massage, or some other personalised element that introduces a client to your touch and helps them relax. Make it a feature, and it will stick in your customer's mind. I start all of my facials with a 10 minute back and shoulder massage, which helps my customers chill out and also sets me apart from other therapists in the area.
Depending on the "theme" and desired outcome of the treatment, I may also include a back cleanse/scrub and mask, and use a self-heating detox mud along the spine to warm and relax the muscles - this stays on for the duration of the treatment and gets removed at the end.
You could place a warm facial cloth infused with essential oils over your client's face at the beginning of your treatment or before the massage, which helps to open up the pores, allows ingredients to penetrate easier, and also imparts a wonderful feeling of calm - the cloth is arranged around the outside of the face, leaving the nostrils free so that they have room to breathe! If you do not have an aromatherapy qualification, I can recommend a few product houses that do excellent pre-blended facial oils.
You could use slices of fresh fruit or other natural ingredients instead of a pre-mixed mask to revitalise the skin - a good book for ideas is The Herbal Body Book by Jeanne Rose. There are also lots of different types of masks out there which will add interest to your treatments, from clay-based to thermal masks, non-setting creams to ones that set like rubber on the skin, warm oils to peel-off masks... the list is almost endless!
I will often include a hand scrub and massage while a mask is on, or a foot or scalp massage. It's added value for the customer, and it makes use of the time while your mask does it's job.
You may like to include some extra moves around the eyes as part of the face massage, and market the treatment as being rejuvenating for the eye area - good for tired, puffy eyes, etc. Perhaps use a bit of eye cream mixed with moisturiser for that area instead of a massage oil. For starters, why not try some pressure-point work around the eye contour, light finger tip "pumping" and draining around the sinuses, smoothing of the brow and outer corners of the eyes, etc.
Incorporate techniques from your different massage treatments into your facials - you don't have to stick to the routine you learnt on your course, the wonderful thing about facial massage is you can be creative! I will often use elements of Indian face massage and acupressure, for example.
Think abo
Hi
Barbarellaboy - thanks for that info thats fantastic. I am starting a course at the end of september this will really help me after I learn the basics!
I think this will be my 'pull out and keep thread'!!
Cheers
Wow! thanks everyone for the time and comments made.
Susan, like the idea of adding essential oil to cold compress.
Spiritualhappiness - suction and deep or second cleanse.
Barbarellaboy - wow! such depth. Have written all suggestions down.
Like the "welcome ritual". I am such a sucker for the word "ritual". I shall look out for the book by Jeanne Rose. Where do you get the self-heating detox mud from? I have used the Sanctuary's from Boots, but not seen it anywhere else.
I am glad that I have given you a suggestion too!
Cheers everyone.
One move that I particularly like at the end of a facial that I have, is when the therapist lies her hands on my cheeks then lifts off. It feels lovely, and I'm sure she is just checking that the product has soaked in, but I love it.
Look forward to swapping more ideas, and I will keep you posted on how I get on.
Daisy, the thermal mud I use is from the Phytomer skin line we use at the salon, but Ellisons, Beauty Express and HoF all supply variations on the same theme. Some are available in individual use sachets, others are available as part of a body wrap system - Solutions by Hive, OligoSpa and Professional Beauty are names that spring to mind, and I think Natures Way also does a detoxifying seaweed mask (I'm not sure if it's a thermal product, however). Your local Sallys or Capital may also stock these products at wholesale prices. Most will probably need to be applied over gauze and then covered with foil to keep the heat in and to stop the product from staining your couch. Check how long the mud stays warm, however, as there's nothing worse than lying in cold gunk for half an hour!! [:'(]
An alternative to mud along the spine would be to offer a thermal or cooling foot mask - apply the product and wrap the feet in parathermic foil or electric heated booties at the start of your treatment, then remove whilst the face mask is on and follow with a foot massage, or leave to the end. Most of the main pedicure lines offer either a warming or cooling product as part of their ranges, so if you're already offering a pedicure service it's a relatively easy way of adding a unique touch to your facials without breaking the bank.
Glad you found it useful - if I had the money and time I'd spend most of my days visiting salons and picking up tips along the way, what a treat!
Susan, I hope you enjoy your course - a facial is a great service to offer customers, and I'm sure you'll love doing it too!
Andy :)
I have another suggestion if your are qualified in massage, you could offer a back massage first, then turn your client over and offer as above relaxing, deep-cleansing and so on.
Second cleanse is where you would use your suction movements, works very well, have had it done, and watched it in a demonstration, feels lovely.
Try ebay for different kind of masks, I got a detoxing seaweed mask that does smell a bit, but the skin is left radiant and glowing, this will give you ideas on how you feel about the products, without spending over much, for it, if you enjoy using the products, you can always contact the supplier for more.
I learnt facials for my NVQ 2 but it is really basic. I would really like to learn more about facials but am not sure where to start. For instance I see from various brouchures that there are ampoules but can find no real information on how to use them.
I'd also like to find out more about masks.
Would be grateful for some more information or websites that I could learn more about skin care on.
Hi all,
have recently undergone more training and now qualified to give Holistic Facials, which is cleanse, tone, moisturise with a relaxing aromatherapy shoulder, neck, face and scalp massage.
On the course we were encouraged to use base lotions with aromatherapy oils mixed in, and try and keep it as natural as possible.
Incidentally, I went to a spa last week for an elemis fruit active facial and was quite disappointed with it. She used facial gloves to remove the products and kept on running the tap for ages to get water warm, and it was over before I even began to really relax.
Hi there
I use Natural Moor and have been very pleased with their products, they are also reasonably priced not only for the therapist but for the clients too.
I offer a varied facial menu of:
Mini facial 30 mins, cleanse, tone, exfoliate and moisturise, then traditional facial, exfoliating facial, deeply cleansing, all of those an 1hr, and an extraction facial 45 mins. If they want any boosters they are optional and extra of course.
I bought myself a slow cooker from argos for £4.99, I get lots of flannels, wring them out in water and place into the slow cooker. Clients love the warm flannels, and they are better for getting mud type face masks off. They do tend to get hot so I have to air them a bit before putting on the clients face. Much cheaper way of heating up flannels, otherwise you can spend over £200 on a special towel heater.
Deb
Daisychain - can i ask where you trained in your facials? ive been trying to find somewhere to train but cant!
has anyone done a one day course in this?
* cleanse
* moisture cream
* face scrub
* face mask
* cold compresses
Now this is my first foray into giving facials, and I've had a few in my time!!!
I would like to do some add-ons that aren't the "norm". I don't want to go the cleanse, tone, and moisturise route, but feel that the way that I have been taught is just a beginning. I want to be excited about giving a facial, and unfortunately, don't feel it at the moment.
So, has anyone got any suggestions on how make this holistic facial have a bit more va va voom?
Answers:
HI
I am no expert but have you thought about using oils in your facial? so you do a facial massage and rather than using a face cream use a facial oil. Could your cold compress include an oil -either a relaxing or an energising oil.
Answers:
For the facial you would need to stick to the basics, but what you can do is do a second cleanse a more deep cleansing using suction movements, what you do is place your hands on the clients face, and pump up and down with the palms of your hands for a few minutes on the cheek area, put one hand to the forehead sideways and the other on the chin, and repeat suction movement.
Different types of massage, pressure point massage, or the drainage movements, is lovely working with oils, I use pre-blended oils, as I am not a Aromatherapist, yet, and offer different types of facials.
If you need more help with this pm me.
Answers:
Hi Daisy,
As Spiritual mentioned above, a thorough face treatment is nearly always built around the foundations of cleanse/double cleanse, exfoliation, massage, mask and moisturiser. It's how you utilise these core elements that will set you apart from others, and the fact that you are offering an Ayurvedic diagnosis and (I would imagine) a specialised form of massage is the first step in this!
I love giving face treatments, so here are a few ideas which I have used in my treatments and picked up from others along the way:
I and many other therapists will break facials down into "themes" or "types", which will give the customer an idea of the results they can expect - e.g. relaxing, invigorating, deep-cleansing, age-defense, etc. Each treatment will have different elements which set them apart and make some more luxurious and indulgent than others - this helps create interest for the customer, and also for me as a therapist, as I'm not stuck with just one routine which I trot out over and over again! Every few months I will also create a limited "special offer" facial, which keeps the treatment menu fresh and is a wonderful way of exercising your creative talents! Ideas could be seasonal - for example a hydrating treatment for autumn, brightening party facial for winter, detox post-christmas, etc - or based around a new technique you have learnt, for instance.
A lovely way to open a facial is to include a "welcome ritual" that is unique to you, which may for example feature a foot bath, mini-massage, or some other personalised element that introduces a client to your touch and helps them relax. Make it a feature, and it will stick in your customer's mind. I start all of my facials with a 10 minute back and shoulder massage, which helps my customers chill out and also sets me apart from other therapists in the area.
Depending on the "theme" and desired outcome of the treatment, I may also include a back cleanse/scrub and mask, and use a self-heating detox mud along the spine to warm and relax the muscles - this stays on for the duration of the treatment and gets removed at the end.
You could place a warm facial cloth infused with essential oils over your client's face at the beginning of your treatment or before the massage, which helps to open up the pores, allows ingredients to penetrate easier, and also imparts a wonderful feeling of calm - the cloth is arranged around the outside of the face, leaving the nostrils free so that they have room to breathe! If you do not have an aromatherapy qualification, I can recommend a few product houses that do excellent pre-blended facial oils.
You could use slices of fresh fruit or other natural ingredients instead of a pre-mixed mask to revitalise the skin - a good book for ideas is The Herbal Body Book by Jeanne Rose. There are also lots of different types of masks out there which will add interest to your treatments, from clay-based to thermal masks, non-setting creams to ones that set like rubber on the skin, warm oils to peel-off masks... the list is almost endless!
I will often include a hand scrub and massage while a mask is on, or a foot or scalp massage. It's added value for the customer, and it makes use of the time while your mask does it's job.
You may like to include some extra moves around the eyes as part of the face massage, and market the treatment as being rejuvenating for the eye area - good for tired, puffy eyes, etc. Perhaps use a bit of eye cream mixed with moisturiser for that area instead of a massage oil. For starters, why not try some pressure-point work around the eye contour, light finger tip "pumping" and draining around the sinuses, smoothing of the brow and outer corners of the eyes, etc.
Incorporate techniques from your different massage treatments into your facials - you don't have to stick to the routine you learnt on your course, the wonderful thing about facial massage is you can be creative! I will often use elements of Indian face massage and acupressure, for example.
Think abo
Answers:
Hi
Barbarellaboy - thanks for that info thats fantastic. I am starting a course at the end of september this will really help me after I learn the basics!
I think this will be my 'pull out and keep thread'!!
Cheers
Answers:
Wow! thanks everyone for the time and comments made.
Susan, like the idea of adding essential oil to cold compress.
Spiritualhappiness - suction and deep or second cleanse.
Barbarellaboy - wow! such depth. Have written all suggestions down.
Like the "welcome ritual". I am such a sucker for the word "ritual". I shall look out for the book by Jeanne Rose. Where do you get the self-heating detox mud from? I have used the Sanctuary's from Boots, but not seen it anywhere else.
I am glad that I have given you a suggestion too!
Cheers everyone.
One move that I particularly like at the end of a facial that I have, is when the therapist lies her hands on my cheeks then lifts off. It feels lovely, and I'm sure she is just checking that the product has soaked in, but I love it.
Look forward to swapping more ideas, and I will keep you posted on how I get on.
Answers:
Daisy, the thermal mud I use is from the Phytomer skin line we use at the salon, but Ellisons, Beauty Express and HoF all supply variations on the same theme. Some are available in individual use sachets, others are available as part of a body wrap system - Solutions by Hive, OligoSpa and Professional Beauty are names that spring to mind, and I think Natures Way also does a detoxifying seaweed mask (I'm not sure if it's a thermal product, however). Your local Sallys or Capital may also stock these products at wholesale prices. Most will probably need to be applied over gauze and then covered with foil to keep the heat in and to stop the product from staining your couch. Check how long the mud stays warm, however, as there's nothing worse than lying in cold gunk for half an hour!! [:'(]
An alternative to mud along the spine would be to offer a thermal or cooling foot mask - apply the product and wrap the feet in parathermic foil or electric heated booties at the start of your treatment, then remove whilst the face mask is on and follow with a foot massage, or leave to the end. Most of the main pedicure lines offer either a warming or cooling product as part of their ranges, so if you're already offering a pedicure service it's a relatively easy way of adding a unique touch to your facials without breaking the bank.
Glad you found it useful - if I had the money and time I'd spend most of my days visiting salons and picking up tips along the way, what a treat!
Susan, I hope you enjoy your course - a facial is a great service to offer customers, and I'm sure you'll love doing it too!
Andy :)
Answers:
I have another suggestion if your are qualified in massage, you could offer a back massage first, then turn your client over and offer as above relaxing, deep-cleansing and so on.
Answers:
Second cleanse is where you would use your suction movements, works very well, have had it done, and watched it in a demonstration, feels lovely.
Try ebay for different kind of masks, I got a detoxing seaweed mask that does smell a bit, but the skin is left radiant and glowing, this will give you ideas on how you feel about the products, without spending over much, for it, if you enjoy using the products, you can always contact the supplier for more.
Answers:
I learnt facials for my NVQ 2 but it is really basic. I would really like to learn more about facials but am not sure where to start. For instance I see from various brouchures that there are ampoules but can find no real information on how to use them.
I'd also like to find out more about masks.
Would be grateful for some more information or websites that I could learn more about skin care on.
Answers:
Hi all,
have recently undergone more training and now qualified to give Holistic Facials, which is cleanse, tone, moisturise with a relaxing aromatherapy shoulder, neck, face and scalp massage.
On the course we were encouraged to use base lotions with aromatherapy oils mixed in, and try and keep it as natural as possible.
Incidentally, I went to a spa last week for an elemis fruit active facial and was quite disappointed with it. She used facial gloves to remove the products and kept on running the tap for ages to get water warm, and it was over before I even began to really relax.
Answers:
Hi there
I use Natural Moor and have been very pleased with their products, they are also reasonably priced not only for the therapist but for the clients too.
I offer a varied facial menu of:
Mini facial 30 mins, cleanse, tone, exfoliate and moisturise, then traditional facial, exfoliating facial, deeply cleansing, all of those an 1hr, and an extraction facial 45 mins. If they want any boosters they are optional and extra of course.
I bought myself a slow cooker from argos for £4.99, I get lots of flannels, wring them out in water and place into the slow cooker. Clients love the warm flannels, and they are better for getting mud type face masks off. They do tend to get hot so I have to air them a bit before putting on the clients face. Much cheaper way of heating up flannels, otherwise you can spend over £200 on a special towel heater.
Deb
Answers:
Daisychain - can i ask where you trained in your facials? ive been trying to find somewhere to train but cant!
has anyone done a one day course in this?
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