TIPS FOR SPRING CLEANING YOUR BACK BAR
Spring is around the corner and in its wings come renewal and freshness. What better time to do a general assessment of the skin care products you carry in your back bar?
Choosing between keeping and tossing: Watch the expiration dates in your products! It sounds pretty obvious, but think back for a moment: do you still carry that product you purchased at that wellness expo, two years ago? How about that free sample you got more than a year ago? Time flies and when you least realize, half of your back bar is unfit for use. Take time to do a thorough search in your cabinet; whatever you haven’t used in 6 months, toss it! Change in color, scent, or texture? Toss it! You’d be surprised at how many products you will find in your cabinet that you either don’t use anymore or that are no longer fresh.
Emily Smith, of ‘Beauty High,’ a well-known website on beauty and skin care says: “One way to rid yourself of stressing over your products’ expiration dates is to mark in Sharpie when you bought each product. Sure, it sounds like a pain, but knowing when you put your products to rest will save you the hassle of contaminating your counter space as well as yourself.” Or, worse yet, contaminating your clients, for that matter. It’s important to remember that bacterias can grow overtime, and expired products might cause adverse reactions on the skin.
Time to go natural: Consider switching to more natural brands that carry products that do the heavy work. Do away with sulfate-loaded cleansers, chemical exfoliators and chemical anti-aging agents, and welcome natural, coconut- based cleansers, AHA or enzyme exfoliating masks, and more natural anti-aging products with ingredients, such as MSM and DMAE, and vitamins B and C.
Be smart with your inventory: depending on the size of your practice, it may be better for you to buy smaller containers and invest in a variety of products for more targeted treatments. You may want to keep larger quantities only for the products you use most often, like cleansers and certain masks. That’s when it comes in handy to have a provider that does not require a minimum order. Stocking up on $3000 worth of unnecessary products just to meet the required minimum may be a bad business move if you end up not using these products as much as you had predicted.
Think about revamping your skin care line altogether. It might be beneficial to consider a new perspective. It could be that the line you currently use is too limited or does not offer fresh ingredients; or you’ve just grown tired of using the same products day in and out. After all, springtime is about a new approach to life and what better time to do away with the old and welcome the new?
* Best-selling products for springtime facials:
Citrus essential oils, green tea cream cleanser, vitamin C serum, papaya pineapple enzyme mask, renewal cream, niacinamide serum, revitalizing and firming mud mask, rose cooling regenerative mask.
What is your spring cleaning ritual? Please share your tips with us, we’d love to hear them!
Treatments:
- Alpha Hydroxy Acids of Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid and Lactose
- Minimize photo damaged skin
- Light exfoliation
- Moisturizing effect on the skin
- Soften fine lines and wrinkles
- Powder Mask
Ingredients: Kaolin Clay, Bentonite Clay, Iron Oxide, Malic Acid, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid, Lactose
- Nourishes Skin
- Improves elasticity
- Increases Moisture
- Stimulates Skin Regeneration
- Can be used with Steam or hot towel compress
- Powder Mask
- Mild Exfoliation
- Brighten and Polishes the Skin
- Vitamin A, C, E & Carotenoids.
- Reduces inflammation
- Can be used with Steam or hot towel compress
Ingredients: Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Juice, Aqua (Water), Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Carica papaya (Papaya) Extract, Carica papaya (Green Papaya) Extract, Ananas comosus (Pineapple) Extract, Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel), Carbomer, Triethanolamine (TEA), Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid