The DONT’S of Doing Esthetics School (when your Body Don’t Want to Do its Thing)

IDK if it’s just me, but when I hear, “Don’t,” I instantly think of my mother.

“Don’t you bring that boy up to your room!” (But, Mom…*huffs and stomps feet*)

“Don’t put that dog poop in your mouth!” (I was a toddler. In case that wasn’t totally obvs.)

And my favorite, “Don’t procrastinate!” (Although we will revisit that one in a little bit.)

Sure, we all hate being told what to do. But hopefully this advice from your esty big sister who’s been there will help you survive school with a smile on your face and a spring in your step…or at least with a mouth free of dog poop (because stress cravings are totally real, y’all.)

DON’T waste your absences!

Okay, I understand needing a day, or two, or a few…dozen, off. By the time I started my practicals, I had accrued TEN unexcused absences, plus a few excused ones from times I’d actually bothered to go to the doctor. I think I had about 730 hours out of the 1,000 that the Georgia State Board of Estheticians requires. Was I stressed? Heck yes! Was I worried I wouldn’t graduate? Heck yes! Did I almost miss out on seeing Gracie Abrams live because I needed to make up hours? Unfortunately…yes. Fortunately, I was able to plot and scheme with my instructor enough to figure out a way to squeeze in just one more pesky little unexcused absence, but it came at the cost of very, very long days during practical season trying to make those hours up. Which was a lot less fun than screaming along to “Close to You,” but I made it happen.

For Gracie.

DON’T procrastinate! 

I can hear my mother’s voice in my memory maker hounding me about this one. But anyway, ever heard of Murphy’s Law? Also known as the law of, “Anything that goes wrong will go wrong.” What a downer, right? But definitely something to keep in mind as you’re deciding how to allocate your time, especially when you have a health condition that gets its kicks by throwing wrenches in well made plans. What this translates to practically is that, when you’re able, it might be best to complete work ahead of time, in case you feel too dead to pick up a pen once that deadline approaches. I don’t really have a cautionary tale about this one—besides my entire college experience, but we won’t delve into those dark times.

I think esthetics school was my first academic endeavor during which I didn’t really procrastinate. It naturally would have happened once or twice, but generally I started my assignments within a day or two of when they were given, and studying? Well, I was pretty on top of that, too. And it definitely paid off—my academic average stayed high throughout, placing me near the top of the class by graduation time, which tickled my perfectionist streak. I mostly credit my success to getting things done early and spending ample time on them. And my fear of failure…but I’ll save that one for my therapist.

DON’T participate if you feel like hands-on learning might be iffy

I’ll tell you about a day that still makes me cringe. Things were bad enough that I’d brought my cane to class, and brain fog had me feeling like I was on another planet, one with glowing flowers and friendly alien life forms (aww). But it was finally lash lift day, and I was over the moon! I’d been doing lash lifts on myself for months by this point, and I considered myself somewhat of a novice expert, thankyouverymuch. I think I may have been late, because for some reason, I entered the scene after everyone was done with the first couple steps and had started applying the Fix lotion. I was eager to jump in, and one of my classmates volunteered to let me take over for the final steps, so I began applying the lotion the way I’d slapped it on myself several times before. Hands? Shaking. Vision? Blurry. Alien life forms? Still present. So I shouldn’t have been surprised that things didn’t turn out as planned.

”My eye is burning!” said the girlie I was working on, as the aforementioned eye began to smoke and bubble.

Instantly, my instructor swooped in. “‘OMFG, look at that giant glob of lotion your disreputable hands dropped in this poor lash lift victim’s eye!” she bellowed.

Or at least that’s how it went down in my (disreputable) memory.

In reality, no smoking of eyeballs occurred, nor did bubbling, just like I’m certain my instructor did not bellow. Looking back, I was probably more scarred by the experience than my classmate; in fact, if she were to read this piece, I wonder if she would even recognize herself in the Very Special Guest Star Appearance that she’s currently making. But the experience struck me deeply, and from that moment onward, I vowed never to work on another person if I’m foggy, shaky, or talking to aliens…which is why, for now, I sit behind this screen, in a self-imposed quarantine.

Not really. 

But kinda.

DON’T put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

When I entered esthetics school, I was determined to finish first in the class. Throughout those ten months, I kept a close eye on my grades, mildly panicking when I received one that was less than perfect. A True Perfectionist by nature, I tend to tie my worth to the quality of my achievements, and to be extremely hard on myself when my work doesn’t quite live up to my own standards. I told myself I wanted the highest grades as a competition against myself, to prove that I was, not necessarily the best, but the very best that I could be. Not to get too heavy, but really, I think that rationale was a cover for the sense of inferiority I carry around like an albatross. (Can you tell I’ve been to therapy about this, too?) When the last day of class came and I wasn’t first, but second, I was secretly crushed—and I say “secretly” because this is the very first time I’ve admitted to the disappointment I felt, and still feel to this day. 

Moral of the story: focus not on how you measure up, but on how much and how well you feel you’ve learned the material. Do you know what all the machines are, what they do, and how to use them? Not necessarily every detail of the nitty—gritty, but a good, solid working knowledge? Can you perform a lash lift and brow lamination? (Preferably without vaporizing any eyeballs.) Do you know how nutrition relates to the skin? Do you feel like you’re not just learning enough to turn in assignments and pass tests, but garnering a lasting understanding that will lend itself to your work as an esthetician? If you answered “yes” to these questions, especially the last one, then you’re on the right track. Breathe—you got this.