When regular clients come to the salon,
it is important to understand the scientific
basis for the various treatments they are
given. Much of this is discussed elsewhere
in this book.
Some processes, however,
have little or no scientific basis. One such
is the application of total body wraps containing
all manner of strange and even absurd ingredients,
often exotic and little-known 'herbs', with
the intention of removing all the 'toxins'
from the body by sweating. These products
do indeed produce sweating, help remove sebum
from the upper part of the sebaceous glands
and may clear skin contaminants.
'Toxins' are another matter,
however. Toxins from the scientific standpoint
are natural waste products formed in the body
from materials we eat, drink or inhale. Almost
all of them are dealt with very effectively
by the liver and kidneys, which act as the
body's natural sewerage plant. The rest are
excreted in very tiny amounts via the sebaceous
glands. As a result, toxins do not swarm unchecked
in the bloodstream and skin: they are not
even particularly poisonous.
There is therefore no need
to employ special procedures to get rid of
toxins. In any case, body masks cannot do
so - indeed, if they were indeed able to extract
toxins from the blood they would also drag
out essential minerals, with disastrous results
for health.
At the beauty salon, as
in many other circumstances, the use of your
scientific knowledge together with some sound
common sense will stand you in good stead.
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At
the beauty therapist's: an illustrated guide
In the rest of this chapter, the types of
procedure that
are carried out by a qualified |
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beauty therapist are illustrated.
The details of an individual routine vary
from client to client, and are governed
by such factors as skin type and client
preference. The therapist's attention
and skill can bring some physiological
benefits to the hydration and appearance
of the skin and for the application of
decorative cosmetics, as well as considerable
psychological benefit to the client.
The client shown here
goes through a series of procedures designed
to remove detritus, sebum and dead squames
from the skin by cleansing, toning and
exfoliation. We have seen how these improve
the rate of turnover of skin cells, and
how if performed on a regular basis they
can reduce the appearance of fine lines.
This is followed by a facial
mask treatment, which increases sweating
and removes sebum from the upper part
of the sebaceous glands, and then by a
facial massage. Occlusion with a clay-based
mask will improve hydration, and will
remove sebum from as deep as possible
in the sebaceous duct. We have also seen
that massage improves lymph drainage,
particularly around the eye area.
After these treatments
a foundation is applied as the basis for
the application of other decorative cosmetics.
Modern foundations make the skin look
smoother, cover blemishes and can also
help hydration.
Finally a range of
decorative cosmetics is applied. These
cosmetics enhance the features, particularly
those apparently evolved by nature for
the attraction of the opposite sex. The
eyes and the lips can send out strong
signals, and decorative cosmetics change
their appearance by enhancing their color
and apparently increasing their size.
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