Looking Good, Feeling Better: Wellness for Beauty Professionals
It is a beauty professional’s duty to make their clients feel good, look beautiful, and receive quality services while ensuring health and safety standards. But who cares for the beauty professional? This popular question often leads to the answer of no one, but this checklist is a simple tool beauty professionals can use to help maintain physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
1. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day even if that means short sips between client transitions. Aiming for approximately 60-100 ounces is a great goal.
2. Eat Healthy Meals: Eat balanced meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables, which may look like a smoothie! Yum!
3. Take Breaks: Schedule regular breaks to rest and stretch, especially your hands and other body parts used to service clients.
4. Have Proper Posture: Maintain good posture while working to prevent back and neck strain. Employing ergonomic devices like back braces and specially designed floor mats may be helpful.
5. Practice Hand Care: Moisturize your hands regularly to prevent dryness and irritation as many beauty professionals work with water and chemicals frequently.
6. Wear Protective Gear: Use gloves, masks, and other protective gear as needed to preserve your skin and internal organs from exposure to chemicals and potentially harmful agents.
7. Personal Grooming: Schedule time for your own grooming needs. Remember many beauty professionals are also a walking advertisement for their own services, and it’s remember it is okay to enjoy what you do just for you!
8. Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night as rest and rejuvenation are essential for all people, even the service provider.
9. Have a Spa Day: Treat yourself to a spa day or professional massage to relax and rejuvenate because you deserve it.
10. Get Health Check-Ups: Schedule regular health check-ups and follow up on any concerns. There are several health care plans and payment options available to independent and entrepreneurial beauty professionals, and some salons provide healthcare coverage to beauty professional employees.
11. Vacation: Take time off for vacations to unwind and explore new places. Taking a break will feel great and will make for great conversation with your clients when you return.
12. Practice Creative Expression: Engage in creative activities like painting, writing, or crafting. While a beauty professional’s work in the beauty industry may be a creative outlet, it is also work, so don’t forget to make time for your other creative interests.
13. Set Boundaries: Learn to say no and set boundaries to prevent burnout. Although beauty professionals are praised for coming to the rescue of clients in need of services, it is equally important to rescue oneself from potential exhaustion by setting boundaries with clients for the sake of scheduling and occasional personal and professional boundaries.
By following this checklist, beauty professionals can ensure they are taking care of their own well-being while providing the best service to their clients.