3 Self-Care Tips for Lash and Brow Techs
Working in the beauty industry can become very draining if you don’t take care of yourself. From hair stylist to barbers, estheticians to makeup artists, we spend countless hours taking care of our clients. However, in order to care for our clients and give them our all, we must first take care of ourselves. Here are a few self-care tips to make sure that strained eyes and backaches don’t keep you from your clients.
Save Your Sight: You can’t work if you can’t see and this is very important as a lash tech. Clear vision is needed when working around a client’s eyes. Long hours staring at tiny lashes can strain your eyes, but it’s the number one job requirement. To keep this from completely compromising your vision, take breaks between clients and make sure you attend those eye doctor appointments to make sure everything’s okay. If you ask your mom, she’d also tell you to make sure you eat your veggies! Make sure you have proper lighting, as dim lighting will make you strain your eyes more. You can use professional make up lighting (i.e. the Glamcor Classic or the Glamcor Mono) or an esthetic light or magnifying lamp (i.e. this esthetic floor lamp.) A cheaper alternative would be a Magnivisor that includes a magnifier for those hard to see lashes and a small light. Some techs find this visor to be unnecessarily straining on their eyes, so use caution and find the proper magnification for you. No matter the light source you choose, make sure that it is a full spectrum lamp (avoid fluorescent lighting.) Your eyes will thank you for it.
Steady Hands: Steady hands are very essential when lashing or creating and shaping brows. Carpal tunnel syndrome, and tired achy wrists, are a big concern in the industry. Proper technique and training will help to avoid this, as well as, the proper tools. Using tweezers that require a tight grip or seating that is ergonomically incorrect can cause you to put too much strain on your wrists. Be sure to do wrist and hand exercises everyday and if you feel that you need a brace, don't be afraid to buy one.
Sit Up Straight: Good posture is important because it minimizes the excessive force placed on our muscles and joints. Sitting bent over clients hours on end will break you and your body down before you know it. Back pain is some of the most uncomfortable or excruciating pain that one can endure. Lower back and neck pain is a common complaint among beauty professionals. It is imperative that your room set up is ergonomically correct. Have all of your tools within reach and make sure your seating and the table is at a height that will minimize back strain as you bend over your clients. If you are straining and pulling at your back muscles, fix your set up as soon as possible.
The American Chiropractic Association also offers these posture pointers: Keep your feet on the floor or on a footrest if they don’t reach the floor; don’t cross your legs; keep a small gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat; adjust the backrest of your chair to support your back or use a back support; and relax your shoulders and keep forearms parallel to the ground. Finally, avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time.
