Jenna: Hey guys, it's Jenna. And so I wanted to go over today, what it takes to keep yourself healthy mentally and physically, and do an amazing job for your clients, but also be in this career for a long time to be able to serve your clients.

So the number one thing that you would have to definitely be focusing on is obviously your eyes, cuz vision is so important to this job. You're working with very delicate and fine, uh, details. So you have to really respect your eyecare. Um, so therefore it's necessary to have your eyes checked at least yearly to make sure your eye health is on track. If you do need glasses, I recommend getting them right away and wearing them all the time.

I recommend getting the blue light tint. I don't have them right now. I left them at the studio, but it's not prescription and it's not magnifying at all, but it's a blue light lens. Um, and that's for safety so that I'm not touching mucus membrane to like anywhere else. Health inspector really likes to see a safety glass implemented into the studio nowadays and blue light lens protects you from all the overhead lighting that you're having to do, cuz we're doing such fine work.

You wanna make sure that you protect yourself from that because over time that really will give you headaches and stuff like that. So obviously lighting is really important too. I'm gonna attach down below a link to our ring light that we use. I know there are a lot of different lights that people do by and there are some are a little bit more gimmicky, I think than others. The ring light, I found to be the most bang for your buck plus it comes with like a really good little mounting spot for your phone, which is really convenient. And the way that it's oriented around the face, just disperses the light really nicely. I've had a glam core, I've had sugar lash, pro lights.

I've had all different kinds of lights and a light that doesn't get your whole bed is not as good. Then you'll have to have two. Both sides. I still do use two lights on both sides, and I would recommend that, but I definitely don't need that now. So I'll attach the link down below for the light and also taking breaks during your lashing can help.

So if you have a window by your lashing station, that's awesome. So every 30 minutes, take 30 seconds to look around the room. Make sure you give your eyes a little break so that you don't. That fatigue going on and then also your diet. So if you're not getting the right nutrients, then the health of your eyes is gonna suffer.

So really important to eat vegetables that are rich in beta carrot team. So have broccoli sweet potato carrots, apricots, uh, leafy greens, and some of that good stuff included in your daily menu, not just Starbucks. So. Really make an effort to beef up your nutrition also that it is getting regular food is really important.

If you're not eating regularly, then your vision is gonna suffer as well, because you're just not nourished enough. So you can have dizzy spells or you can even faint or something like that. But you're definitely not gonna have as great a vision as someone who's been consistently taking their breaks and having lunch.

So another thing we need to think about is air quality. This is really important, especially this whole illness thing that's been happening lately. We wanna make sure that our air quality is really good. There are some hazards with fumes and chemicals, and primarily for lash artists, it's due to the lash glue, close to the faces when we're, but also doing lash lifts.

There's some super chemi lash lift solutions out there right now. And lots of them are still approved in US and Canada, but are banned in other places like Europe. So you wanna do your research on that and make sure that you're having solutions that are a little less Chemmy, uh, this fall we're coming out with a water-based adhesive that is cyanoacrylate free, which is also really amazing for your clients.

Our regular adhesive is of the highest quality. So it does skip out of a lot of the cheaper chemicals that will cause you to have issues as well as your client. Um, it's still cyanoacrylate-based, but lots of people don't problems with cyanoacrylate - it's like some of the other stuff in it. So our new lash lift solution that came out.

So I'm gonna link both of those things down below in case you wanna do some research on that and see the differences, but basically our lash lift solution, lots of the ingredients are derived straight from your straight from hair. So like keratin-based lash lift, instead of using things like the oblate acid.

And ammonia and all those harsh things that are like horrible for your lungs, traditional lash lifts, like the old Chemmy kind. I used to do like maybe up to eight in a day and you can barely walk afterwards. That is not good for you. It's not good for your health, uh, to be doing that every day. So don't put yourself in that situation.

If you wanna have a long-lasting career, I know that we're not gonna find out about these health effects until like a lot later. So just be proactive if another country's banning a substance, do your due diligence. And maybe you don't wanna use something like that, because if it's banned in one country, it's gotta be bad for you.

And it's just a matter of time until it could been in another country like Canada or paired with this also is your filtration system in your salon. So I really do recommend using a HEPA filter nowadays. Not only does it keep you safe from a lot of the contaminants and biohazards as well from like the error, but it also can filter out some of the stuff in your error from your product lines as well.

I use, I swear by it because the humidity is so important to us as slash artist. So I use the Dyson humidifier in my studio, religiously, every day. It really is a godsend. When you are a lash artist, having like even half an hour of missed time when your humidity's not banged on cuz someone left your door open or there are lots of different things that can happen in your studio to affect the humidity.

But that humidifier is gonna save you every time you can actually see the quantity of water. It pops out there. When it's humid, air is going and it also comes with filtration. So that's another area where bacteria or contaminants can get in. So your humidifier usually is just like taking the water, right?

Unless you're putting filtered water in there or demoralized water. It's taking that water and then it's spreading into the air. So whatever's in that water is also gonna get into the air. If you're using well-based water, like lots of us in rural settings, that's gonna be spread into the air, into your clients, into your lungs and all over the place.

So there's lots of different things that can be happening in water. Generally, our water is tested, but honestly, if you're a gravity-fed system or. Maybe not so much. And then same thing with, if you're in the city chlorine and stuff like that, all those extra chemicals, they are in the air then, but. It's actually more gonna maybe affect your adhesive.

Probably those have been more tested in the city to not be so toxic to people, but there are discussions about fluoride too and stuff like that. So that Dyson humidifier, I think, is like having insurance policy for your adhesive and your humidity in your studio and also quality. The air that's inside. They have one with a HEPA filter, which is even better for filtering out like all the bio hazards in the air, like your client's breath and stuff like that. So I would recommend getting the upgrade to that one. Now, after what's happening in the world these days, it's not that much more. And if you think about it, it's really gonna save you money in a long time.

Time is money. The better job you can do on your clients when you're adhesive is snappy all the time and working perfectly, that's like invaluable. So I'm gonna include the link to that below, down here too. And then also finally masks. So we've all become accustomed to wearing masks for a large part of this last year.

And it depends on your studio policies, but I would recommend retaining masks for clients. We have kept the policy, our whole studio, um, career it's been masks on artists, but now that clients are comfortable and used to generally wearing masks, I really recommend keeping them. When you are a busy lash artist, when you are gearing up towards having a successful career, you should always, first of all, be planning that you are going to be successful.

You don't wanna plan like, oh, I only have a couple clients. I don't wanna piss people off and I don't, I can easily reschedule people. This is not the way you wanna think. You wanna think about what happens when I'm fully booked. What am I gonna do when I get. What if I have to take two weeks off, think about the implications to your business.

Where are you gonna put these extra clients who is gonna do these lash fills? You're gonna be getting better from recovering, from being sick, and then you're gonna have to do extra days, or you're gonna lose all these clients because you can't do them not to mention implications to your clients. Like so financially it's a big burden for your client to have to take time off.

You are the point of contact between all of your clients. You're like four inches away from all their faces. So, if anything's going to spread, it's gonna be through you. So you gotta protect yourself and your body and isolate as much as you can between your clients, in order to protect the longevity of your studio, the reliability of your services and the financial stability of your clients.

Clients who take have to take a week or two weeks off because you've infected them with something are not going to be in as good a place to be repeat clients. You're just putting them in a position of risk. So you wanna ensure that you're protecting that client as much as possible. So you're not. Being a point of cross contamination.

And that means they've gotta wear a mask. It's not that hard. And I would recommend implementing it and keeping it implemented because once you take it away, it's so much harder to bring it back. And I took it away for a little bit. Then I brought it right back. As soon as I got sick, I got sick. I had to reschedule everyone and I had to do all the testing.

It's just not worth it. Right. Like, yeah, we didn't have. Before, but now everyone's comfortable with it. And it really is just like an insurance policy for you all across Canada employees now get extra paid days off, but. Business owners do not. And so protect yourself. That's your insurance policy towards that?

Uh, taking that time off is just not necessary. So good posture is also really important and good posture is a lot inspired by what stool you are using. I'm gonna add the link to my stool that I've been using. It's so amazing. It's not the cheapest tool. It's not the most expensive stool, but it's lasted me.

For over four years now, every single artist that I've had in the studio loves my stool. They're like, where'd you get this stool, the links down below. It's amazing. And I wouldn't recommend cheaping out on your stool because it will definitely affect your posture saddle. Still's amazing. Cuz it takes attention off of your back and allows you to use your core during your lashing.

So you're less hunched over. I always make sure that I am using a straight back part of. This also is that I have a custom lash bed. You don't need to get a custom lash bed. I did spend about 2,500 bucks on this lash bed or the lash beds in our studio, but they're amazing. So I would recommend that you get one, don't just get a cheap massage bed that is caught the bars in the front.

You can't put your feet underneath. You need to have your feet underneath and you need to have that client head in a pillow. So I'm gonna link that pillow there too. Down below the pillow. Are amazing because that head doesn't move around. Right. And it's also bumped up a little bit. So you are in a better ergonomic position.

Um, it also has padding for your wrists, settle there, but you're less for forward over when you have that, because your client's right there. Right. And your head. Feet are underneath the table. So always make sure the client's shoulders are up to the top of that pillow. And so that you're not the one hunching over, they gotta come to you.

You cannot put yourself in that position every day to just have that repetitive strain. So also getting exercise. Exercise is so important outside the studio. We have a very sanitary job. If you are not exercising. Regularly, you are gonna have back problems, no matter what. And so there's lots of trainers you can work with. Also, we get a lot of different imbalances as lash harvest. Like our pecks are gonna be really tight, certain areas of our back, but they can train and balance out your body. Um, and so that you're having a lot more balance. Posture during your day and having a lot less repetitive strain or repetitive issues in the future.

And lastly, making regular appointments or get a trade with someone to do regular massage work and RMT RT, especially on your arms. I found really beneficial in the beginning. Just make sure you get rid of that stress. A foam roller can also be really good. Um, we'll link a link to foam roller below as well.

The one that I'm talking about and just like, there's a bunch of different rolling exercises that you can do if you want. I could post a video of that for you guys. So let me know if that's something you're interested in the comments below. There are also probably a million videos on YouTube already that are awesome.

Make sure you're using the tools, make sure you're booking in your self care. Make sure you're sitting and having good posture and those things on your body. Won't be as harsh. So having the right tools is really important too. I talked about that a little bit before, but also like things like tweezers.

If you have a poor quality tweezer, you might be gripping too hard and that's gonna cause repetitive stress, just all the things coming together really make your job a lot easier. So also your mental state is really important. Mental health is I'd say one of the biggest challenges in this industry.

There's been a lot of artists having challenges with this since this whole pandemic time. So you'll know if this one applies to you. Some people are being overworked for sure, working long, late hours, and you can sustain this in the short term, but over a long period of time, this is just gonna burn you out.

So my biggest suggestion is if you are exhausted, if you're having a hard time keeping up, if you feel like you're getting a little crusty on the outside, You might need to raise your prices. And this is going to help you in a couple different ways. We all hate doing this, but the fact is you only have two hands in 24 hours in a day.

And what happens in a studio is once you get really busy, the demand for your services becomes sometimes overwhelming. And, uh, a lot of the times we don't see the implications of like what's happening on our books until we do our year end lots of the times. This means that you're doing a great job with other areas.

Are probably adding more expense to your business and you usually don't see this effect until like about a year later. So it's a really good indication in your business that if you are overbooked, if you're just like way too busy, your current pricing might be a little bit low. And so you might need to bump that up just a little bit.

And if you don't, you're just gonna. Burn out and you're gonna end up alienating clients or just wanting to quit altogether. So there is no benefit to staying in a burned out position and not being there. So for your clients in the long run, and when you are providing that better service, then you do deserve to have a little bump up in rates.

And what will happen is some people might go somewhere else. And that's just how it is. Like you only have a limited amount of time. What you'll be left with is your core clientele. The people who are really Jiv with your business, and you'll be given a little bit of extra time for work life balance. So I'd recommend doing that.

Don't go crazy with your price increase, but just do it a little bit, and it'll just see a lot more balance happen in your life. That way you can just do this implemented by yourself as well. But chances are when your comes. You're gonna see that you should have raised those prices. And it's really discouraging to be left with absolutely no time for your family or friends.

And then find out that your profit margin is so poor. If you are doing such an excellent job and not raising your prices to match the service that you're giving. So make sure that you are taking note of how the demand is in your business, because of that oftentimes indicate things that might be a little bit wrong with the profit margin that you might not see otherwise until your end when it's too late.

So also keeping in touch with other lash artists is a great way to keep your mental health in check. And obviously we talked about exercise already. That is key because you're sitting for so long. So make sure you are having planning regular exercise in there. So organization's gonna save you a lot of time and money and delegation too.

So there are some things that you're not gonna be as good at that other people might be better at like say bookkeeping. That's a huge one. As your business grows, you need to. Take note, if you don't have enough time to delegate these things, that's also sometimes where, unfortunately, raising your prices comes in, right?

Because when you're new, you tend to do a lot of tasks and you don't get paid for any of those. So you might not properly value your time when you are starting out. Then once you start to delegate these tasks, you get a bill, right? And that time turns into money, which also affects your profit margin. So you really do have to account for that later on in your business, because you might have been really doing these things that we're adding value to your business and not really valuing your time properly.

So once you start paying for someone to do them, because you can't do everything. yourself, then you're going to have to increase your budget a little bit, and the costs are gonna have to be absorbed otherwise in your business. And that's just kind of how things go. And that way you're gonna be able to give a better service also, because you can have more time to focus on your health and wellness, which will translate into a better service for your client.

So also leveraging technology. If you're not on online booking. Hello, it's 2022. Right now you gotta get yourself on online booking. We use Booker we'll link that below here, but there's a lot of other systems that are really great. I've heard good things about Jane app. And if you have any other suggestions of what's working for you, we'd love to hear please.

Drop that in the comments below. So also if you have any suggestions of things that you do in your business or your last practice that other people could benefit from also would love to hear from. Leave some comments below and just remember you are giving self care. So sometimes when you're in the business of giving you end up feeling depleted, so make sure you invest back in yourself, invest back in your career.

If you don't make these investments back into yourself and your career, then you will never grow as an artist. You will crash and burn. So as your business grows, reinvest back into yourself, maybe some tools, maybe you don't have online booking. Maybe you don't have an awesome stool to start off with because you don't have the money, but as you start growing reinvest into yourself so that you can.

Keep going and have, have longevity in your career. You love as always, if you have any questions, please get in touch with me through Instagram. I love connecting with people through DM. Our Instagram's at elevatelash.ca. I am Jenna and thanks so much for joining me.