Welcome Curlfriend!

You want the SKINny on The CurlSpa services that will get you looking juicy? Great, this is the perfect place to start.

In this article we will talk about:

• The benefits of a professional skin care services
• Consultations
• Facials and treatments available at The CurlSpa
• What is a the difference between a facial and a treatment
• How often you should have one
  
• Is this safe for black people
  
• Products 
  
• Treatment Plan Creation
  

Benefits of professional skin care services

Working with a licensed skin care professional has many benefits that no one will ever see like peace of mind and relaxation. In spa services allow another human to interpret what your skin is trying to tell you about your body. Professional services offer you the benefit of a fresh set of eyes with different knowledge and experience to look at your skin.

Adding professional services to your skin care regime can

• Improve skin tone and texture
• Reduce acne & acne scarring
• Treat hyperpigmentation
• Improve skin barrier function

An esthetician doesn't just care for the skin on your face, your esthetician understands skin as an organ. The job of the licensed esthetician is to work with you and the rest of your self care team to maintain the health and beauty of the skin. All of it, head to toe. 

Consultations

Consultations are available here. Having a consultation is a great time to discuss your skin concerns and also get clarity on exactly what your skin needs. You can have a virtual or in person consultation. The in person consultation includes a basic facial and trial sized products for you to take home. 

Professional Skin Services at The CurlSpa

Euro Style Relaxation Facials:

• Lifting Facial
• Hydrating Facial
• Balancing Facial
• Acne Facial
• Calming Facial

A  Euro style facial is a traditional professional skin care service where the skin is analyzed, deeply cleansed and lightly exfoliated, you may have extractions if necessary. The CulrSpa utilizes Lira Clinical skincare products and follow their strict treatment protocols to ensure results. These services are focused on client relaxation and establishing baseline maintenance. 

The Lifting Facial protocol was developed to renew and rejuvenate mature skin to a more youthful state using brightening and firming products like the PRO exfoliating cleanser and MYSTIQ iLumenating polisher.

The Hydrating Facial protocol was developed to repair and hydrate the skin with yummy products like the hydrating mineral masque and the BIO caviar creme.

The Balancing Facial protocol was developed specifically for combination skin. The intent being to minimize pore appearance while hydrating and calming dry skin with products like the BIO enzyme cleanser and the BIO Hydra infusion.

The Acne Facial protocols were developed to clarify and brighten skin complexions while calming redness and preventing future breakouts. Also to combat the unwanted side effects of having had acne like hyperpigmentation. These protocols do this with products like the ICE Sal cleanser, ICE Refinging Masque and PRO brite serum.

The Calming Facial protocol was developed to restore and protect compromised skin with gentle products like the MYSTIQ iLumenating cleanser and hydrating mineral masque. 

The Vitamin C Facial is provided by Image Skin Care. This is the only non Lira facial that is offered. These products smell amazing improving mood as well as skin texture and complexion. 

Facials are booked individually but you are able to book multiple at a time. Facials focus on relaxation establishing baseline skin care habits. These are not chemical peels and DO NOT have any chemical peel solutions in the protocol. Facials are safe for everyone and come with all the warm fuzzies including products for you to take home and begin or maintain your skin care journey.

Hybrid Treatments/Series

• Hyperpigmentation & Melanin Management Treatment/Series
• Hydration Treatment/Series
• Acne Solution Treatment/Series
• Aging Well Treatment/Series

Clinical grade treatments are focused on treating a specific skin issue. They are not warm or fuzzy. There is no massage, no steam and no hot towels. Heat is not your friend when doing treatment work as it can reactivate self neutralizing solutions. Skin is deeply cleansed, exfoliation treatments are deeper more targeted. There can be some discomfort or irritation during the service, this is normal but not guaranteed. 

How often should you have a facial or a treatment?

Facials are safe to be part of your monthly maintenance regime unless you are doing treatment work. In that case you may be coming in as often as every 10-14 days for a certain number of visits. A series at The CurlSpa is buy 3 get 1 free. So you come in for a treatment every 2 weeks and you have 12 weeks to use the entire series.

If you are unable to commit to once a month, once a season is also good. The important thing is to have someone else look at your skin on a regular basis. This is especially important when you are pre-disposed to certain conditions like acne, hyperpigmentation and skin cancer.

Is a treatment a chemical peel?

Skin care treatments can be chemical peels or they can include chemical peel solutions along with masks and other products designed to target specific conditions. 

A chemical peel solution can be many things, enzymes, salycilic acid, various AHA's and BHA's that focus on cellular level exfoliation. You shouldn't be put off by the term "chemical peel" all things are chemicals even water. Many chemical peel solutions are made from natural things like licorice root, bearberry extract and lactic acid.

Properly preparing the skin for treatment work is crucial and why your compliance is of the up most importance. Not just before the treatment or series but also during and afterward. It is really a lifestyle and that means dligent maintenance.

Are these services safe for black people?

Yes!

These services can help with many conditions unique to brown and black skin like ingrown beard hairs, blackheads and hyperpigmentation. 

Chemical peels, like bleach and hair color get a bad wrap from partially told stories, Amazon purchases gone wrong, un-educated technicians, under-informed consumers (DIYers) and YouTube commercials simplifying the process to push product.

Chemical peels can actually be far gentler and effective than a physical scrub. The problem is you love a scrub just as much as you love a silk press. But does the scrub love you back? Yep, about as much as that silk press loves your curls.

Yes, mechanical exfoliants like scrubs, pads and wipes do give you that instant gratification and immediate smooth feeling. They can also abrade the skin leading to micro tears that ultimately lead to hyperpigmentation and in many people with higher fitzpatrick scores (darker skin) this is the vicious cycle that seems to never end.

Chemical exfoliation happens slowly on a cellular level over time. Treatments are progressive not aggressive meaning you are not necessarily going to experience discomfort during the treatment, you aren't necessarily going to "peel" but your skin is going to immediately look better and continue to improve over time leading to brighter complexions and more even texture (as long as you do your part at home).

Skin care work takes patience as cellular turnover of the epidermal cells takes time. Around 28 days. You should plan to compare your before photos to after photos about 6 months after your first series. "Brightening" is not bleaching. None of the solutions do that, no hydroquinone here. That is not what we are doing. Brightening refers to the overall evenness of complexion no matter how light or dark.

What product brands does The CurlSpa use?

• Lira Clinical
  
• Image Skin Care
• Dermalogica

Lira Clinical is a professional brand that not only makes quality skin care, they do it affordably. Basic products like cleansers and moisturizers are reasonably priced while treatment home care items may be a bit more expensive. The quality ingredients used in Lira formulas produce visible results almost immediately. 

Are these companies black owned?

No.

Lira is owned by Greek women. While the owners are not African, Greek people can be just as browned skin as some African ethnic groups, and deal with many of the same pigment issues that black people do. Because they live in the center-right of the fitzpatrick scale I believe they understand an array of skin care issues and formulate accordingly.

Creating your treatment plan

If you are only interested in relaxation and very basic maintenance then you can feel great about scheduling a monthly Euro Relaxation Facial.

If there are specific issues you are wanting to address you will need a more in depth service. Your initial assessment will include a series of information forms, a full skin analysis and hybrid treatment protocol based on your skin type, fitzpatrick score and areas of concern. All of this will help us choose the best series for you.

Following your initial assessment you will receive products to take home as well as a list of suggested products for home use to prep your skin for a series of deeper treatments.

Home care is more important than the actual treatment and a critical part of your treatment plan. What you do on a daily will make or break the intensity and longevity of our results. You are responsible for 80% of the work we are doing it is very important that you manage your routine well and stay compliant. If skin is not properly prepped prior to and maintained post treatment it can lead to adverse effects and you risk lessening the effects of the in spa treatment. 

A series or a package includes four treatments for the price of 3. Each series focuses on a specific issue and expires 12 weeks after purchase. Treatments are done every 10-14 days apart but we understand that sometimes things happen so you are given a couple extra weeks to complete the series.

A series is non-refundable once you have had the first treatment.