Hot take: My worst week ever started with a client bringing her own 'medical grade' serum to our facial.

She insisted I use it during the treatment, and it reacted badly with the professional peel I had prepped, causing a minor but scary rash on her cheeks. I had to stop everything, apply a calming mask, and spend the next hour explaining why we have protocols for a reason. Has anyone else had a client try to bring in outside products and how do you handle that talk?

4 comments

4 Comments

brianm662mo ago

Man, that's a nightmare. Did she at least admit she was wrong after you fixed it, or did she try to blame you for the reaction?

jessica7072mo ago

Oh she doubled down and blamed the whole mess on my "tone" when I explained the fix, classic move. Brianm66, you know how it goes, some people's egos are made of wet tissue paper. I just nodded and backed away slowly, not worth the energy. Next time I'm sending a link to the manual and calling it a day.

foster.jordan7d ago

My last encounter like that was with a lady who brought in a "vegan collagen booster" that smelled like old gym socks, and @jessica707 I swear I could hear you laughing from across town when I texted you the picture. Told her straight up: "Ma'am, I can't use mystery goo from a bottle with no label, I learned my lesson the hard way when I accidentally gave myself a chemical burn with store-brand exfoliant in high school." She huffed about it, but I just held up the waiver form and said my insurance won't cover unscheduled experiments.

leowells2mo ago

Used to think a signed waiver was enough to cover it. Then a guy brought his own "all natural" oil blend for a massage, said it was fine. Broke out in hives on his back, and suddenly it was my fault for not stopping him. Now the policy is clear, no outside products at all, not even a hand cream. The talk happens before they even get in the chair.