WHAT'S YOUR TINGLE FACTOR??

ABOUT THE “TINGLE FACTOR”

A few weeks ago we began studying advanced exfoliants at NBU.  And no, I'm not talking about that ancient St. Ives Apricot Scrub that people STILL list on their client forms. Advanced exfoliants actually have a chemical reaction on the skin that causes exfoliation.  

The ever popular St. Ives Apricot Scrub. 

Because people react differently to chemicals on the skin, you start new clients out with non-aggressive levels of chemicals, and you ask them about their “tingle factor” throughout the procedure. Asking about tingle factors is like another way of saying, “so, just how much more of this can you take?” - - except, it’s much nicer. It usually goes like this – “Mrs. Smith, On a scale of one to ten, ten being the most uncomfortable, what’s your tingle factor?”

You ask this question about every two minutes during a procedure. If the client’s tingle factor ever reaches 7, then it’s time to remove the chemical.

MY TINGLE FACTOR EXPERIENCE

After learning the theory on advanced exfoliants, we each selected one to try out ourselves.  I picked an exfloliant that acts a bit like a mini-chemical peel, and since we had an odd number of students that night, two of my classmates doubled up to give me my exfoliant treatment. Maggie applied it to my face, and Tracey sat beside me and observed.  

I felt nothing…. for about 30 seconds.

Being the control freak that I am, I decided to let Maggie know. I quietly whispered, “Hey. Ask me about my tingle factor.” Maggie was seated behind my head and leaned over displaying a smile. “Ok. Rita, what’s your tingle factor?”

Hmmmm… I was starting to feel something more. I smiled back and said, “Oh… I’d say about a three.”

About 45 more seconds passed. I knew it wasn’t time for Maggie and Tracey to ask again about my tingle factor, but since I was feeling a little more “tingle”, I prompted Maggie again.  “Hey, Maggie, I think you may need to ask me about my tingle factor again.” She looked down at me and said, “Why? Are you ok?”

Suddenly my tingle factor went from 3/4 to about a 6. I replied and said, “Yeah. I’m about a 6 tingle… I think… I’m not sure. Maybe we should just go ahead and take it off, since this is my first chemical.”

There were no objections or questions from Maggie. She immediately wet her hands and began to properly remove the product with a cleanse. As soon as her hands rubbed across my face, it lit up like a Christmas tree.  I knew I was a 7 or above. “Seven”, I said without hesitation. “I’m a seven now. Definitely a seven.” Even though she was upside down, I could see that Maggie was beginning to move faster with her cleanse. Tracey actually reached for my hand as if she were my Lamaze partner and we were going to start breathing together.  

Miss Kellie walked by as she was supervising and said, “How are things going? What’s your tingle factor, Rita?” At this point, my nerves got the best of me and I played out the next few minutes in my head. I would stand up, run to the bathroom like a crazy person, throw water on my face, and look in the mirror to discover that my skin was peeling off like a lizard. I was speechless, so I closed my eyes and held up my response on my hands – five fingers on one hand and three fingers on the other. I was an eight. I was sure of it. Miss Kellie smiled, “Ok, Maggie is cleansing it off now.”

We all laugh about this adventure now. I know Miss Kellie wasn’t being insensitive to my number 8 tingle factor. She was just more experienced - - she’s seen many nervous newbies use chemicals and overreact. If you subtract the nerves and the drama, in hindsite, my tingle factor was really probably only a proud 4.

I woke up the next morning and my cheeks and forehead were a little pink. Over the next two days the smoothest skin began to reveal itself. My pores looked so much smaller and my face looked brighter and toned.

Monday evening when I sat down in our classroom my conversation with Miss Kellie held great conviction. It started something like this - “So, just how often can I have one of those exfoliant treatments?”

Gettin' Beauty Schooled, 

Rita