The SlickChart Blog
Practical guides for solo estheticians — charting, client care, and the unglamorous business bits that keep a one-person treatment room running.
Virtual skin consultations: how to run photo and product consults that clients act on
How an esthetician runs a virtual skin consultation: which photos to ask for, what to ask, staying in scope, what to charge, and picks clients can buy.
Virtual esthetics: how a solo esthetician earns outside the treatment room
Virtual consults, guides and courses, and shoppable homecare plans. Three ways a solo esthetician can be paid for expertise without adding hours in the chair.
Shoppable homecare plans: getting paid for the products you already recommend
Make every product you recommend easy to buy: in office, your own shop, brand affiliate links or Amazon, plus the disclosure rules and what goes in a plan.
Esthetician courses and guides: turning what you explain every week into something you own
How a solo esthetician turns repeated advice into guides and courses: what to make first, free versus paid, how to price it, and how to deliver it to clients.
Makeup artist client records: what to track for bridal trials, parties and repeat clients
The trial look, the exact shades, what changed before the wedding and how it held up. What a makeup artist's client record should hold, and where to keep it.
PMU software: booking, consent and healed photos without three subscriptions
Many PMU artists pay for a booking app, a consent form app and somewhere to keep healed photos. What each job needs, and how to do all three in one place.
Paper or digital intake forms? An honest look for a one-person studio
Clipboards still work. Here is what paper does well, where it quietly fails a solo pro, and what to check before you move your intake and consent forms online.
What to look for in waxing software when you're a one-person shop
A solo waxer's guide to software: intake that catches contraindications, a check before every visit, notes per area, aftercare and rebooking.
Waxing consent form: what to ask before the wax, and what to send home after
What a waxing consent form should cover for brows to Brazilians, the contraindications that cause skin lifting, and aftercare that prevents ingrowns.
Tattoo touch-up form: timing, what has changed, and what a touch-up cannot fix
What a tattoo touch-up consent form should cover: waiting until fully healed at 4 to 6 weeks, what changed since the session, policy exclusions and aftercare.
Tattoo intake form: health history, ink allergies and the design consultation
What a tattoo client intake form should ask: age and ID, tattoo and skin history, ink allergies, a 14-item health check, numbing, and design placement.
Tattoo consent form: the risks, the design sign-off and the release line
What a tattoo consent form should cover: permanence, risks from blowout to MRI effects, a 12-item health check, design sign-off, ink lot tracking and aftercare.
Second-skin tattoo aftercare: the film timeline, the fluid pocket and when to take it off
Second-skin tattoo aftercare and consent: first piece off at 8 to 24 hours, a second piece up to day 6, never over 7 days, the fluid pocket and adhesive checks.
Scalp steam treatment consent form: heat, lying back and a hydrated scalp
What a scalp steam and hydration consent form should cover: the scalp facial, heat risks, a blood pressure and health check, and aftercare.
Scalp micropigmentation consent form: hairline, density and aftercare
What an SMP consent form should cover: what scalp micropigmentation can and cannot do, hairline design, blowout risk, session spacing and aftercare.
Hot oil scalp treatment consent form: nut oils, massage and taking oil home
What a hot oil scalp treatment consent form should cover: nut and essential oil allergies, heat testing, massage pressure, stains and aftercare.
Scalp exfoliation consent form: scrubs, enzymes, timing and aftercare
What a scalp exfoliation consent form should cover: scrub, enzyme or clay, possible effects, the 72 hour chemical rule, patch tests and aftercare.
Saline tattoo removal consent form: realistic goals and dry healing
What a saline tattoo removal consent form should cover: realistic lightening goals, session spacing, contraindications, photos and dry-healing aftercare.
Relaxer consent form: overlap, edges, lye or no-lye and retouch aftercare
What a chemical relaxer consent form should cover: protective base, lye or no-lye, overlap breakage, perm history, thinning edges and retouch aftercare.
Prenatal massage consent form: positioning, warning signs and the pregnancy health check
What a prenatal massage consent form should cover: side-lying positions, a pregnancy health check, clearance for high-risk pregnancy, and aftercare.
Powder and ombré brows consent form: style, saturation and healing
What a powder, ombré or combo brow consent form should cover: choosing the style, over-saturation risk, contraindications, touch-up timing and aftercare.
PMU touch-up form and policy: how to run the perfecting session
What a PMU touch-up form and policy should cover: the perfecting session window, assessing healed retention, health changes, and pricing later touch-ups.
Perm consent form: the relaxer question, the test curl and curl aftercare
What a permanent wave consent form should cover: relaxed and lightened hair, test curls, strand tests, realistic curl results and perm aftercare.
Pedicure consent form: the foot check, diabetes and safe callus care
What a pedicure consent form should cover: a foot health check, diabetes and circulation, no shaving before, callus care with no blades, and aftercare.
Nail allergy and reaction form: recording acrylate sensitivity the right way
What a nail allergy and reaction record should ask: past reactions to gel, acrylic, dip or glue, dental reactions, dermatologist details, and next steps.
Microneedling consent form: screening, expectations and aftercare for a cosmetic-depth treatment
What a microneedling consent form should cover, from cartridge hygiene and depth to contraindications, plus the aftercare that protects open skin.
Microcurrent facial consent form: the hard stops, the odd sensations and the series
What a microcurrent facial consent form needs: the four hard stops, injectable and implant questions, odd sensations to warn about, and aftercare.
Microblading consent form: skin screening, ghosting and the touch-up
What a microblading consent form should cover: oily skin screening, contraindications with timeframes, the ghosting stage, touch-up timing and aftercare.
Massage intake form: health history, preferences and a body chart that guides the session
What a massage intake form should cover: services, pressure, massage history, a 16-item health check, allergies, privacy, and a body chart and plan.
Massage draping consent form: area by area consent, boundaries and physician clearance
What a massage draping and boundaries form should cover: how draping works, yes, no or ask first for each area, comfort choices, and physician clearance.
Manicure and e-file consent form: cuticle care, nicks and aftercare
What a manicure and e-file consent form should cover: dry manicure, cuticle care rules, e-file hygiene, small nicks, a health check and aftercare.
Lymphatic drainage consent form: surgeon clearance, light pressure and post-op aftercare
What a lymphatic drainage consent form should cover: a 15-item health check, surgeon clearance after surgery, working around incisions, and aftercare.
Lip blush consent form: cold sores, the frosty stage and aftercare
What a lip blush consent form should cover: cold sore screening, lip filler timing, the frosty healing stage, corrector sessions and day by day aftercare.
LED scalp therapy consent form: light-sensitizing medicines, eye protection and a series
What an LED scalp therapy consent form should cover: red and blue light, light-sensitizing medicines, eye protection, honest expectations and aftercare.
LED light therapy consent form: eyes, medicines and a series plan
What to put in an LED light therapy consent form: light sensitivity screening, eye protection, series expectations, and aftercare to send home.
Lash lift consent form: processing risks, the tint choice and aftercare
What a lash lift consent form should cover: over and under processing, lash serums, the off-label tint note, spacing between lifts, and aftercare.
Lash extension consent form: what to include, from the lash map to the aftercare
What a lash extension consent form should cover: adhesive allergy, shedding versus damage, who should wait, style approval, and aftercare to send home.
Lash and brow tint consent form: the FDA note, patch tests and eye safety
What a lash and brow tint consent form should cover: the FDA warning, patch testing, who should wait, eye safety, and aftercare to send home.
Lash and brow patch test form: what to test, how to record it, and the waiver
What a lash and brow patch test form should cover: which products to test and where, the 24 and 48 hour checks, and what to record when a client declines.
Large-scale tattoo consent form: sleeves, color realism and the multi-session plan
What a large-scale tattoo consent form should cover: sleeves and realism, 3 to 6 hour sessions, 3 to 4 weeks of healing between, numbing and aftercare.
Keratin treatment consent form: fumes, formaldehyde wording and the 72 hours after
What a keratin and smoothing treatment consent form should cover: fumes and formaldehyde, asthma screening, strand tests, and the first 72 hours.
Hydrodermabrasion consent form: what to include and why each part matters
What a hydrodermabrasion consent form should cover, from the acid step and suction risks to who should wait, plus the aftercare to send home.
Hot stone massage consent form: heat safety, burn risk and the skin check afterward
What a hot stone massage consent form should cover: how stones are heated and checked, burn risk, reduced feeling, a health check, and a burn plan.
High frequency scalp consent form: who it is not for, product-free hair and aftercare
What a high frequency scalp consent form should cover: pacemaker and implant screening, no hairspray or metal, normal sensations, risks and aftercare.
Head spa intake form: hair history, a health check and the scalp treatment plan
What a head spa intake form should ask: hair history, scalp concerns, allergies, a health check for lying back, and a signed scalp analysis plan.
Head spa consent form: the ritual, lying back safely and the aftercare to send home
What a head spa consent form should cover: what the ritual involves, possible effects, a neck and health check, no promised results, and aftercare.
Hair lightening consent form for bleach, highlights and balayage
What a bleach and balayage consent form should cover: lifting in stages, strand tests, over-processing risks, box dye history and blonde aftercare.
Hair extension consent form: traction, move-ups and custom hair
What a hair extension consent form should cover: method choice, traction alopecia, move-ups, normal shedding, custom hair orders and aftercare.
Hair dye patch test form: allergy alert tests, strand tests and the waiver
What a hair dye patch test form should cover: why PPD testing happens before every color, when a strand test is a must, and a clear decline waiver.
Hair color consent form: the allergy test, the risks and the aftercare
What a hair color consent form should cover: PPD allergy alert tests, box dye history, realistic results, color correction in stages, and aftercare.
Gel nail consent form: gel polish, builder gel and the aftercare to send home
What a gel polish and builder gel consent form should cover: acrylate allergy, UV lamp choices, a nail health check, no-peel rules and aftercare.
Gel extensions consent form: length, lifelong allergy risk and fills
What a gel extension consent form should cover: soft gel tips or hard gel, a lifelong acrylate allergy, agreed length, fills, lifting and aftercare.
Fine line tattoo consent form: blowout, blur and how small is too small
What a fine line tattoo consent form should cover: how fine lines age, blowout, size and placement advice, faster fading spots, touch-up timing and aftercare.
Faux freckles consent form: the freckle map, fading and aftercare
What a faux freckles consent form should cover: honest options, freckles that heal lighter, a freckle map approval, photo choices and simple aftercare.
Facial and extractions consent form: setting limits before you touch a pore
What a facial and extractions consent form should cover, which contraindications change the plan, and aftercare that explains purging versus a reaction.
Permanent eyeliner consent form: eye safety, design and aftercare
What a permanent eyeliner consent form should cover: eye health screening, lash serum timing, contact lenses, liner design approval and aftercare.
Dip powder consent form: hygiene, glue allergy and safe removal
What a dip powder consent form should cover: single-use powder hygiene, glue and activator allergy, a nail health check, removal and aftercare.
Dermaplaning consent form: what to cover, and the aftercare clients actually need
What to put in a dermaplaning consent form, from the peach fuzz question to active breakouts, plus a simple aftercare plan to send home.
Deep tissue massage consent form: pressure limits, soreness and the recovery plan
What a deep tissue and sports massage consent form should cover: a pressure ceiling, soreness and bruising, a 12-item health check, and recovery aftercare.
Cupping therapy consent form: the marks, blood thinners and what to say before the cups go on
What a cupping therapy consent form should cover: marks that last 3 to 10 days, blood thinners, a 15-item health check, dry cupping only, and aftercare.
Cover-up tattoo consent form: honest limits, laser first and another artist's work
What a cover-up tattoo consent form should cover: honest limits, laser fading first, scar tissue, reworking another artist's tattoo, sessions and aftercare.
Chemical peel consent form: what to include, and the aftercare to send home
What a superficial chemical peel consent form should cover, which contraindications to screen for, and the day by day aftercare clients need.
Brow wax consent form: retinoid timelines, shape approval and aftercare
What a brow wax and shaping consent form should cover: retinoid and Accutane rules, skin lifting, shape approval before removal, and aftercare by method.
Brow tint and henna consent form: patch tests, the FDA note and skin stain
What a brow tint and henna consent form should cover: tint versus henna, the 48 hour patch test, the off-label note, shade approval, and aftercare.
Brow lamination consent form: skin timelines, the tint choice and aftercare
What a brow lamination consent form should cover: processing risks, retinoid and Botox timelines, the off-label tint choice, and aftercare to send home.
Areola micropigmentation consent form: clearance, privacy and gentle care
What an areola restoration consent form should cover: surgeon clearance, honest options, scar tissue and color, private photos, and daily checks while healing.
Acrylic nail consent form: odor, allergy, fills and safe removal
What an acrylic nail consent form should cover: monomer odor and ventilation, acrylate allergy, a nail health check, fills, removal and aftercare.
Acne facial consent form: scope, expectations and the aftercare that does the work
How to write an acne facial consent form that screens for who needs a doctor, sets a realistic 6 to 12 week timeline, and sends clear aftercare.
Best software for a solo esthetician in 2026: an honest category breakdown
Four kinds of software, what each is really built for, and prices I checked myself in October 2026. The honest version, not a ranking.
Do you need to leave your booking system to get proper client charting?
Short answer: no. Here's how to tell whether switching is actually worth it, and what it really costs you to do it.
The real cost of esthetician software: add-ons, processing rates, and what's actually included
The monthly price is the smallest part of it. Here's how to work out what your software actually costs you, using your own numbers.
Square Appointments and client charting: what it does, what it doesn't, and how to fill the gap
Square handles booking and payments well. Here's a five-minute audit of what your own account really keeps for notes, photos and consent forms.
Rebooking habits that keep a solo esthetician's calendar full
Retention for solo estheticians: rebooking at the chair, the 48-hour follow-up, treatment series, and spotting a lapsing client before they go.
The math behind a six-figure solo esthetician
An honest look at six figures as a solo esthetician: the arithmetic of rate, frequency and capacity, where the ceiling sits, and which levers move.
Esthetician client charting: what to write down after every facial
What to record after a treatment, how to adapt SOAP notes for skin, taking usable progress photos, and how long to keep client records.
How to choose an esthetician app that you'll actually use
What matters in esthetician software: speed in the treatment room, charting on your phone, consent forms, and getting your client data back out.