Welcome to this guide to becoming an esthetician in Texas. This guide is your “one-stop shop” for information regarding your next steps in becoming a licensed esthetician in the great state of Texas. We have personally been through the journey from our initial interest in skincare to the day we passed our esthetics licensing exam and we have put this guide together to help make your journey easier, more straightforward, and less stressful.
So first things first, let’s clear up the big question- what exactly is an esthetician? An esthetician is a licensed professional who focuses on skin care and skin issues. Also known as a licensed “esthetician” in some states, estheticians are responsible for things like facials, body scrubs, other skin care specialties, and often even minor ancillary services like light waxing.
Do not confuse an esthetician with a dermatologist. Dermatologists are medical doctors who specialize in the diagnosing and treatment of skin diseases and also have knowledge in skin care and how to keep skin healthy. While an esthetician should have a wealth of knowledge in skin care and is licensed to treat certain skin issues, estheticians are not authorized to diagnose a skin condition, such as acne or skin disease like a dermatologist can.
Also, estheticians are not authorized to perform medical procedures or services with a higher risk- such as injecting Botox or performing laser hair removal. Your career as an esthetician in Texas starts with making sure you have completed the required esthetician training hours. But just like many other things in life, deciding where to study and obtaining other information you will need to complete these early tasks is not always easy.
Table of Contents
1. Education and Training Requirements
There is a variety of educational paths to become a licensed esthetician. For instance, some people may attend a dedicated esthetician school. These are often part of cosmetology or beauty schools. Texas requires students to complete at least 750 hours of training before they can get their esthetician licenses, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
As part of this training, students will take classes in a variety of areas including anatomy, physiology, and hygienic practices. They will also gain hands-on experience practicing techniques related to the services they will provide to clients. A student could attend a full- or part-time program, and many esthetics schools offer flexible schedules.
While professional training is a requirement, estheticians often continue their education with certificates, coursework, or additional experience in particular areas of esthetics, whether it be with advanced techniques, specialized forms of skin therapy, or training that focuses on certain types of esthetic practices.
The Department of Licensing and Regulation also requires 750 hours of an approved esthetics course in Texas for those who have been trained out-of-state or received substantially equivalent training, as well as passage of the written and practical esthetician examinations. Also, it’s important for students to make sure that any training program they are considering is an approved program with the state of Texas. The Department of Licensing and Regulation has a list of approved programs on their website.
2. Licensing Process in Texas
The first thing on your agenda to become a licensed esthetician in Texas is to finish your formal training. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation requires you to attend a program of at least 750 hours, which is on the lower end of esthetician programs nation-wide.
The course must be completed in no less than 30 weeks and must include instruction on relevant state laws and regulations. If you’re trained in another state, you must check if the hours of your training are equal to or greater than the minimum required in Texas. If not, you must make up the difference before you can apply for a license.
After finishing your training, you’ll need to pass the two-part licensing exam administered by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. First, you’ll need to pass the written and oral exam. This will test your knowledge of the laws and regulations for estheticians in Texas. The exam may be taken in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, or Chinese languages. After you pass the written and oral exam, you will be eligible to take the practical exam, which tests your ability to perform esthetician procedures.
You will need to bring a live model to complete the exam, and you will be evaluated on your infection control, safety, and technical practices. After passing your exams and graduating from your course of study, your esthetics program will electronically submit your credentials to the Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Be on the lookout for your license in the mail, but keep in mind it can take a few weeks. Congratulations! You can start working as a full fledged esthetician in Texas after your licensing. However, continue to renew and update your credentials as necessary and keep your eye on furthering your career.
3. Job Opportunities for Estheticians
To become a licensed esthetician in Texas, individuals must complete the required training, sit for the exams, and create a bright future with exciting job opportunities. Some of the great job opportunities awaiting estheticians once they are licensed include working in beauty salons, day spas, and medical spas.
These are some of the most common job opportunities for estheticians. In a beauty salon, estheticians can perform a wide range of skin care services from analyzing skin to applying makeup. As they gain more experience, estheticians may even be able to rent a space in the salon and be their own boss. In Texas an esthetician is a person who, under the direct supervision of a licensed health care professional, will practice the business of massaging, cleansing, stimulating, manipulating, exercising, beautifying the body by the use of hands or causing the hands to be placed upon the body, with or without the aid of any mechanical or electrical apparatus or appliance or any cosmetic preparation, preparation or a product having a tonic, stimulative or soothing effect on the skin.
An esthetician is also trained to treat the skin by using the application of light, color, and superficial electrical energy, also by the use of the cosmetic preparation, preparation or a product having a tonic, stimulative or soothing effect on the skin. Any medical dermatologist or office to perform supplements or facial services which provides to change the appearance of a person. A Texas esthetician is allowed to work only in a licensed health care facility and operate under the direct supervision. This kind of job is suitable for estheticians who desire to work in a more clinical environment that offers more challenging work than a beauty salon. A day spa is a business that provides different types of body and skin care services.
These include facials, skin DNA treatments, exfoliation treatments, body wraps and scrubs, and body waxing and relaxation massage. Day spas are more diverse in the kinds of services they provide and estheticians can perform a variety of services in a day spa. There are many wonderful opportunities for you in beauty, wellness, entertainment and medical settings.
By working as a nail technician, cosmetologist, stylus, make up artist and many other related fields, an esthetician in Texas can find a meaningful and financially rewarding career as they love. With the opportunities to learn new approaches for working with corporate facilities to massage chain clinics to franchising and independent business operations, the Texas esthetician will sure to be very satisfied in their professional proceedings.
By contacting with various work surrounding and enriching on different local policies, an exciting journey of practicing from states to states will expand the visions and skills. Such as many Texas estheticians have the passion for providing beauty treatments, and being also fascinated by the camouflage for the facial feature by means of make-up using in movie or similar action field today, this is just a higher technology profession by using the semi-permanent to permanent treatment for skin color improvement. Luckily, Texas is a dynamic state that provides the esthetician clear parameters and guidance for such unique practices.
4. Continuing Education and Specializations
After becoming an esthetician and obtaining your initial esthetician license, your education doesn’t have to end there. In Texas, once you have your license you are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education credits per year to renew your license. This may seem daunting but there are plenty of courses in Texas that will work for you and your schedule.
Some of the education opportunities offered in Texas include: The International Congress of Esthetics and Spa and the Skin Inc. Advanced Education Conference. There are all different kinds of classes and seminars, including ones that cover the basics like waxing or skin biology and updated and advanced classes like microneedling or laser training.
So after you figure out your continuing education plan, what’s next? One interesting option if you want to expand your career is to get a dual license in hair and makeup. This will allow you to open your own cosmetology salon, where you can cater to your clients providing hair, skin, and nail treatments. Another possibility for expanding your career is to become a medical esthetician, where you work with skincare and esthetic procedures in a clinical setting like a dermatologist’s office or a medi-spa.
A medical esthetician must work under the direct supervision of a physician and must have a certain number of hours of supervised clinical training in addition to passing an exam. It’s a legally distinct title from “esthetician” and if you want to be called a medical esthetician in the state of Texas you have to follow your specialty’s rules as well as the rules for estheticians. If you decide to pursue this path, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation must approve any professional development that applies to the specialty as well.
5. Tips for Success in the Field
One of the most important tips for becoming a successful esthetician is to become a professional. Act in a professional manner always while working in the field and outside it. When you act in this way you will find that others will tend to have greater respect for you. Cleanliness is very important in this field. Uphold the highest standards of cleanliness in your workplace and never take shortcuts. For example, failing to properly clean and sterilize certain tools can lead to serious skin infections.
Develop the skills for time management and decision making. Since for the most part you are going to be working for yourself, you must set your own schedule, make the good use of your time and be disciplined. Give excellent customer service. If you do not have good relations with your clients then you are not going to work for very long. Always take time to listen to your clients’ concerns, answer their questions in detail and give clear explanations.
Also those clients feel better and more relaxed with good conversation, so develop good communication skills. By being empathetic and attentive to the needs of the clients, you will encourage a open and relaxed atmosphere. Don’t allow yourself to become too comfortable in one position and do not be afraid to learn new things.
Always stay abreast of the latest developments. If new skin treatments become successful, these are things that you should consider studying. Consider flexible and online learning, which will support your continuing professional development.
