Then & Now | BeautyBeauty | Then & Now

Issue74 | Jan/Feb 2007 International Therapist | 2928 | International Therapist Issue 74 | Jan/Feb 2007

Wendy Arnold, President of FHT, reflects on the growth of the UK beauty

therapy industryand Pedicure City and Guilds Diploma.Indeed, it was a struggle to convincedepartment heads in the 1970s to offerbeauty qualifications.

Eventually, beauty therapy lecturers wereoffered portable buildings or convertedclassrooms. During the late ‘70s and early‘80s, purpose built salons were gradually builtin the larger colleges.

At last the beauty therapy industry wasbeing taken seriously.

Awarding bodies such as VTCT, City andGuilds and ITEC offered similar qualificationsand the beauty therapy industry went fromstrength to strength.

From the Du Barry College and a handfulof other private colleges in the ‘60s we nowhave approximately 500 FE colleges and 140 private schools.

Beauty Therapists can now progress toHigher National Diplomas at university andmore than half move onto holistic andcomplementary therapies. We must notforget that we have the beauty therapyindustry to thank for integrating holistictherapies into their training programmesduring the ’80s when they first started tobecome popular in the UK.

Post-war, treatments were limited in the1950s but the Swinging Sixties set the tonefor the British fashion and beauty industry.Helena Rubenstein, Elizabeth Arden, EsteeLauder and Max Factor were the originalcosmetic houses in London promoting skincare and perfume. The cosmetic industry is now extremely competitive and there is a strong French influence for products sold in salons, for example Clarins, Decleorand Guinot.

EEvveerr--ppooppuullaarr ffaacciiaallssMost facial treatments in the 1960s and ’70swould include make-up. A typical price listmight offer ‘full massage of face, neck andshoulders, face mask and make-up: 11⁄2 guineas’ or ‘special anti-wrinkle facetreatments and make-up: 2 guineas’ (a guinea = £1.05).

Today the emphasis is on skin care and afacial would not normally include make-up.Make-up would be booked as a separatetreatment. Facial electrical treatmentsavailable in the ’60s were mainly high frequency, galvanic and faradic, but the machineswere so medical looking in their square black boxes that they were almost frightening forthe client. I welcomed new designs such as the soft pastel colours from companies likeDepilex and the high-tech look of the Caci machines.

Facial treatments have advanced immenselyover the past 20 years with the emphasis on anti-ageing. Non-surgical face lifts have becomepopular, especially with celebrity involvement from‘young’ Barbara Windsor, Cliff Richard and DaleWinton boosting this non-invasive treatment, whichwas originally developed to help Bell’s Palsy andstroke victims.

Rejuvenation treatments, such asmicrodermabrasion, apparently remove layers of dead skin cells and encourage the growth of

collagen. Laser treatments are used for hair removaland for improving skin conditions such

as acne scarring.

PPrroodduuccttss aanndd aaggeeiinngg It is no surprise that skin care companies arealways one step ahead, especially since mostwomen want to look ten years younger. Withincreased age expectancy and more disposableincome women now spend around £2bn a year on grooming products.

We can buy anti-ageing creams containingcollagen and vitamin E and AHAs (fruit acids) inexfoliators. Eye gels, throat creams and serums areall part of our daily routines.

It’s a little different from skin care routines of the1950s when most women washed with soap andwater and had a pot of cold cream, such asPonds, Astral or Nivea on their dressing tables.

The 1980s saw the discovery of Botox, whichwas initially used to treat ailments such asblepharospasm. The long-term effect of thisbotulinum-based product, which works byparalysing the muscle, is not yet known. Collagenimplants to improve the appearance of fine linesand create ‘pouting’ lips have also grown inpopularity. Although both of these treatments canbe performed in a beauty salon or clinic, they mustbe carried out by a medical practitioner.

Back in the ’60s I began mytraining at the Du BarryInternational College in JamesStreet, London W1. At that timethere were fewer than 40 beautysalons in the whole of the UK.

Today there are more 12,000 – and that’s notincluding health spas.

Du Barry was a private college of ‘beautyculture’ as it was known in those days.Students from all over the world would applyfor a place at this prestigious college.

If, after an interview with the principal, MrWallace Sharps, you were consideredsuitable, then a place was reserved for you on the next available course.

Mr Sharps was responsible for developingbeauty therapy qualifications as we knowthem today. We also have him to thank forchanging the name from Beautician to BeautyTherapist, a change that I believe gave ourprofession more status.

However, it has been a long hard road toachieving recognition.

The recognised qualification in the ’60s wasthe International Beautician’s Diploma. Thesyllabus included anatomy and physiology;diagnosis and corrective figure faults;massage and electrical treatments includingelectrolysis; manicure; pedicure; waxing;make-up; eyebrow shaping; eyelash andeyebrow tinting; business management;elementary psychology and deportment.

In the early ’60s most beauty treatmentswere only available in hairdressing salons andwere usually limited to a manicure while youwere having your shampoo and set.

Most hairdressing departments in collegesof further education only offered the Manicure

Wendy Arnoldin the 1960swhen she firstquallified, andtoday, lookingsvelte as ever

Wendy Arnold has over 38 years’ experience as a beauty andholistic therapist, teacher and salon owner. She is renowned forher high standards and commitment to the profession, which iswhy she was first elected as a Vice-president of FHT in 1999.Just six years later, Wendy was then elected as the President ofFHT following the death of Mr Wallace Sharps whom sheoriginally trained under in 1967.

Beauty therapy then and now

Then & Now | Beauty

FFaasshhiioonnaabbllee mmaakkee--uuppRemember the delicately powdered screen stars of the 1940s and ’50s? Noshiny noses in those days. Bright lipsticks were the theme and everyonewanted Joan Crawford’s bow-tie mouth. The ’60s were considered the make-up era. The emphasis was on eye make-up with blues and greens being very

popular. Pale, pearlised lipsticks gave asultry effect. There were no wandmascaras; it came in a cake that you hadto rub with a wet brush – messy anddifficult to touch up when you were out forthe evening. False lashes and heavyeyeliner were worn by the young andtrendy to create the Mary Quant or DustySpringfield look. The look was soonreversed, with the 1970s, ’80s and ’90sbecoming more ‘natural’. Light coverageand ultra-fine face powders replaced heavyfoundations.

Micro-pigmentation was introduced inthe 1980s for enhancing lips, eyebrowsand so on. Today, bridal packages are themost popular salon make-ups.

MMaanniiccuurreess aanndd ppeeddiiccuurreessManicures have been through many changes. Fromthe 1940s to the ’60s it was popular to leave the nail’shalf moon free of polish. This gave a very sophisticatedlook, especially with red nail varnish. Now, for a morenatural look, we have the French manicure, where thenail plate is painted pink and the free edge white.

Stick-on nails came before nail extensions but theadhesives were not strong and nails would often fall offat an inappropriate moment. Nail bars began inAmerica and were first introduced into the UK in themid-1970s. They are now found in most major towns.

From patterns to palm trees, from gem stones toglitter, nail art became very popular in the late 1980sand early ’90s and was a natural progression for anymanicurist with artistic flair.

Pedicures haven’t changed much over the yearsapart from being a little more luxurious with theintroduction of foot spas and detox treatments.

Heated mittens and booties have replaced paraffinwax baths – less messy and more cost effective.

BBooddyy ttrreeaattmmeennttssBreast enlargement by cosmetic surgery is now very popular among the rich and famous but the ‘Bust Developer’ of the ’60s must be given nineout of ten for effort. I think we could put this under the category of ‘didn’t quite make it’.

The popularity of the vacuum suction treatment seems to have beensuperseded by manual lymphatic drainage massage. For toning andtightening body contours we now have microcurrent machines that can beused on thighs, arms, abdomen, buttocks and breasts.

Slimming treatments of yesteryear included the Vibro-belt, used apparentlyby leading beauty salons and physiotherapists. The gentle but deep vibrationsof this auto-masseur were allegedly beneficial for slimming theabdomen, hips, waist, ankles and thighs.

When searching through my archives I came across anequipment leaflet dated 1967, where the cost of a reclining beautychair was a mere £27. We now have elaborate, remote-controlled,hydraulic treatment couches costing thousands of pounds.

Slim away the inches witha Vibro-belt, or developyour bust with this devicefrom Alice McEnned

Issue74 | Jan/Feb 2007 International Therapist | 31

TThhee ssppaa eexxppeerriieenncceeRevitalising the body’s energies with water-basedtreatments has certainly advanced since the 18th centurywhen spa towns became fashionable retreats offeringcommunal bathing.

The curious sulphur springs that flowed through the spatowns were considered medicinal and patients wererecommended to drink up to two pints of sulphur water aday. Not a pleasant experience!

The revival of the spa industry across Europe has broughtincreased business opportunities for the hotel industry andentrepreneur salon owners who have the vision to open aday spa. Salon design is also a growth industry with someamazing designs created for luxurious resorts and five-starhotels. Treatments include floatation therapy, hydrotherapybaths, saunas and steam treatments – for example the newcaldarium, a Roman-style steam room with the advantageof aromatic oils electronically injected into the steam.

The old, upright steam cabinet has been revamped toallow the client to lie down – much more relaxing. Spapools, body wrapping, body masks and hot and cold stonetherapy are treatments offered by most of today’s spas.

Beauty | Then & Now

32 | International Therapist Issue 74 | Jan/Feb 2007

HHoolliissttiicc bbeeaauuttyy tthheerraappyyThe introduction of complementary therapies has enhanced thebeauty therapy industry. Aromatherapy, reflexology, Indian headmassage, reiki and ayurvedic treatments have allowed beautytherapists to progress and gain further job opportunities in salons,clinics, health spas and hospitals.

Clients are able to experience a more holistic approach fromtheir therapist as their wellbeing is the priority.

I am proud to be have been part of this progressing industry,watching it develop and expand over the years. According to a recent survey, beauty and holistic therapists enjoy their jobs and score 9.2 out of 10 on the happiness scale. The reason given is the ability to meet lots of new people and being made to feel appreciated.

It will be interesting to see what the next 20 years bring to thisfast growing industry. I hope I live that long!

FFaakkee ttaannnniinnggTanning without the sun has become profitable for high street salons andhealth spas. This is largely due to recent media coverage highlighting thatUV exposure increases the risk of skin cancer and premature ageing incertain people – especially those with fair skin, who, obviously, are mostlikely to want a natural looking tan!

Companies such as St Tropez claim their natural looking, self tanninglotion does not streak and will last for days. Today we can also step into atanning chamber and have an array of jets spray a fine, even tan over ourbodies. This is a far cry from the self tanning lotions of the ’60s, where youlooked as if you had been dipped in the gravy bowl!

WWaaxxiinnggI remember when hot waxwas the only wax used insalons. It was applied with alarge spatula or woodenspoon. Some salons still usethis type of wax as it is verygood for strong hair growth.Quicker, cost-effective warmwax took over in the 1970sand we now have a wealthof products to choose from.As well as original honeywax, we now have lavender,tea tree, gold, pink and,unbelievably, chocolate tochoose from!

We have certainly seenmany new ideas in theapplication of this popularsalon treatment. From thetraditional wax pot we nowhave the roller method andthe sophisticated PhDwaxing system withdisposable applicators – all focusing on improvingsalon hygiene.

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