We recently connected with Hannah Shelton and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

The beauty industry is always changing. New trends are always emerging, some fading out quicker than others. One trend that’s stuck around that I personally love is that more individuals are gravitating towards a more natural look. This beauty trend has been referred to as the “clean” aesthetic. It’s the idea that less is more. For example, I had a client who told me she always felt the need to wear makeup. She told me she hated how her skin looked without it. She wouldn’t even go out in public without at least covering her skin with foundation. I helped her establish a solid at-home skincare routine, while also seeing her every 4 weeks for a facial. After a few months her skin completely transformed and she felt confident enough to just wear her tinted moisturizer and nothing else! Her confidence really shined and it was such a rewarding feeling. Another example would be my clients who come once a month for a lash lift & tint. This service involves curling the natural lashes with a perm solution. We finish with a black or brown tint to give the subtle look of longer and darker eyelashes. This is a more low-maintenance alternative to the lash extensions, and has become so popular due to the more natural effect that it gives.
I believe this trend is great for many reasons. It helps women feel confident in their own unique skin, enhances their organic beauty, and helps to create a more low-maintenance day-to-day routine.

Hannah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always known that my calling was to help heal others. My journey to becoming an esthetician actually began when I discovered Ayurveda, which is a system of natural medicine. I took a year long course through the California College of Ayurveda where I studied and fell in love with holistic health and wellness. While I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do with this knowledge, I knew that I felt passionate about natural healing and wanted to begin a career helping others learn how to take care of themselves and heal in more ways than one. This led me to want to look into beauty school, specifically at Aveda. Aveda’s educational program uses many Ayurvedic techniques in their esthetics program. I finished the esthetics program and became a licensed esthetician in 2020. I had a vision to create a space where others could come to relax, unwind, laugh, cry, feel beautiful & confident, and most importantly, to heal in whatever way they needed to.
At the time I was a single mom to my now 6 year old, Iris. She was my motivation to make my vision become a reality. For that reason I named my business after her. Wild Iris Esthetics.
I offer a wide variety of services including relaxing facials, lash extensions, body waxing, microblading, and more. People ask all the time what my favorite service is that I offer. I have to say that facials are my absolute favorite. I incorporate Ayurvedic techniques such as the gua sha massage, essential oils, and crystal therapy. I truly enjoy being able to provide such a calming zen experience for people.
Beauty comes in many different forms. It’s not “one size fits all.” At Wild Iris I strive to provide a unique experience for each and every client. By building connections with each of my clients, I can better understand how to meet their needs individually so that they get the most out of each service. I am grateful to have built a business that is more than just a beauty salon, its a safe space that allows people to feel as good on the inside as they look on the outside!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Personally, the most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been client referrals or word-of-mouth. Being in the beauty industry, I always say that my clients are walking advertisements. When a client leaves a service with brand new lash extensions, and they see someone at the grocery store who says “Your lashes look great! Who do you go to?” that person is likely to want to book with me after seeing my work on someone’s face. With that being said, I am always vigilant about doing the best I can and never cutting corners when it comes to the services I offer.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am currently experiencing a bit of pivotal moment in my career and personal life. I am currently taking some time off of work for maternity leave. I just had my second baby February 4th! Right before I had her, I relocated my business and have been in the process of working on the new studio space for when I return. I say it’s been a pivotal moment because since starting my business 3 years ago I’ve been going non-stop with very little downtime. As a business owner its hard to have that balance of work and home. Even when I am home, I am still responding to messages, scheduling clients, thinking of ideas for new content, etc. Having this much downtime (of course aside from being a mom of two little angels) I am able to really focus on separating work from home, gain some insight on what I’d like to improve with my business, work on some new projects that I have been procrastinating, and really just get some much needed time with my sweet family. This truly feels like a brand new chapter for myself and my business and I am looking forward to seeing how taking this time off helps my business grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: wildiris44.square.site (booking site)
• Instagram: wild.iris.esthetics