Waxing tips and hints:

I’m often asked about the waxing experience, what you should do prior to waxing, how long your hair should be, how you should prepare your skin for waxing, what you should (and shouldn’t do) after your waxing, how to maintain the skin between waxing, etc., etc..

Whether you are a waxing virgin or have been waxed many times, please take a moment to read through the following to ensure you get the most from your treatment and have the best possible waxing experience.

The day before:

Gently exfoliate the areas to be waxed the day before treatment.  This will help prepare your skin for waxing by desquamating the area and should loosen any ingrown hairs.  

The day of your appointment:

Pre-wax

Taking a shower or warm bath prior to your appointment can help open the pores and assist in hair removal.

Please do not apply moisturisers to the area to be waxed on the day of your appointment – all creams, oils, and lotions can prevent the best adherence of the wax and so may not give you the cleanest result.

Waxing, especially in certain areas, can be uncomfortable.  Some people, especially those with a lower pain threshold, find that over the counter pain relief taken 30 minutes before treatment may help (obviously consult your GP if you are concerned about taking pain relief).   Similarly, I have known some clients exrol about the pain relieving effects of a banana an hour before waxing – please let me know if you try this and it works for you!

Post-wax

Whilst gentle moisturising is advised, please avoid highly perfumed products for the first 24 hours after waxing.  Make-up should also be avoided if you have had facial waxing such as eyebrow waxing or lip and chin waxing; deodorant is not recommended if you have waxed your underarms.

AHA’s may irritate recently waxed skin so these are best avoided.

Please do not steam / hot-tub / swim within 24-48 hours of waxing as perspiration can irritate newly waxed skin.  

Avoid sunbathing or tanning machines for 24-48  hours.

Try and wear loose clothing for 24 hours post waxing as waxed skin likes to ‘air’.

Similarly, ‘going hard’ in the gym along with tight fitting lycra can cause excessive perspiration and may cause irritation. If you are gym bound after a wax, it is advised to shower as soon as possible after exercising to keep the freshly waxed area as clean and bacteria free as possible.

Whilst newly-waxed skin feels amazing, please resist the temptation to touch recently waxed skin as the hair(less) follicles are open and bacteria can easily enter and may cause you problems.

Please do not arrange a chemical peel after your waxing.  If you have booked a chemical exfoliating treatment, please advise your therapist that you have been waxed recently in the area.

Between waxing appointments:

Sun-bathing ~ please try not to expose your soon to be waxed areas to harsh sunlight in the 48 hours prior to waxing.  Remember, waxing has an exfoliating effect – if your skin is pink from the sun and tender, please rearrange your appointment.  

Please exfoliate regularly (aim for 3+ times a week between waxing).  Whilst expensive exfoliating lotions and potions smell amazing, for waxing benefits, nothing can beat an exfoliating mitt, glove or loofah.

Moisturising will keep your skin smooth and will also help any pesky ingrown hairs escape the skin.

Please wax regularly ~ hairs of the optimum length (around 6-10mm) are easier to remove than hairs that are too short or those that have been left for a long time and may require trimming before waxing.

Waxing can be more sensitive just before or during your period so the TOTM is best avoided, especially for intimate waxing and / if you have a low pain threshold.

Please try not to shave between waxing appointments

Waxing can weaken hair growth. Very rarely this may result in ingrown hairs, especially if you forget to exfoliate regularly or moisturise. If you notice ingrown hairs after waxing, please leave them alone for at least 48 hours after your waxing appointment.  It is then advised that you gently exfoliate the area focussing on the ingrown hairs.  You may find that an antiseptic cream or tea-tree essential oil may help with calming the area; additionally, there are proprietary creams and lotions specifically for ingrown hairs that you may like to try. Magnesium sulphate paste can be purchased from most pharmacies which can ‘draw-out’ the offending hair.

Don’t lose patience with the waxing process. It can take several sessions for your hair growth to ‘regularise’ and for the hairs to all be in the optimum stage of growth for maximum results.

Most clients book their waxing appointments every 3-6 weeks ~ far more preferable to reaching for the razor every three days!

Intimate waxing

For Brazilian and Hollywood aficionados, please be advised that, after waxing your more intimate areas, it is recommended that you avoid sex for 12-72 hours ~ especially if you have sensitive skin.  Increased friction on freshly waxed skin in the area can lead to ingrown hairs, bumps, and infection.

It’s been a month now since we were advised to stay at home and stay safe due to Coronavirus. Whilst we are maintaining social-distancing during this pandemic, unfortunately, our hair is still growing!

I can’t help you with your roots I’m afraid, however, I know what it’s like when you have been waxing for years, the thought of taking a razor to those bad-boys may induce palpitations or send you in to shock!

A few clients have been asking for tips when it comes to waxing at home, so I thought I would write a short blog for you. There are also a couple of videos on my YouTube channel which you can view here.

Just remember that waxing at home is unlikely to be as effective as being waxed by a professional, however, these are unprecedented times and call for unprecedented measures!

Which Product Should I Use to Wax at Home?

Wax Strips

Where to Find Wax Strips

These are readily available online and in the chemist. 

How To Prepare Them

You warm them between your hands or on a radiator and then apply to your skin. 

Advantages of Wax Strips

The advantages are that they are easy to use, less messy and you don’t have to worry about overheated wax.

Disadvantages of Wax Strips

Disadvantages, I am told, is that hair removal can be a little erratic and you may not get the smooth result you are after.

Wax Pot

Where to Find a Wax Pot

A quick search on your favourite search engine or auction site will bring up a variety of options.  They can start as cheaply as £20 and go up to over £100.  For home/ occasional use, I would recommend you look to spend about £20-35.  

How To Prepare a Wax Pot

Each wax pot and waxing product will come with their own recommendations and guidelines so make sure you follow these.

Advantages of Wax Pots

They heat wax to a constant temperature and so the risk of burning is greatly reduced, as is the risk of too-cool, unspreadable wax causing bruising.

Disadvantages of Wax Pots

There is an initial outlay for something that you might only use occasionally. You will need to have somewhere to store it.

What wax should I use?

There are many waxes on the market. I would suggest using a water-soluble wax so any spills or residue will be easy to clean.

Roll-On Wax

Where to Find Roll-On Wax

These are readily available online and in most chemists. Most that you can purchase easily are designed for home use.

How To Prepare Roll-On Wax

These come with their own heater and extra cartridges are readily available for the product you purchase. You put the cartridge into the heater until the correct temperature is reached and then apply to the skin. The roll on works similarly to the wax pot but without the need for spatulas.

Advantages of Roll-on Wax

This will probably be less messy to apply that wax from a wax pot and the chances of spillage is minimal. Theoretically it should discharge the correct amount of product to the area being waxed so there is less chance of pulling at the skin due to over-think application.

Disadvantages of Roll-on Wax

Again, there is the initial outlay for the equipment and there may not be as much choice. Whilst roll-on wax systems available to the professional produce excellent results, these are quite expensive. If you choose this method, please research reviews prior to making your purchase.

Microwavable Wax

Where to Find Microwavable Wax

These are readily available online or, if you are keen, there are recipes for ‘make your own sugar-wax’.

How To Prepare Microwavable Wax

As the name suggests, you heat this wax in the microwave. This type of wax can reach high temperatures or have hot spots. To prevent hurting yourself when removing, be sure to place it on a microwavable plate so, when you do take it out of the microwave, you are holding the plate, not the pot.

Advantages of Microwavable Wax 

You don’t need a wax heater; it is economical to use.

Disadvantages of Microwavable Wax

Microwaves can heat with hot-spots. Ensure that you put wax pot on a microwaveable plate before heating so you can just lift out the plate reducing the risk of burning yourself if the wax has heated irregularly.

Whichever product you choose, please ensure you read, and adhere to, the accompanying instructions. 

Before You Begin

A couple of little pointers before we start….

• Ideally, hairs should be at least 5mm in length for ease of removal.
• Waxing just before, or during your period will be more painful than other times of the month.
• Some people say a banana or pain medication an hour before waxing can help with the slight discomfort you may experience, however, I will let you do your own research on this and consult with your GP if you would like to.

Preparing your Skin for Waxing

• Exfoliate
  • A day or two before you want to wax, gently exfoliate the area. This will help loosen any ingrown hairs and remove dead skin cells. 
  • My preferences are gloves or a sisal exfoliating mitt.
• Clean skin
  • Oily skin, body lotions, etc can prevent wax adhesion. We also want to minimise the risk of infection, so ensure you always wash the area you are going to wax before starting.
  • Mild soap and water is fine, or there are pre-wax products you can purchase if you prefer. 
• Dry skin
  • Ensure the area is completely dry before applying the wax otherwise it won’t adhere.

Let’s Wax!

Gather everything you need – wax, wax heater, strips for removal. If you purchase a kit, this will come with strips however, you may need more than they provide. Use the internet to search for ‘waxing strips’. I like the bonded strips and these are usually between £2-3 per 100. You will also need after wax lotion or oil which you can purchase online or you can make your own – see aftercare below. 

This is a digitally controlled wax-pot

Showing the viscoscity of the heated wax

• Test
  • Check the wax is the correct temperature by testing a little bit on the inside of your wrist.
• 

• Prepare your spatula
  • Place wax on the spatula. Scrape wax from the back of the spatula.

• Spinning the spatula after pulling it out of the hot wax can prevent it from dribbling.

• Apply your wax
  • In the direction of your hair growth, thinly apply the wax to your chosen area. 

• You want to apply it in the same way as you butter toast. Ensure the spatula is at approximately 90 degrees to the area being waxed. Apply a thin layer.

• Press down on the wax strip
  • Make a fold about 1cm in depth at the one end of the wax strip – you will use this to grab on to and remove wax.

• Place a wax strip over the wax you just applied to your skin, firmly pressing down. Make sure you keep the grasping tab at the end free from the bottom of the wax so your fingers remain clean when removing.

• Remove the wax strip
  • Hold the skin taut by placing your hand on the skin at the base of the wax strip.  

• Grab the end of your wax strip (the little tab you left), and yank it back on itself, staying as close to the area being waxed as possible, in one swift movement.

1. Tweezers
   1. If any hairs are left, you can remove these with tweezers by grasping and pulling in the direction of the hair growth.

If you’d like to follow along with me, check out my waxing videos for legs. 

Aftercare 

If your kit didn’t include any aftercare, there are plenty of wax aftercare products that will soothe the skin and are also mildly antibacterial available on the market. Alternatively, you could mix up a 1% aromatherapy solution of 15ml oil at 2-3 drops of tea-tree or lavender essential oils.

Final Words

Finally, it leaves me to say GOOD LUCK if you venture down this route.

Remember I am happy to answer any questions you may have! Please email me at lorraine@kentbeautyandmassage.co.uk