WELL HELLOOOOO Spring!!!!
It would seem you have gotten people thinking about de-fuzzing!
We have been inundated here at the salon with phone calls, walk-ins, e-mails and texts all of which are waxing related inquiries. It seems y’all were happy enough to keep that extra layer to see you through the cold spell…..and now your thinking of shedding it for Spring! People have many many questions. So, we thought we would compile them all and get answering for you guys!
Everybody has a preferred method of hair removal. and removing unwanted hair has become as common as taking out the bins! Some like to shave, some prefer hair removal creams, epilators are still hanging around some bathrooms and bedroom drawers and then you have laser treatments.
So, why wax?
Personally, I find shaving a pain in the you know where. I only have it done a day and its starting to rear its itchy, stubbly, uncomfortable head again. I reckon hair removal creams are too harsh for my skin (I’m a bit of a skin nut!!! You only get one skin so for God’s sake mind it!) and I can actually smell the hair burning away (yes people…..hair removal creams burn the hair off!!!) or they break down the protein in the hair which allows the hair to come away from the skin when washing off the cream. No thanks! There is also laser and it has worked wonders for some but more often than not I get a client returning after laser that has not worked. The hair may go for a short period but returns again to the client’s dismay. Its a bit of a personal journey with laser I think.
So then there is waxing. My favourite!
Do I like pain?
NO!
Is waxing that painful?
Absolutely not!
Now its not pain free. But I would say, here at The Front Room, its only slightly uncomfortable as opposed to painful and that’s because of our secret weapon……WAXPERTS!
We get a hundred questions a week about our product, our technique and our treatments. So here it is….waxperts unravelled…..
What is Waxperts?
Here at The Front Room we use a premium brand waxing product called Waxperts.
Waxperts is a relatively pain free wax designed by therapists for therapists.
With lots of Irish therapists and salon owners in need of a better wax range for their salon and clients, Ellen Kavanagh and Trish O’Brien launched Waxperts Wax to trained professionals in Ireland in 2012. In addition to the Waxperts Wax range, Trish devised a unique waxing technique to make waxing easy for therapists, and as comfortable and pain free as possible for clients. I had the luck of the draw on my training day and managed to have one to one training with Trish herself and what this lady doesn’t know about waxing is not worth knowing!!!
She filled my confidence cup right up and sent me off on the train home to Ballinasloe ready to rid the west of Ireland of unwanted bodily hairs!
If it wasn’t for Waxperts I probably wouldn’t have opened my own salon!
Is it strip wax or hot wax and what is the difference?
In short, we have both! We use ONLY the hot peelable wax on sensitive areas such as the bikini and also on the underarm and the face. We use strip wax on larger areas such as legs, back, arms etc.
Strip wax is when you apply wax onto the area and place a paper strip over it and pull it off removing the hair.
Hot wax on the other hand is where we apply a thin layer of oil to the sensitive skin, creating a barrier between the skin and the wax. We then apply the hot wax to the area, embedding the hair and allow it to set. We then peel away the wax (without using a paper strip) removing the hair without affecting the skin in the area.
What is specialised waxing?
A specialised wax is an extended bikini which goes beyond the underwear line. A standard bikini removes hair from everywhere outside a “regular knickers”. Anything beyond that and you are heading to “specialised” territory.
If your therapist does not have a qualification in specialised waxing do not agree to go anywhere beyond the knickers line………for the sake of your ‘va jay jay’….come on gals…that poor crayther already has to put up with enough…if you’re gona put it through a wax at least leave it in the hands of somebody who knows what they are doing!
And absolutely under no circumstance let anybody even next to near your bikini area with a strip. It is altogether too harsh. The idea behind the pre wax oils, the hot, peelable wax is to save the sensitive areas of the body that sort of trauma.
Do I have to take off my underwear?
It is quicker, easier, neater and a lot less messy if you do!
If you reeeeeeeeeeally don’t want to we can manage a Californian with the underwear on and just pulled to one side but from an in-betweeny to a Brazilian and right up to a Hollywood we need the underwear off.
Seriously guys…don’t even bat an eyelid at this. WE don’t! We do bikini waxes every day of the week. We have seen it all….and more. We could probably sit the gynaecology exams at this stage but we just love waxing so much we don’t have the time! We are literally surrounded by vaginas! I can assure you from the bottom of my own one…..I don’t even see body parts any more while I am waxing. I see hair and shapes and places that it needs to come off and places where it needs to remain.I am a bit of a neat freak so I spend so much time concentrating on all this that I don’t even notice that you have no underwear on. We are completely and utterly oblivious to it so don’t sweat the small stuff!
I have issues with my body and don’t want you to judge me and this has stopped me getting a wax up to now…
Well then we are the place for you.
I have had 3 boys in a very small period of time. I have lumps, bumps, squishy bits, a very noticeable “tummy house” (as my kids like to call it) and have earned myself a whole lot of ‘tiger stripes’ in the process. I have my very own vagina, underarm, leg, thigh, boobs, abdomen….(whatever it is you would like hair removed from!) and I am still coming to terms with them all! so I promise I wont get a shock just because I will be seeing yours! We are all the same.
What are the different types of bikini wax?
Why Do I have red bumps on my bikini/underarm after I wax?
You have ingrown hairs! When you take the hair from the root with a wax (As opposed to cutting it off mid way when you shave) it takes the hair longer to grow back out. It gives dead skin cells a chance to accumulate and block the follicle and the hair has nowhere to go when it reaches the top and cannot get out. instead, it starts to grow inward or in a circular motion which leads to a raised red, itchy or irritating bump.
How can I treat ingrown hairs?
Prevention is better than cure!
We sell Waxperts Ingrown Hair pads and Waxperts Body Oil here at the salon. The pads are €10 for a pack of 40 that should keep you going a month. They are pre soaked in salicylic acid which breaks down and remove dead skin cells from around the pore. They can be used 24 hours after your wax and should be used once a day every day to be effective in the prevention of ingrown hairs. They can also be used on facial breakouts etc. Both myself and Breda use them to combat acne and keratosis pilarus (the little raised bumps on the upper arm area) and they work a treat!
Waxperts oil is a luxurious body oil with lavender extract for calming and soothing and is superb for keeping the skin soft, supple and well nourished and in the best possible condition between waxes. It retails at €13 and I even use mine to remove any excess tan after showering on Tanning Thursday! (lather yourself in the oil and use an old damp towel in circular motions to remove any of the old grubby awkward bits of tan that just don’t wanna leave!)
I have little white uncomfortable spots after a wax? Why do I have these and what are they?
You most likely have Folliculitis. Calm down! You won’t die! But it is a little icky…
Folliculitis is an inflammation and infection of the hair follicles and can occur after waxing for a few reasons. It occurs due to the invasion of bacteria that enter the follicles and cause a bacterial infection. The body tries to attack the bacterial infection by sending white blood cells (infection fighting cells) to the infected follicles. This can result in the formation of pus-filled spots and in some cases can lead to a boil.
There are some common causes of folliculitis;
- The wrong after care products being used post wax
- Bacteria in the wax heater (from double dipping!)
- Clients not following the correct after care given to them by therapists
- The production of perspiration and secretion of natural oils
- The application of face and body products (like make-up, tan etc) too soon post wax
- with facial waxing the most common cause of folliculitis is the clients touching their smooth freshly waxed skin with dirty fingers/hands.
We recommend treating folliculitis with Waxpers Ingrown Hair Pads and using them twice daily. Salicylic acid will exfoliate the area and lift any dead skin cells clogging the entrance to the follicle while rosemary will soothe the skin and penetrate into the follicle and the panthenol will condition the skin throughout the folliculitis treatment.
You could also include a slight exfoliation of the waxed area with every shower using exfoliating gloves (similar to the ones below) which can be bought for about €1.50 in most discount stores or in Tesco…… Just be gentle…you don’t want to break any hairs and make your waxing more difficult next time!
You have a “No Double Dipping Policy”. What does this mean?
We are strict on hygiene when it comes to a wax.
Our pots are kept immaculate!
Double dipping is when a therapist uses the same spatula throughout a waxing procedure and continues to dip the spatula back into the wax pot after it has made a connection with the clients skin.
We DO NOT do this.
Here at The Front Room, as soon as a spatula has touched a body, it is IMMEDIATELY binned!
Imagine using one spatula for an underarm wax where you are constantly re-dipping your spatula, which is now covered in sweat, back into your pot over and over throughout the treatment. Your next client wants a lip wax and the wax now has traces of the previous clients sweat and your placing it on the new clients lips! EWWWWWWW!
If you were to double dip, your pot of wax would contain traces of blood, pubic hair, and bodily secretions which you would be spreading onto other clients. Your wax pot would be a breeding ground for bacteria which is unfair to your clients and to your profession.
Disposable spatulas are used here by the motherload! We wear disposable latex gloves which are also binned after every treatment.
It is only fair that our clients receive a hygienic, high standard waxing treatment!
What can I do to make my wax more comfortable?
Some people like to take two paracetamol an hour before they arrive. It is not necessary but each to their own!
We advise that you avoid caffeine the morning of your wax as caffeine sensitises the nerve endings and may leave you a little more fragile for your waxing treatment.
Do not wax in the 3 days directly before you are due a period. These three days you are more sensitive to everything!
Avoid tight, restrictive clothing, excessive sweating, hot showers or baths, swimming, applying products, heat treatments, sun beds, sun exposure etc directly after the treatment.
Exfoliate the area gently 2 – 3 times a week after your wax and use a moisturising product daily to keep skin smooth.
return every four to six weeks to keep getting the most comfortable and pain free waxing experience.
I get a “prickly heat” kind of reaction after waxing. Is this normal?
Totally normal. Erythema is the redness of the skin and sometimes looks like a raised heat rash or nettle sting. It is typically the result of inflammation on or below the skin, resulting in dilated and congested capillaries. It can last from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. If it is prolonged it can be a sign of an allergic reaction. You can apply a cold compress and take anti histamine medication and you need to be patch tested before you get another wax to see if you are suitable for waxperts waxing but it is very common and usually disappears very quickly and is actually a good sign that your skin is functioning as it should!
Is there any reason I cannot get a waxing treatment?
You cannot undergo a wax if you have any of the following;
- skin disorders/diseases
- UTI
- Allergy to Lavender
- If you are on skin thinning medications
- We will need a medical referral if you are suffering medicine-controlled diabetes.
Is it safe to wax when pregnant?
Absolutely. Just let us know and we will make things as comfortable as possible for you. it is safe enough to wax as long as you do not have any existing problems like a UTI or you have lost your mucus plug or your waters have gone etc. (Yes! We do get some requests and unfortunately we are not equipped to deliver babies so if you are on the way to the hospital we suggest you stay going!!!) Other than that we would love to see you and your bump!
We hope we have covered a lot of your questions but should you have anything else you need to know or if you would like an appointment with us just give us a shout at the salon on 090-96 46893 and we will be happy to help get you sorted!
You can find us on facebook here.
On Instagram @ thefrontroom_ballinasloe
Other than that you can follow us on snapchat…. where we try to give out a few helpful tips and tricks daily and we can also answer any questions you have about any aspect of beauty so don’t be afraid to ask…..myself and breda are only a snap away!….
But be warned….I am also a mom… so you will most definitely get a glimpse of some “momlife” there too!!!
We hope to see you all for a wax soon….Don’t forget…Valentine’s in just around the corner and appointments are filling up fast!!!!!
All our waxing treatments and packages can be booked online here.
Andrea x
