The Top Reasons You Should NOT Wax at Home

Summer is in full swing. That means it’s time to put away the sweaters, long sleeves and get ready for shorts, tees, and bikinis. This also means it’s time to start booking your wax appointments at the spa! We know, some of you may be thinking “I’ll pass – I can wax myself at-home.” While you do have this option, we want to share why waxing is really a job meant for one who understands how the skin works and reacts – a licensed esthetician.

Hot wax comes in close contact with the skin.

An esthetician is going to do everything possible to ensure you come out of your wax ready for your short-shorts and bikinis and not looking as red as Elmo. But it’s not only irritation you have to worry about.

Remember that your skin acts as a barrier to keep germs and bacteria out.   When you’re applying wax – whether it be soft wax, hard wax, or even sugaring, the goal is to remove the full hair, root and all. Once the hair is removed the follicle is open and bacteria can enter and infection can happen.

An esthetician has studied how the skin and hair follicles work, and keeps the skin in mind before treating your hair, in order to prevent pain, irritation, or infections.

Waxing is more than slapping it on and ripping it off.

It sounds easy, but when it comes to waxing it’s more than just slap on and rip off. Things to think about include…

• Which direction do you pull the strip?
• Is the hair long enough to be waxed?
• How hot should the wax be?
• Is the wax sterile?
• Can you go over the same area twice?
• How do you remove the wax it to ensure you’re getting the hair lifted from the root?
• Do you exfoliate before or after waxing?
• Are any medications that you’re on contraindicative of waxing?
• Is it okay to wax your skin if you’ve just been in the sun?
• Pre and post wax: What is the best way to treat my skin type for a flawless wax?

These are only some of the factors that you should be thinking of prior to waxing. An esthetician is going to do a consultation with you to review all that is necessary to consider prior to a wax treatment.

Waxing requires a super sanitary environment.

Any respectful esthetician lives and breathes the term sanitation. This is a mandatory part of their business. Infections can happen if you do not sanitize everything involved.

With access to a full spectrum of sanitizing agents and devices, you can trust an esthetician, probably more so than yourself, to make sure that every item involved is sanitized.

Waxing in the spa = quick, less-painful, and no clean up.

Waxing with a professional should be quick and near painless. Estheticians know what they are doing and how to do wax so that it is quick and less painful than if you were to take waxing into your own hands.

Waxing can also be very messy. If you drip or spill the wax it can take a long time to get out. Pros are trained to perform a no mess service - but even if some wax does happen to drip, there is nothing for you to worry about because it won’t be on your carpet or floor at home.

Estheticians can keep ingrown hairs, bumps, and irritation to a minimum.

Ingrown hairs, bumps and irritation can happen. We’ll say it again, wax isn’t just about hair – wax affects your skin! Skin care professionals understand this, and have the proper tools, products and techniques to soothe and treat your skin pre and post wax to keep it all to a minimum. Additionally, a skin care professional can offer proper recommendations of how you should (or should not) be treating your skin at-home.

Waxing with an esthetician can be relaxing! 

This may seem impossible, but trust us, waxing is relaxing if you visit the right spa. For example, an editor at InStylerecently had a “near painless” first-ever bikini wax with our SeaSmooth Artisan Seaweed Wax(also voted the BEST Wax of New York by New York Magazine and featured on EXTRA TV).

An esthetician has spent countless hours learning how to wax properly to ensure the job is done in the most painless and safest way possible. Plus, an esthetician can create a calm environment during your wax treatment and even give you a facial at the same time - can it get more relaxing than that?!

An esthetician can hit those “hard to reach” spots.

This may seem obvious, but you can’t count on yourself to hit every spot you want.

To perform a proper wax, the strip must be pulled straight back in the opposite direction of the hair growth. If pulled up and not directly back you take the chance of breaking the hair and creating an irritation or even the infamous ingrown hair.

Waxing yourself it is very difficult to get the correct angle for a smooth removal. 

With an esthetician, it's NOT awkward. 

We know some people fear that the experience of getting a Brazilian or bikini wax is going to be awkward, but it’s NOT.

You have to remember that waxing is part of an esthetician's job and you’re not their only client. In fact, if you ask most estheticians, they’ll admit they’ve seen it all!

Estheticians also understand that this isn’t the most comfortable experience for you, and will go out of their way to reverse that feeling. Remember, they want you to have a positive experience.

So remember, leave it to the pros for your waxing needs this summer and all year long. And, visit hereto read a short list of do’s and don’ts of waxing to ensure you’re getting the best wax experience possible!