What Your Esthetician Wants You To Know - Waxing Part II

In addition to receiving facial and massage services, I also receive waxing from other Estheticians. I’ve waxed everything (upper lip being the worst for me). I know what it’s like from the waxer’s perspective and also the client. So many clients come in for body waxing and are SO NERVOUS. Of course, you need to know that that’s 100% normal. But besides that, here are a couple more things that your Esthetician would want you to know.

#1 - We are doing a job of removing hair. We are looking for the best waxing patterns to do our job efficiently while providing the most comfort to you, the client. That’s all we are looking at. For me, it’s about combining speed with comfort.

#2 - Holding skin tight and breathing are essential to making sure you limit the pain associated with waxing. Especially when it comes to intimate waxing, trust me on this. Watching where the wax is going or trying to lift up does not help anything. It creates more anxiety for you and the waxer.

#3 - There are no questions that you can ask your Esthetician that haven’t been asked before. We are here to answer anything you have, but we’ll be sure to share with you what to do and not to do after waxing. These recommendations are helpful in creating the best waxing experience.

#4 - The aftercare instructions are important. Don’t ignore them … as this is what causes problems like bumps and ingrowns. Try to purchase the aftercare that day or as soon as possible.

#5 - Doing surgery on yourself on an ingrown will result in more problems, including dark marks (hyperpigmentation.) Instead, use the home care products and ask your Esthetician to help you remove ingrowns if possible.

In the end, every waxer has a unique pattern that they’ve learned and made into their own. They may use different waxing patterns, different wax or even sugar, or have different positions for your legs or arms. A great Esthetician has figured out what works best for him/her as well as their clients. Trust the process and their expertise that has created raving fans who come back month after month.

Don’t forget to

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE

Confessions of an Esthetician - Ingrown Hairs

Grab your popcorn and take a seat! Story time is here again!

I’ve been a long term waxer (meaning, I’ve received intimate waxing for years), and one of the things that can happen over time is thinner and sparser hair. The thinning hair still has the obstacle of breaking through the dead skin cells. And as we age, we also have to work harder to keep the dead skin cells cycling at an acceptable rate.

Anywho, this is my way of telling you, that I never got ingrown hairs until I had been waxing a couple years. Fast forward to last year. Mid pandemic … and honestly, I was kind of sucking at the home care routine stuff. Especially my exfoliation and moisturization processes. Out of nowhere, I had 3 ingrown hairs. Say what?!

Well, I have a couple of items that I recommend to clients, so I think to myself… “Today’s the day! I’m going to be the best client ever!” And then proceed to exfoliate in the bath and use the oil right after getting out. I mean, it all feels nice, but I don’t want it to just ‘feel’ nice. I want it to be doing something. So because this is what I do … and I’m a little weird like that, I check in the bathroom 20 minutes later to see what those 3 ingrown hairs are doing. And guess what?! All 3 ingrown hairs had popped through the surface of the skin. Botta bing, botta boom. Say yes!

I always say the best treatment for ingrowns is prevention! But, if you see an ingrown pop up (correction - staying underneath the skin), address it baby! Three of my main suggestions are:

DO NOT perform surgery on yourself.

SAY YES to the aftercare!

And don’t wait until your next appointment. Let’s get you stepping up the aftercare and then we can also use high frequency at your next waxing appointment as well!

If you, too, are struggling with the dreaded ingrowns, I can’t wait to show you options and help you through the process!

Don’t forget to

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE

Why am I Experiencing Ingrown Hairs?

One of the problems from shaving or waxing is ingrown hairs. As the hair is coming out of the skin, it can't quite break through the dead skin cells. The hair continues to grow but it is now growing under the skin and can grow like a river underneath or can grow in the circle and stay balled up. Usually ingrowns are worse when shaving versus waxing. There are a couple of reasons why you would get an ingrown hair. Here's why and what you can do about it!

Some people are just more prone to experiencing ingrown hairs. This is due to our genetics, how the skin is and what the hairs do ... under normal conditions. That being said, it's important to find a great waxer that uses proper technique and post care. Develop a relationship so that you can ask any and all questions. Your esthetician is there to help you! You can have ingrown hairs anywhere on the body, but this article will focus mostly on intimate waxing.

What should I Avoid?

When going in for a brazilian waxing treatment, make sure to follow all the after care instructions you are given. I like to say to avoid the 3 S's - Sunning, Sweat, and Sex for 24 hours.

Sunning - This means to avoid anything hot like tanning, hot tubs, saunas etc. The area may be sensitive, so some people think that heat will make it feel better. Let me assure you that this is not the case. Instead, use ice, aloe and soothing products.

Sweat - Do not go straight from your wax to your hardest workout of the week! Infact, avoid the gym for 24 hours while the hair follicle is open. (It takes approximately a day for it to close up.)

Sex - Heat, friction, etc are a recipe for disaster. Wait 24 hours for the area to calm, the hair follicles to close up and 

What Should I Do?

There are also a couple things that are extremely helpful and something you can do. These include exfoliation and hydration.

Exfoliating - In order to understand why this is so important, let's talk about the anatomy of a hair. We'll use an analogy of a tree. If you are shaving, you are chopping the tree trunk down at the base, which is a thick area. The hair growing back will feel stubbly and may be itchy because it is at the base of the tree. When you wax, the hair will grow back like the tips of branch. The difference of the hairs breaking through the dead skin cells are very different with one being a trunk and another being a branch. The branch will definitely need help. Help comes in the form of exfoliating away the dead skin cells. My favorites for this are the Spa Cell (which can be used with any body wash) and the Ingrown Hair Buster (a spray using botanicals and acids.) Both are very effective at exfoliating. I like to have my clients exfoliate 2 to 3 times a week to start, while adjusting if needed.

Hydrating - In addition to exfoliating, the hair needs to be conditioned and hydrated. If the hair is not hydrated properly, it make break off while waxing. Broken hairs also have a hard time reaching the surface of the skin and may result in ingrown hairs. How do you hydrate and condition the skin? You need a moisturizer. If you use something too heavy, it can clog pores. Too light weight and it may not be enough to hydrate properly. So something in the middle is just right in this case!

One final thought on ingrown hairs. Many people wax for years, not experiencing problems and then start to have a couple of ingrowns. As the hairs are waxed, they do get weaker and finer. So this may be a problem that you experience later on. Make sure that you take the advice of your waxer and play with the frequency of how often you exfoliate and moisturize to find the right combination for you. 

Don't forget to 

Breathe. Let Go. Relax.

Zoey Jolley, LE