Waxing is a method of removing unwanted hair.  Of the many different types of hair removal services, waxing is one of the most popular.  With waxing, warm wax is applied in the direction of the hair growth and removed quickly in the opposite direction.  Properly done, this process removes unwanted hair from the root, leaving your skin smooth and hair-free for a period of weeks.  Regular waxing is necessary to achieve the full benefits.  In time you will experience fewer hairs growing back, which will allow your waxing sessions to be less painful and your skin to be even smoother.

Waxing is wonderful!  If you are ready to rid yourself of unwanted hair in a method that offers lasting results, then waxing can be perfect for you.  If you currently shave and struggle with ingrown hairs, with waxing you should experience fewer skin irritations.  If you have dark, deep-rooted hairs that you would like to be less abundant, thinner and softer, with regular waxing you can receive these lasting results.  Waxing is great even to remove peach fuzz hairs that you would prefer not to have.

You will get the best waxing results by waxing regularly.  After you’ve been waxed several times you will be able to gauge your hair cycles and see what time frame is best for you.  On average, I recommend my clients rebooking every three to six weeks.  Once you have been waxing for a while you will experience a slowdown of your hair growth and you can wait even longer in between waxing appointments.  Hair growth cycles are different for each person, so it is important to notice when your hairs become long enough to wax again.  If you would like to enjoy the full benefits of waxing, it is important not to let all your hairs grow back before waxing.  This allows your hairs to remain sparse, makes for a more comfortable waxing experience and results in happier skin for those who struggle with ingrown hairs and irritations.

No.  The myth that hairs grow back thicker, more abundantly and darker after waxing is completely untrue.  Your hairs will never grow back darker than your natural hair color from any waxing service.  In areas that are frequently exposed to sunlight, such as your forearms, it can seem like the hairs grow back darker after waxing.  But that is because the original hairs had time to lighten from sunlight exposure.  Wax services help to lessen, minimize and thin your hairs.  They do nothing to affect the color.

Regular waxing trains the hair not to grow back as abundantly or as thick as before.  Follicles naturally give up growing replacement hairs after repeated waxing.  Some people who have been waxed for years experience only 20% hair re-growth.  It will take some time, but you should begin to see a difference on your third or fourth waxing session.  We have three different cycles of hair growth.  Hairs long enough to wax may be part of one cycle, hairs just below the surface may be part of another.  Soon after waxing, if you feel new hairs poking through the skin, it’s probably because those new hairs are part of a different growth cycle.  Because of these cycles, you may continue to have hair to wax, possibly forever.  The wonderful thing to waxing is that your hair growth will change for the better.  Some hairs will stop growing altogether and some may continue to grow.  You may not have as many hairs to wax and your hairs that do come back should become softer, finer and less abundant.  After years of waxing you will find that you may not need to come in for your waxing appointment as often as you did in the beginning stages of waxing.  Instead of the average three to five weeks, you may want to extend your appointments out to as long as six to eight weeks.

Shaving doesn’t give you lasting results.  It is a ‘quick fix’ to your hair removal needs.  When you shave you are cutting the hairs at the skin’s surface, making the tip of the hair blunt and sharp.  This can leave many people with skin irritation such as ‘razor burn’.  After shaving, as your hairs are gaining more length, they will be quite sharp to the touch, leaving your skin to feel a bit similar to the prickly side of Velcro.  This unwanted feeling can come as quickly as just hours after shaving.  With shaving you can also run the risk of cutting your skin.  Have you ever tried shaving while having goose bumps?  Ouch!  With waxing you do need to allow your hairs to grow long enough for the wax to adhere to.  Any skin irritations that you may experience with shaving should be less, if nonexistent, with waxing.  Through waxing, your hairs will become softer, finer and more sparse because they have been removed at the root.  As your hairs grow back, each shaft will have a natural tapered hair tip, allowing the regrowth to be soft to the touch.  Allowing your hairs to grow long enough for waxing can be challenging at first, especially if you are used to shaving every day.  Remember that with waxing you are working on a long-term results with lasting benefits.

On average, you will need at least two weeks of hair growth before being able to wax successfully.  The hairs need to be long enough to adhere to the wax in order to be removed properly by the roots.  If the hair is too short you run the risk of hairs not coming out at all.  Different areas of the body and different types of hairs can require different lengths.  In general, I recommend letting the bikini and leg hair grow to about a half inch (about as long as the metal part is on a wooden pencil eraser).  You may hear that a quarter inch is long enough (about as long as the rubber eraser on a wooden pencil) but in my opinion, especially in these areas where the roots are thicker and deeper, more length is preferred.  For underarms, arms and face waxing a quarter inch length is usually just fine.

If you want to enjoy the full benefits to waxing, it is best not to shave in between waxing appointments.  To experience what waxing has to offer, I recommend you choose only to wax.

With regular waxing you will notice that the pain lessens.  The process becomes less painful because you are training the hairs that do grow back in, to grow in less abundantly.  After a few appointments, you will have about half as many hairs to wax than before you started.  Also, the hairs that do grow are becoming thinner, making the root of the hairs smaller as well.  Those slighter hairs are less painful when they are later waxed.  This is another reason why it is important to stay on top of regular waxing : it is less painful.

Clients using Accutane cannot wax until they have discontinued use for at least six months.  Discontinue use of any prescription skin care products for at least one week prior to your appointment and several days to a week after.  I do not recommend facial waxing for those who use Retin-A, Accutane, high concentrations of Glycolic Acid and/or Salicylic Acid.  These types of products make the skin very thin and sensitive.  Please let your esthetician know if you are on antibiotics, have had recent Botox, or are using any acne or exfoliating preparation on your face.  This includes any recent facial peels.  Also inform your esthetician if you have tanned within 24 hours.

Everyone’s skin reaction can be different and unfortunately, until you get waxed, you won’t know how your skin will react.  In addition to your unique skin and hair genes, your skin’s reaction may depend on your esthetician’s waxing techniques and the products they use.  I like to use organic and natural products for minimal skin irritation.  It is common for clients’ waxed skin to come a little pink or red.  The process of waxing increases circulation near the surface of the skin to help heal that specific area.  Sometimes the redness can last as little as an hour or as long as a day.  Each individual can experience unique reactions.  Sometimes clients can experience little bumps a few days to a week afterwards. Others may not have this experience at all and have no problem with waxing.  This is why it is important to plan accordingly if you wish to have a wax for a specific day or event.  Schedule your waxing a few days before any important occasion to allow time for your skin to respond.

If you are interested in a spray tan please know that any spray tan that is on your skin will be removed with waxing.  If you would like to get a wax and a spray tan around the same time, please schedule your waxing appointment first.  Waiting to spray tan the day after your wax is ideal.  If you do schedule your waxing appointment on the same day as your spray tan, just be sure to leave enough time to shower after your wax and before your tan, to wash off any oils that are applied to your skin.  Spray tan products don’t adhere well to moisturized skin.