What’s the best way to wax yourself at home? Don’t.

We’ve gotten questions from clients who aren’t ready to venture back out to the spa asking the best way to wax themselves at home. Our top tip: DON’T! Here’s why:

Wax quality matters

The wax we have is high quality and we’re comfortable using it. The wax you can order for yourself online or pick up at a store that doesn’t require a professional license is not stellar. Not only will a low quality wax hurt, but it could tear, burn skin, or be really hard to remove.

Not every type of wax is right for every person, or every body part

Your hair type, skin type, and any products or medications you take will determine the kind of wax (or combination of waxes) you need to use. Using the wrong kind can cause excess irritation, dryness, bruising or even skin tears. We have several kinds of wax on hand and our licensed estheticians will select the right wax for your hair type and any products you’re using at home.

Waxing hurts: ESPECIALLY when you DIY

Estheticians that are seasoned waxers are able to remove hair as painlessly as possible with different techniques that you won’t be able to do yourself at home. Inexperienced waxers are likely to just break hair off instead of pull it from the root. This leads to ingrowns, uneven results, bumps, and increased risk of infection.

Take it from one of our non-esthetician team members who shall remain anonymous. The first time she tried to wax herself, she applied the wax, started to pull the strip, saw stars and then panicked for a LONG time wondering how she’d get the wax strip off without ripping it (Call a neighbor, live with a strip of wax on your bikini area, or tough it out?) Sadly, once the wax is on, there is only one way to get it off and that’s to pull! It is REALLY hard to do that to yourself!

Remember the 90’s?

We’re STILL helping many of our clients with weird brow shapes courtesy of 90’s trends. If you try to wax your own brows, it could go very, very wrong. Worst case scenario, tweeze sparingly if you really can’t get in to a pro. Thankfully, full brows are in now!

Look for a safe esthetician

If you’re ready to take the wax out of the microwave (YIKES!) and put down the plastic butter knife, look for a safe esthetician. Our licensed estheticians wear gloves 100% of the time, pandemic or not, when waxing. Your esthetician should never dip the wax stick back into the wax after it has been used, and the space should look clean. You should also expect to complete a short health history so your esthetician knows if you are taking a medication, using a product, or have a health condition that could impact your service or make your skin more likely to bruise or tear.

During the COVID19 crisis, our estheticians will wear a mask and expect their guests to as well. For services where guests would have to remove their mask, like a lip or chin wax, expect your esthetician also to wear a face shield and work in a room with a HEPA air filter for your protection and theirs.

When you’re ready to book:

If you’re ready to book, visit www.EVDaySpa.com to book online. Not ready yet? This is the PERFECT time to grow out your hair for waxing. Remember, hair needs to be at least 1/4 inch long for the wax to pick it up and give you a smooth wax. If you’re isolating at home, there is no better time to grow hair you normally wouldn’t to get a great wax when it is safe for you!

So you think you want a Brazilian wax?

Thank you to our guest contributor (who shall remain nameless) for a “Real woman’s” account of her first Brazilian wax.

Have you ever thought such things as:

“A lot of people I know get Brazilian waxes, there must be something to it!?”

“I hate shaving my bikini area. A lot.”

“I have waxed my eyebrows a million times, a Brazilian wax can’t be THAT bad, right?”

“I haven’t shaved in so long, I might never shave again…”

Dramatization of tropical vacation to protect the author’s identity. Actual events included lots of empty cocktail glasses.

These thoughts are what eventually talked me into getting my first Brazilian wax. I had returned from a fantastic tropical vacation, which forced me to keep things trimmed up “down there”, because that’s what we ladies like to do when we are in swimwear. And each morning I went to tackle this issue, I grumbled and complained to myself about how much I absolutely despised shaving this area! The angles, the tiny razor nicks, the razor BURN! Why on earth WOULDN’T I try waxing!

When I returned home, the temperatures topped out at 30 degrees for a couple weeks, I became lazy and had no need to shave. I can’t be the only one right? A little over 4 weeks from when I returned from the beautiful tropics, I decided I was going to take the plunge. I scheduled my first ever Brazilian wax at the spa one morning while I was at work. I didn’t even flinch. I had 3 days to prepare my nerves, which were oddly nonexistent. I talked worriedly to probably every esthetician we have on staff about my concerns, and always received the typical “It’s really not that bad” response. So for the last 2 days leading up to the procedure, I was ready. It can’t be that bad. It just can’t be. I’m sure it seems to last 5 minutes, and you’re done, and everything is smooth and great and the world’s a better place!

Fast forward to brave little me, lying in the treatment room, awaiting the first “pull”. When that first pull happened I realized, I wasn’t ready. Nothing could have prepared me for this! How on earth is this classified as “not that bad”!? I now completely understand the “AHH KELLY CLARKSON” situation in The 40 Year Old Virgin. Holy smokes.

I spent a bit of time trying to figure out how I had made such an extreme mistake on my expectation of the pain vs. the actual pain. I realized the reason I initially thought it was so incredibly terrible was because I had absolutely no expectations whatsoever. I had no clue it would hurt on that level, because in my mind I thought, “how bad can pulling a few hairs out really be? My eyebrows aren’t terrible…” In reality, it is pulling hundreds of hairs out at once, so of course it’s going to hurt! A lot.

However, within about 10 seconds the discomfort is completely gone. With each pull, it became more and more bearable. I was in and out of the treatment room in under 30 minutes! We do book the treatment for 40 minutes here at the spa, but sometimes it can take much less or a little more time. It just depends on the person, the hair growth, etc. Brazilian waxes can only be done with at least ¼ inch of hair growth. If you arrive for your appointment and your hair is not long enough, the therapist will let you know. Typically this is about 4 weeks of hair growth, but can definitely vary depending on the person. It has been 2 weeks since my wax and I have almost no regrowth at all. I could literally attend a last minute pool party comfortably. (Granted, it’s still March… in Iowa… so a last-minute pool party is not likely.)

I had no discomfort after the treatment, aside from one tiny ingrown hair that lasted about a day. There was no rash, no “razor burn”, really no discomfort at all afterwards. These are the reasons I am now a forever Brazilian wax receiver. Any amount of discomfort felt during the treatment could never outweigh the amazing outcome of receiving it.

If our guest writer has you convinced that a Brazilian wax is really “not so bad” you can click here to book yours online! Have more questions! Click here for another post on waxing.

More Waxing FAQs: Your most delicate questions answered!

Our friend Colleen from Star 102.5 and I chatted awhile back about how it seems like all of a sudden lots of women our age (and quite a bit older) are starting to get bikini and Brazilian waxes regularly.  Colleen invited her East Village Spa esthetician Camille to visit with her on air to share a few pointers with her listeners who might be considering getting waxed for the first time.

We wanted to share the info with you too since we didn’t have time to cover it all on-air. Plus we know that your most burning questions might have been to delicate for a morning radio show.

Colleen (left) and Camille discussed waxing on air on Star 102.5

Q: Isn’t bikini waxing just for twenty-somethings?

A: Maybe that used to be the case, but we see lots of women who are older, even grandmas, in for regular maintenance bikini and Brazilian waxes!  First of all, hair starts to migrate as we age so while someone might not have felt the need to wax at 22, they might notice more hair creeping further down their legs in their 30s or 40s. Second, women wax for many reasons, whether because they like the look or they like not worrying about stray hairs when they wear a swimsuit.  We find it is popular with busy moms and athletes who feel like they get less irritation from workouts like running and biking without hair.  Shaving is really hard on the skin so many women are just ready to be done with razor burn.

Q: Does waxing hurt?

A: Yes! But we all agree that the more you wax, the less it hurts.  Your skin becomes used to it and your hair grows back finer over time.  A product like the Relax and Wax “no scream cream” applied 45 minutes before a wax service can help dull the sensation. Most of us feel like waxing hurts way less than painful razor burn.

Q: I’ve shaved forever, do I actually need to grow out my hair to wax?

A: According to Camille, you will need at least 1/4 inch of hair for the wax to work (most people can do this in 2 weeks). If your hair has grown 3-4 weeks, you’ll get a better result because the hairs on a different growth cycle will have had time to catch up.

Q: What about my “backside?” Do people really wax that?

A: The majority of people who get Brazilian waxing wax the back side as well. To quote one of our team members, “It looks odd if you wax the front and not the back.”  Our estheticians have been waxing many years and guessed that 95% of Brazilian wax clients opt to wax the backside during a Brazilian.

Many first-timers are most freaked out about the backside before their visit, but all of our estheticians agreed it is the easiest spot for them to wax, and the least painful for the client.  One of our estheticians also wanted to reassure self-conscious guests that in 6 years of waxing she has seen lots of rear ends and the space between the cheeks looks about the same on every single woman and this is no big deal for your esthetician.

Q: Do I need to get on all fours if they wax my backside?

A: At East Village Spa, our estheticians prefer having the client stay on their back but bring their knees up to their chest when doing the backside.  They only use the “all fours” or other methods like side-lying for reaching the backside for women who can’t bring their knees to their chest (for example, someone who has had a hip replacement or who is farther along in a pregnancy).

Q: Is the esthetician there when I undress?

A: No, you will have privacy to disrobe from the waist down and your esthetician will leave you with a cleansing wipe to thoroughly clean the area to be waxed. You’ll be able to drape yourself with a towel for modesty while she re-enters the room, but she will remove the towel while she’s working.

Q: Is it weird for the esthetician doing my wax?

A: Camille said this is the number one question her first-timers ask and she has been waxing for years and sees it as a part of her job to help people with skin care and grooming, very much like it is normal for a doctor to examine and treat people. Camille typically sees 10 or more Brazilian wax clients each week; sometimes 50% of the services she provides in a typical week are waxing services!  She knows her clients appreciate her fast, safe, and professional services and she’s happy to be able to provide something that helps women.

Wax pot east village spa

For more information, check out the FAQs section on our website here.

Have other questions about female waxing or ready to schedule? Give us a call at (515) 309-2904 or book online here!