waxing – East Village Spa Blog

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!

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.

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!

5 things your esthetician wants you to know about summer waxing

I was recently chatting with one of our estheticians about leg waxing and how it just isn’t the kind of service that provides the instant gratification clients want and expect. As is often the case, the topic snowballed into a list of things we wish people knew about summer waxing to make their wax experience better.

1. Often, your first wax, or your first wax in a long time, won’t get you the baby smooth results you are expecting. Why? Because of the growth cycles of your hair. Especially if you have been shaving, your hair is on different growth cycles. For example, if you regularly shave your legs but grow it out for a few weeks for a leg wax, you’ll still feel stubble from the hairs on a different cycle that were too short to catch in the wax. It will also seem like hairs are growing back sooner after some waxes because of the hairs that were on a different cycle are growing, not the hairs that were removed.

This has nothing to do with the skill of your esthetician, and everything to do with how our bodies work.Your best bet for super smooth, hairless skin? Regular waxing without shaving between visits. Or letting your hair grow out a long time before waxing.

2. Where a woman is in her cycle will affect how much her wax will hurt. The week before your period many women are the most sensitive. Often we’ll hear someone say one of our esthetician’s waxing is more painful than one of our other esthetician’s waxing. But then the next guest will say the exact opposite. In the hands of a skilled esthetician using the same high quality wax and proper techniques, the level of pain variance is likely due to where you were on your cycle, not the esthetician.

Because women who wax regularly typically come in about every 5-6 weeks, they will hit different points of the cycle so back-to-back waxes might feel entirely different due to the variance in pain tolerance, blame mother nature, not your esthetician!

3. If you are planning a body wax and a massage, plan them on different days. We’re talking leg wax or back wax here… It seems like a good idea to save time by booking a leg wax right before a massage, or a massage right before a back wax, but saving yourself a second trip isn’t worth the potential discomfort. Your massage therapist doesn’t want to introduce products and oils into a freshly waxed area and irritate already inflamed skin.

Likewise, your esthetician would prefer not to wax over an area that has just been massaged because it isn’t ideal to wax over skin that has been introduced to oils…plus the sting of the waxing usually takes away from the benefits of the massage!

4. Keep freshly waxed skin clean! That means not going home and putting on your oldest hockey pads to play a game after a chest wax, not getting a leg wax the night before you plan to spend a day swimming in a lake, and not waxing your brows and lip right before going for a run. This can introduce bacteria into freshly waxed skin and cause infection and irritation.

On that note, if you come for your wax right after a workout and plan to put on the icky workout clothes you came in, you’re asking for an unpleasant skin reaction. It is best to have clean skin for your wax and clean, breathable clothes to put on after. We have had to turn people away for this very reason…we value your safety!

5. Please don’t fib on the wax intake form. I have heard people say (outside of the spa) that they don’t admit to using medications like Retin A or Accutane because they know they’ll get turned away for a wax. The risk of omitting important information is that your skin can burn and tear. Even if you haven’t applied or taken the medication for a few days, this can still happen. Even if you’ve been fine previously during a wax while using these medications, a burn or tear can happen and can be serious. This is not something your esthetician is willing to risk and it is not fair for you to put them in that position by not disclosing risk factors. Tweezing, shaving, and other hair removal techniques are safer for some people.

If you have never had a wax before or have questions, click here for answers to our frequently asked questions.

To book your wax online, click here.

Planning your wedding spa service timeline

The holidays are one of the most popular times to get engaged and if you were part of a couple celebrating your recent engagement, CONGRATULATIONS! Hopefully you are able to enjoy planning a celebration with family and friends, but we know sometimes wedding planning can be stressful and confusing. Here are a few helpful hints for planning spa services to prepare for your wedding.

Waxing:

Whether it is a bride looking to schedule a first Brazilian or a groom wanting his first back wax, the worst time to experiment is the day or two before your wedding! For best results, we recommend getting the wax services you’re considering for your wedding and honeymoon at least 6 months out and then keeping up the routine until your wedding. The first wax is often the most painful and until you have a wax, you won’t know how your skin will react. With regular waxing, you’ll likely get a smoother result and less irritation for the big day.

If you are planning to wax your underarms or legs prior to your wedding, plan to have AT LEAST 6 weeks of growth for a smoother wax. Hair needs to be a minimum of 1/4 inch long and the longer the better in those areas. Brow and lip waxing should be planned at least 3-4 days in advance of the wedding.

Nails:

If you are a nail biter looking to grow your nails for your wedding, we recommend at least 3 months out getting at least a basic manicure every 2 weeks to help keep your cuticles and nails in shape and reduce your temptation to bite them. Applying a cuticle oil like CND Solar Oil and hand cream nightly will do wonders to get your hands and nails in shape for wedding photos.

Wearing a hard polish like Shellac is a great way to grow your nails because it makes it harder to bite your nails and easier to break the habit, especially with stressful wedding planning. Using REAL CND brand Shellac (as opposed to one of the imitation versions some salons call “Shellac”) with proper removal will not damage your nails.

Facials:

If you have skin concerns you’re looking to address before wedding photos, the best time to start working on them is at least 6 months out. A professional esthetician can help you determine the best products are for your skin needs (and your lifestyle). They can also help with clogged pores and clearing up your skin. Once a month is best for a facial, but taking care of your skin at home with the proper products for your skin type between facials is going to make the most difference!

Avoid booking a facial the day or two before your wedding or your engagement photos, especially if you are traveling and aren’t familiar with the esthetician or product lines in case your skin reacts or because deep pore cleansing can lead to break-outs while your skin is purging impurities. A facial with an esthetician you know well and products you are accustomed to should be fine the week of your wedding or photos, your esthetician can always go easy on extractions to avoid any redness.

An added benefit to facials is that they are super relaxing, with tons of massage on the face, scalp, neck, and arms. Any bride-to-be can use that nurturing stress relief!

Massage:

Sometimes during the wedding planning it can be easy to lose touch with your fiance! Booking a couple’s massage can be a great way to reconnect and relax together.

To book time to prepare for your wedding, give us a call at (515) 309-2904 or hop online to schedule when it is most convenient for you!