Is it really going to hurt? Will it be embarrassing? What should I wear? If you’re going for your first ever wax we fully understand if questions like these are running through your mind, but let us clue you up, so you can feel confident and prepared for your treatment.
I don’t know if I can handle the pain of waxing
Intimate waxing, leg waxing and underarm waxing isn’t pain-free but it is bearable and quick – it lasts for only a few minutes and once it’s done you’ll be hair free for up to a month so it’s definitely worth the short-lived discomfort. If you’re concerned about it hurting, here are some tips on how to manage the pain of waxing.
1. Think about your monthly cycle before booking in for your appointment. Waxing in the run up to your period can often feel more painful than at other times because hormone changes can make the skin feel more sensitive than usual.
2. Exfoliate your skin a day before your treatment to remove the dead skin cells on the surface and reveal any trapped hairs. Smoother skin will also encourage the wax to glide on better and wrap around individual strands of hair so they can be successfully removed on the first try.
3. Hold your skin taut during your waxing session to reduce the pain, especially around intimate areas like the bikini line. This will also help your therapist to work faster, again curbing any discomfort and getting the treatment over as quickly as possible.
4. Keep chatting to your therapist to distract yourself from feeling uncomfortable.
5. Sometimes a cold compress placed over any painful areas can help to soothe inflammation and immediate soreness.
6. Ask for lots of after-care balm to be applied to your skin to alleviate discomfort. This is formulated to instantly soothe and soften the skin, post-waxing oils and balms act like healing salves on irritated skin that also reduce infection.
The mild discomfort of waxing is definitely worth it in the end though isn’t it? You get silky smooth hair-free skin for up to a month in return for a treatment that lasts less than an hour. Sounds like the perfect trade off!
What should I wear and where will I get changed?
Wear anything you like to your treatment. However, you might like to bring along a spare pair of knickers in case any wax gets on the one’s you’re wearing (you can keep underwear on for a basic or high bikini line wax but you will have to take them off or move them to one side for a Brazilian or Hollywood). Here’s more on what to wear to a wax. You’ll be given plenty of time to remove your clothing in private and get onto the treatment bed — a towel will be available to cover up any areas you don’t want to reveal.
I’m embarrassed about revealing my body
The embarrassment thing? No therapist will care about how hairy you are. They’ve seen everything from the coarsest leg hair to overgrown bikini lines and shaggy underarms – it’s their job to help you feel comfortable! And after all, if you weren’t hairy they’d be out of a job. As a beauty therapist we have seen every shape and size body and feel comfortable with all different sorts of clients so there is nothing to feel conscience about.
What happens during the treatment?
Your therapist will apply a touch of pre wax oil to your skin if it’s quite dry to help the wax work effectively. Then a thin layer of wax will be applied and a strip smoothed over it to catch your hairs. Your skin will be held taut before the strip is removed to reduce pain and encourage a smoother result.
Therapists will chat to you as they work to help take your mind off the treatment and it’ll all be over before you know it. A soothing post wax oil or moisturiser will be applied to your legs, underarms or bikini area after your session, which will eliminate any sticky bits so you can put your regular clothes back on as normal.
Don’t be put off the therapist is there to help you with any worries or questions so make sure you ask.
Book in now for waxing with any of our great therapists: http://www.beautylicious-bourton.com/
Written by Emily Rose