Since Megan Markle’s emergence from the Regal Rolls Royce wearing almost as little make up as her fresh faced and beautiful mother, Doria we have been asked and asked and asked again….”.How do I get my glow on”?
A question which has been repeatedly asked of us following the Grammy’s, the Oscars and the Golden Globes! Fresh faced and natural, barely there make up is everywhere and how to get the look is on everybody’s minds.
And it’s not a simple answer. But skincare and your skincare routine lies at the very core of what you want to achieve.
To start…. you should be asking yourself….”what mood is my skin in?”
Yes, you read that right! I did say “mood”.
Juliette Armand , our Skincare Brand of choice, believe our skin is constantly changing moods. We don’t really believe anybody has one definitive skin type that stays the same all year round. Its moody, just like me and you. But you can attempt to decipher its mood and also target its “problem areas” e.g. acne, dry patches, pigmentation areas, acne scarring, broken capillaries….the list goes on!
It would be madness to attempt to explain and treat every skin condition in one blog post so instead we are going to share our skincare routines with you all in an attempt to give you a helping hand.
The products you use and more importantly their active ingredients will and should vary depending on your skin’s mood and what you are aiming to achieve but the routine should be kept simple and repetitive.
First things first – Cleanse…..and then cleanse again!
Your skin is an organ…respect it…inside, outside and on top.
Cleansing is vital, even if you do not wear make up every day. This is one of the most common mistakes we hear from people….”Well I don’t wear make up every day so I don’t wash my face with product every day!”
A good cleansing routine removes all the grime, dirt, micro organisms your skin comes into contact with on a daily basis. This gives your natural glow a real chance.
I like to cleanse twice, particular if you wear make-up. The first cleanse removes your make – up, the second cleanse gets into the nitty gritty and really cleanses the skin properly.
A foaming cleanser is good for oily or blemish prone skin.
A non foaming or gel cleanser is good for sensitive skin.
Cleansing milks are more suitable for dry/flaky skin
If you suffer acne I would aim to use a cleanser with active ingredients like the Juliette Armand Clarifying Cleansing Wash which contains canadian willow herb to combat acne causing bacteria.
Micellar waters are good when no water is available but I would not recommend a micellar water every day as your main cleanser, maybe stick to using it as a second cleanse after make up has been removed with a cleanser and water.
If you use face wipes………..THROW THEM IN THE BIN NOW!!! And then go to confessions!
Face wipes can lead to skin sensitivity and they never ever clean your skin properly. They can be useful as a quick, on-the-go solution if you are at the gym etc…but they should NEVER have a place in your daily skincare routine!
Exfoliation is a very important step in your skincare routine. Exfoliation (or Peeling) of dead skin cells is the key to your subsequent serums and creams performing better. Their active ingredients can penetrate deeper and perform better when the dead skin cells have been removed first. Even the most expensive creams with the best active ingredients, when used on skin that hasn’t been exfoliated, will only lend themselves to making “dead skin feel nice”. Your “glow” requires exfoliation. Exfoliation/peels should be kept to once or twice a week depending on the strength and type of active ingredient you are using and an exfoliator should always be chosen based on your personal skin type and skin condition…..one type is most definitely NOT for all!!!
A serum should be the next thing you reach for.
Serums are lightweight and will penetrate the dermal layers easily and absorb super quick as most are water based so they are generally applied before your heavier creams.
A mask is an optional extra that you can add in every now and again but is not essential on a daily basis.
Moisturiser is your next step and moisturising helps the upper layers of the skin maintain elasticity and flexibility. It can improve the quality of your skin and some moisturisers also contain your SPF which you should be wearing daily regardless of whether the sun is shining!.
Moisturisers and serums should be chosen again based on their active ingredients and what these ingredients will do to help your skin mood or skin conditions.
When choosing a serum or a cream you should pick one that contains active ingredients which will help combat your specific problem areas or improve on your skin type.
The following skin conditions are the most common and usually benefit from the ingredients we have listed below.
Anti – Ageing – you should be using a product containing antioxidants e.g. Vitamin C and Vitamin A e.g. Juliette Armand Retin C Serum.
Dry Skin – you should be using products containing hydrating ingredients e.g. hyaluronic acid, vitamin E…. e.g Juliette Armand’s Hyaluronic Acid Serum.
Oily or Acne prone – you should be using products with ingredients such as Canadian willow herb, retinol (or Vitamin A} but this should always be introduced to your skincare routine gradually as it has the potential to cause a reaction on introduction.
You only need to use a very small amount of each product and in doing so your products should last you quite a while so you wont mind investing in them if you are using the correct amounts…. We have given you an example of how much of each should be used below;
Getting a regular skincare routine in place is the very first step you should be undertaking to get your glow on. No matter what routine you begin, you can expect any new skin ingredients to take a month of use before results are evident.
Leave your skincare beside your bed so you will remember to do it before you sleep and when you wake up and always remember to thoroughly cleanse your night time skincare away before applying your daytime product of choice.
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For daily snippets of advice, tips and tricks and information on our treatments and retail products and if you purchase any Juliette Armand products from us we would LOVE to see your before and after pictures so get tagging us!!
Download our Salon App called “The Front Room Ballinasloe” from your app store to manage your own bookings or call us on 09096 46893 to make an appointment.
It would seem you have gotten people thinking about de-fuzzing!
We have been inundated here at the salon with phone calls, walk-ins, e-mails and texts all of which are waxing related inquiries. It seems y’all were happy enough to keep that extra layer to see you through the cold spell…..and now your thinking of shedding it for Spring! People have many many questions. So, we thought we would compile them all and get answering for you guys!
Everybody has a preferred method of hair removal. and removing unwanted hair has become as common as taking out the bins! Some like to shave, some prefer hair removal creams, epilators are still hanging around some bathrooms and bedroom drawers and then you have laser treatments.
So, why wax?
Personally, I find shaving a pain in the you know where. I only have it done a day and its starting to rear its itchy, stubbly, uncomfortable head again. I reckon hair removal creams are too harsh for my skin (I’m a bit of a skin nut!!! You only get one skin so for God’s sake mind it!) and I can actually smell the hair burning away (yes people…..hair removal creams burn the hair off!!!) or they break down the protein in the hair which allows the hair to come away from the skin when washing off the cream. No thanks! There is also laser and it has worked wonders for some but more often than not I get a client returning after laser that has not worked. The hair may go for a short period but returns again to the client’s dismay. Its a bit of a personal journey with laser I think.
So then there is waxing. My favourite!
Do I like pain?
NO!
Is waxing that painful?
Absolutely not!
Now its not pain free. But I would say, here at The Front Room, its only slightly uncomfortable as opposed to painful and that’s because of our secret weapon……WAXPERTS!
We get a hundred questions a week about our product, our technique and our treatments. So here it is….waxperts unravelled…..
What is Waxperts?
Here at The Front Room we use a premium brand waxing product called Waxperts.
Waxperts is a relatively pain free wax designed by therapists for therapists.
With lots of Irish therapists and salon owners in need of a better wax range for their salon and clients, Ellen Kavanagh and Trish O’Brien launched Waxperts Wax to trained professionals in Ireland in 2012. In addition to the Waxperts Wax range, Trish devised a unique waxing technique to make waxing easy for therapists, and as comfortable and pain free as possible for clients. I had the luck of the draw on my training day and managed to have one to one training with Trish herself and what this lady doesn’t know about waxing is not worth knowing!!!
She filled my confidence cup right up and sent me off on the train home to Ballinasloe ready to rid the west of Ireland of unwanted bodily hairs!
If it wasn’t for Waxperts I probably wouldn’t have opened my own salon!
Is it strip wax or hot wax and what is the difference?
In short, we have both! We use ONLY the hot peelable wax on sensitive areas such as the bikini and also on the underarm and the face. We use strip wax on larger areas such as legs, back, arms etc.
Strip wax is when you apply wax onto the area and place a paper strip over it and pull it off removing the hair.
Hot wax on the other hand is where we apply a thin layer of oil to the sensitive skin, creating a barrier between the skin and the wax. We then apply the hot wax to the area, embedding the hair and allow it to set. We then peel away the wax (without using a paper strip) removing the hair without affecting the skin in the area.
What is specialised waxing?
A specialised wax is an extended bikini which goes beyond the underwear line. A standard bikini removes hair from everywhere outside a “regular knickers”. Anything beyond that and you are heading to “specialised” territory.
If your therapist does not have a qualification in specialised waxing do not agree to go anywhere beyond the knickers line………for the sake of your ‘va jay jay’….come on gals…that poor crayther already has to put up with enough…if you’re gona put it through a wax at least leave it in the hands of somebody who knows what they are doing!
And absolutely under no circumstance let anybody even next to near your bikini area with a strip. It is altogether too harsh. The idea behind the pre wax oils, the hot, peelable wax is to save the sensitive areas of the body that sort of trauma.
Do I have to take off my underwear?
It is quicker, easier, neater and a lot less messy if you do!
If you reeeeeeeeeeally don’t want to we can manage a Californian with the underwear on and just pulled to one side but from an in-betweeny to a Brazilian and right up to a Hollywood we need the underwear off.
Seriously guys…don’t even bat an eyelid at this. WE don’t! We do bikini waxes every day of the week. We have seen it all….and more. We could probably sit the gynaecology exams at this stage but we just love waxing so much we don’t have the time! We are literally surrounded by vaginas! I can assure you from the bottom of my own one…..I don’t even see body parts any more while I am waxing. I see hair and shapes and places that it needs to come off and places where it needs to remain.I am a bit of a neat freak so I spend so much time concentrating on all this that I don’t even notice that you have no underwear on. We are completely and utterly oblivious to it so don’t sweat the small stuff!
I have issues with my body and don’t want you to judge me and this has stopped me getting a wax up to now…
Well then we are the place for you.
I have had 3 boys in a very small period of time. I have lumps, bumps, squishy bits, a very noticeable “tummy house” (as my kids like to call it) and have earned myself a whole lot of ‘tiger stripes’ in the process. I have my very own vagina, underarm, leg, thigh, boobs, abdomen….(whatever it is you would like hair removed from!) and I am still coming to terms with them all! so I promise I wont get a shock just because I will be seeing yours! We are all the same.
What are the different types of bikini wax?
Why Do I have red bumps on my bikini/underarm after I wax?
You have ingrown hairs! When you take the hair from the root with a wax (As opposed to cutting it off mid way when you shave) it takes the hair longer to grow back out. It gives dead skin cells a chance to accumulate and block the follicle and the hair has nowhere to go when it reaches the top and cannot get out. instead, it starts to grow inward or in a circular motion which leads to a raised red, itchy or irritating bump.
How can I treat ingrown hairs?
Prevention is better than cure!
We sell Waxperts Ingrown Hair pads and Waxperts Body Oil here at the salon. The pads are €10 for a pack of 40 that should keep you going a month. They are pre soaked in salicylic acid which breaks down and remove dead skin cells from around the pore. They can be used 24 hours after your wax and should be used once a day every day to be effective in the prevention of ingrown hairs. They can also be used on facial breakouts etc. Both myself and Breda use them to combat acne and keratosis pilarus (the little raised bumps on the upper arm area) and they work a treat!
Waxperts oil is a luxurious body oil with lavender extract for calming and soothing and is superb for keeping the skin soft, supple and well nourished and in the best possible condition between waxes. It retails at €13 and I even use mine to remove any excess tan after showering on Tanning Thursday! (lather yourself in the oil and use an old damp towel in circular motions to remove any of the old grubby awkward bits of tan that just don’t wanna leave!)
I have little white uncomfortable spots after a wax? Why do I have these and what are they?
You most likely have Folliculitis. Calm down! You won’t die! But it is a little icky…
Folliculitis is an inflammation and infection of the hair follicles and can occur after waxing for a few reasons. It occurs due to the invasion of bacteria that enter the follicles and cause a bacterial infection. The body tries to attack the bacterial infection by sending white blood cells (infection fighting cells) to the infected follicles. This can result in the formation of pus-filled spots and in some cases can lead to a boil.
There are some common causes of folliculitis;
The wrong after care products being used post wax
Bacteria in the wax heater (from double dipping!)
Clients not following the correct after care given to them by therapists
The production of perspiration and secretion of natural oils
The application of face and body products (like make-up, tan etc) too soon post wax
with facial waxing the most common cause of folliculitis is the clients touching their smooth freshly waxed skin with dirty fingers/hands.
We recommend treating folliculitis with Waxpers Ingrown Hair Pads and using them twice daily. Salicylic acid will exfoliate the area and lift any dead skin cells clogging the entrance to the follicle while rosemary will soothe the skin and penetrate into the follicle and the panthenol will condition the skin throughout the folliculitis treatment.
You could also include a slight exfoliation of the waxed area with every shower using exfoliating gloves (similar to the ones below) which can be bought for about €1.50 in most discount stores or in Tesco…… Just be gentle…you don’t want to break any hairs and make your waxing more difficult next time!
You have a “No Double Dipping Policy”. What does this mean?
We are strict on hygiene when it comes to a wax.
Our pots are kept immaculate!
Double dipping is when a therapist uses the same spatula throughout a waxing procedure and continues to dip the spatula back into the wax pot after it has made a connection with the clients skin.
We DO NOT do this.
Here at The Front Room, as soon as a spatula has touched a body, it is IMMEDIATELY binned!
Imagine using one spatula for an underarm wax where you are constantly re-dipping your spatula, which is now covered in sweat, back into your pot over and over throughout the treatment. Your next client wants a lip wax and the wax now has traces of the previous clients sweat and your placing it on the new clients lips! EWWWWWWW!
If you were to double dip, your pot of wax would contain traces of blood, pubic hair, and bodily secretions which you would be spreading onto other clients. Your wax pot would be a breeding ground for bacteria which is unfair to your clients and to your profession.
Disposable spatulas are used here by the motherload! We wear disposable latex gloves which are also binned after every treatment.
It is only fair that our clients receive a hygienic, high standard waxing treatment!
What can I do to make my wax more comfortable?
Some people like to take two paracetamol an hour before they arrive. It is not necessary but each to their own!
We advise that you avoid caffeine the morning of your wax as caffeine sensitises the nerve endings and may leave you a little more fragile for your waxing treatment.
Do not wax in the 3 days directly before you are due a period. These three days you are more sensitive to everything!
Avoid tight, restrictive clothing, excessive sweating, hot showers or baths, swimming, applying products, heat treatments, sun beds, sun exposure etc directly after the treatment.
Exfoliate the area gently 2 – 3 times a week after your wax and use a moisturising product daily to keep skin smooth.
return every four to six weeks to keep getting the most comfortable and pain free waxing experience.
I get a “prickly heat” kind of reaction after waxing. Is this normal?
Totally normal. Erythema is the redness of the skin and sometimes looks like a raised heat rash or nettle sting. It is typically the result of inflammation on or below the skin, resulting in dilated and congested capillaries. It can last from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. If it is prolonged it can be a sign of an allergic reaction. You can apply a cold compress and take anti histamine medication and you need to be patch tested before you get another wax to see if you are suitable for waxperts waxing but it is very common and usually disappears very quickly and is actually a good sign that your skin is functioning as it should!
Is there any reason I cannot get a waxing treatment?
You cannot undergo a wax if you have any of the following;
skin disorders/diseases
UTI
Allergy to Lavender
If you are on skin thinning medications
We will need a medical referral if you are suffering medicine-controlled diabetes.
Is it safe to wax when pregnant?
Absolutely. Just let us know and we will make things as comfortable as possible for you. it is safe enough to wax as long as you do not have any existing problems like a UTI or you have lost your mucus plug or your waters have gone etc. (Yes! We do get some requests and unfortunately we are not equipped to deliver babies so if you are on the way to the hospital we suggest you stay going!!!) Other than that we would love to see you and your bump!
We hope we have covered a lot of your questions but should you have anything else you need to know or if you would like an appointment with us just give us a shout at the salon on 090-96 46893 and we will be happy to help get you sorted!
Other than that you can follow us on snapchat…. where we try to give out a few helpful tips and tricks daily and we can also answer any questions you have about any aspect of beauty so don’t be afraid to ask…..myself and breda are only a snap away!….
But be warned….I am also a mom… so you will most definitely get a glimpse of some “momlife” there too!!!
We hope to see you all for a wax soon….Don’t forget…Valentine’s in just around the corner and appointments are filling up fast!!!!!
All our waxing treatments and packages can be booked online here.
The sun came out…albeit briefly. But it would seem it has gotten people thinking about de-fuzzing! We have been inundated here at the salon with phone calls, walk-ins, e-mails and texts all of which are waxing related enquiries. People have many many questions. So, we thought we would compile them all and get answering for you guys!
Everybody has a preferred method of hair removal. and removing unwanted hair has become as common as taking out the bins! Some like to shave, some prefer hair removal creams, epilators are still hanging around some bathrooms and bedroom drawers and then you have laser treatments.
So, why wax?
Personally, I find shaving a pain in the you know where. I only have it done a day and its starting to rear its itchy, stubbly, uncomfortable head again. I reckon hair removal creams are too harsh for my skin (I’m a bit of a skin nut!!! You only get one skin so for God’s sake mind it!) and I can actually smell the hair burning away (yes people…..hair removal creams burn the hair off!!!) or they break down the protein in the hair which allows the hair to come away from the skin when washing off the cream. No thanks! There is also laser and it has worked wonders for some but more often than not I get a client returning after laser that has not worked. The hair may go for a short period but returns again to the client’s dismay. Its a bit of a personal journey with laser I think.
So then there is waxing. My favourite!
Do I like pain?
NO!
Is waxing that painful?
Absolutely not!
Now its not pain free. But I would say, here at The Front Room, its only slightly uncomfortable as opposed to painful and that’s because of our secret weapon……WAXPERTS!
We get a hundred questions a week about our product, our technique and our treatments. So here it is….waxperts unravelled…..
What is Waxperts?
Here at The Front Room we use a premium brand waxing product called Waxperts.
Waxperts is a relatively pain free wax designed by therapists for therapists.
After using every brand on the market, unsatisfactorily,the original Waxperts, Ellen Kavanagh and Trish O’Brien were tired of hot wax being either too hot or too brittle, leaving clients extremely uncomfortable as well as red and swollen. It was then that Ellen decided to formulate a wax range for Waxperts to use in their own salon.
With lots of therapists and salon owners in need of a better wax range for their salon and clients, Ellen and Trish launched Waxperts Wax to trained professionals in Ireland in 2012. In addition to the Waxperts Wax range, Trish devised a unique waxing technique to make waxing easy for therapists, and as comfortable and pain free as possible for clients. I had the luck of the draw on my training day and managed to have one to one training with Trish herself and what this lady doesn’t know about waxing is not worth knowing!!!
She filled my confidence cup right up and sent me off on the train home to Ballinasloe ready to rid the west of Ireland of unwanted bodily hairs!
If it wasn’t for Waxperts I probably wouldn’t have opened my own salon!
Is it strip wax or hot wax and what is the difference?
In short, we have both! We use ONLY the hot peelable wax on sensitive areas such as the bikini and also on the underarm and the face. We use strip wax on larger areas such as legs, back, arms etc.
Strip wax is when you apply wax onto the area and place a paper or muslin strip over it and pull it off removing the hair.
Hot wax on the other hand is where we apply a thin layer of oil to the sensitive skin, creating a barrier between the skin and the wax. We then apply the hot wax to the area, embedding the hair and allow it to set. We then peel away the wax (without using a paper strip) removing the hair without affecting the skin in the area. we then immediately apply a coolant to the area to assure minimal redness and no swelling or irritation occurs.
What is specialised waxing?
A specialised wax is an extended bikini which goes beyond the underwear line. A standard bikini removes hair from everywhere outside a “Brigit Jones knickers”. Anything beyond that and you are heading to “specialised” territory.
If your therapist does not have a qualification in specialised waxing do not agree to go anywhere beyond the knickers line………for the sake of your ‘va jay jay’….come on gals…that poor crayther already has to put up with enough…if you’re gona put it through a wax at least leave it in the hands of somebody who knows what they are doing!
And absolutely under no circumstance let anybody even next to near your bikini area with a strip. It is altogether too harsh. The idea behind the pre wax oils, the hot, peelable wax and the coolant is to save the sensitive areas of the body that sort of trauma.
Do I have to take off my underwear?
It is quicker, easier, neater and a lot less messy if you do!
If you reeeeeeeeeeally don’t want to we can manage a Californian with the underwear on and just pulled to one side but from an in-betweeny to a Brazilian and right up to a Hollywood we need the underwear off.
Seriously guys…don’t even bat an eyelid at this. WE don’t! We do bikini waxes every day of the week. We have seen it all….and more. We could probably sit the gynaecology exams at this stage but we just love waxing so much we don’t have the time! We are literally surrounded by vaginas! I can assurre you from the bottom of my own one…..I don’t even see body parts any more while I am waxing. I see hair and shapes and places that it needs to come off and places where it needs to remain.I am a bit of a neat freak so I spend so much time concentrating on all this that I don’t even notice that you have no underwear on. We are completely and utterly oblivious to it so don’t sweat the small stuff!
I have issues with my body and don’t want you to judge me and this has stopped me getting a wax up to now…
Well then we are the place for you.
I have had 3 boys in a very small period of time. I have lumps, bumps, squishy bits, a very noticeable “tummy house” (as my kids like to call it) and have earned myself a whole lot of ‘tiger stripes’ in the process. I have my very own vagina, underarm, leg, thigh, boobs, abdomen….(whatever it is you would like hair removed from!) and I am still coming to terms with them all! so I promise I wont get a shock just because I will be seeing yours! We are all the same.
What are the different types of bikini wax?
Basic Bikini;
Anything outside of a ‘Brigit Jones’ knickers is removed.
Californian (Extended bikini);
Removes bikini hair from the inner thigh all the way up and comes in further than the underwear. also removes a small strip of hair from the top of the bikini line to neaten the bikini wax up and leave a small, neat triangle.
In-Betweeny;
This is somewhere between a Californian and a Brazilian. It comes in tight and leaves a small bit more than a Brazilian and a little less than a Californian. It comes in tight to leave a 3″ finger width of hair on the upper bikini area and a finger width on each lip. It removes everything from the “bum” area (optional) and is perfect for a “G-string” wearer.
In-Betweeny Wax
Brazilian;
Removes all bikini hair including the hair from the labia and the bum. Leaves a ‘landing strip’ above the’ mons pubis’ about a finger width on each lip.
Hollywood;
Removes ALL bikini hair including the hair from the labia and the bum. Does not leave a blade of hair. Perfect for any underwear. We’re not lying lads…..bald as a coot here now!
Why Do I have red bumps on my bikini/underarm after I wax?
You have ingrown hairs! When you take the hair from the root with a wax (As opposed to cutting it off mid way when you shave) it takes the hair longer to grow back out. It gives dead skin cells a chance to accumulate and block the follicle and the hair has nowhere to go when it reaches the top and cannot get out. instead, it starts to grow inward or in a circular motion which leads to a raised red, itchy or irritating bump.
How can I treat ingrown hairs?
Prevention is better than cure!
We sell Waxperts Ingrown Hair pads and Waxperts Body Oil here at the salon. The pads are €10 for a pack of 40 that should keep you going a month. They are pre soaked in salicylic acid which breaks down and remove dead skin cells from around the pore. They can be used 24 hours after your wax and should be used once a day every day to be effective in the prevention of ingrown hairs. They can also be used on facial breakouts etc. Both myself and Breda use them to combat acne and keratosis pilarus (the little raised bumps on the upper arm area) and they work a treat!
Waxperts oil is a luxurious body oil with lavender extract for calming and soothing and is superb for keeping the skin soft, supple and well nourished and in the best possible condition between waxes. It retails at €13 and I even use mine to remove any excess tan after showering on Tanning Thursday! (lather yourself in the oil and use an old damp towel in circular motions to remove any of the old grubby awkward bits of tan that just don’t wanna leave!)
I have little white uncomfortable spots after a wax? Why do I have these and what are they?
You most likely have Folliculitis. Calm down! You won’t die! But it is a little icky…
Folliculitis is an inflammation and infection of the hair follicles and can occur after waxing for a few reasons. It occurs due to the invasion of bacteria that enter the follicles and cause a bacterial infection. The body tries to attack the bacterial infection by sending white blood cells (infection fighting cells) to the infected follicles. This can result in the formation of pus-filled spots and in some cases can lead to a boil.
There are some common causes of folliculitis;
The wrong after care products being used post wax
Bacteria in the wax heater (from double dipping!)
Clients not following the correct after care given to them by therapists
The production of perspiration and secretion of natural oils
The application of face and body products (like make-up, tan etc) too soon post wax
with facial waxing the most common cause of folliculitis is the clients touching their smooth freshly waxed skin with dirty fingers/hands.
We recommend treating folliculitis with Waxpers Ingrown Hair Pads and using them twice daily. Salicylic acid will exfoliate the area and lift any dead skin cells clogging the entrance to the follicle while rosemary will soothe the skin and penetrate into the follicle and the panthenol will condition the skin throughout the folliculitis treatment.
You have a “No Double Dipping Policy”. What does this mean?
We are strict on hygiene when it comes to a wax. Double dipping is when a therapist uses the same spatula throughout a waxing procedure and continues to dip the spatula back into the wax pot after it has made a connection with the clients skin.
We DO NOT do this.
Here at The Front Room, as soon as a spatula has touched a body, it is IMMEDIATELY binned!
Imagine using one spatula for an underarm wax where you are constantly re-dipping your spatula, which is now covered in sweat, back into your pot over and over throughout the treatment. Your next client wants a lip wax and the wax now has traces of the previous clients sweat and your placing it on the new clients lips! EWWWWWWW!
If you were to double dip, your pot of wax would contain traces of blood, pubic hair, and bodily secretions which you would be spreading onto other clients. Your wax pot would be a breeding ground for bacteria which is unfair to your clients and to your profession.
Disposable spatulas are used here by the motherload! We wear disposable latex gloves which are also binned after every treatment.
It is only fair that our clients receive a hygienic, high standard waxing treatment!
What can I do to make my wax more comfortable?
Some people like to take two paracetamol an hour before they arrive. It is not necessary but each to their own!
We advise that you avoid caffeine the morning of your wax as caffeine sensitises the nerve endings and may leave you a little more fragile for your waxing treatment.
Do not wax in the 3 days directly before you are due a period. These three days you are more sensitive to everything!
Avoid tight, restrictive clothing, excessive sweating, hot showers or baths, swimming, applying products, heat treatments, sun beds, sun exposure etc directly after the treatment.
Exfoliate the area gently 2 – 3 times a week after your wax and use a moisturising product daily to keep skin smooth.
return every four to six weeks to keep getting the most comfortable and pain free waxing experience.
I get a “prickly heat” kind of reaction after waxing. Is this normal?
Totally normal. Erythema is the redness of the skin and sometimes looks like a raised heat rash or nettle sting. It is typically the result of inflammation on or below the skin, resulting in dilated and congested capillaries. It can last from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. If it is prolonged it can be a sign of an allergic reaction. You can apply a cold compress and take anti histamine medication and you need to be patch tested before you get another wax to see if you are suitable for waxperts waxing but it is very common and usually disappears very quickly and is actually a good sign that your skin is functioning as it should!
Is there any reason I cannot get a waxing treatment?
You cannot undergo a wax if you have any of the following;
skin disorders/diseases
UTI
Allergy to Lavender
If you are on skin thinning medications
We will need a medical referral if you are suffering medicine-controlled diabetes.
Is it safe to wax when pregnant?
Absolutely. Just let us know and we will make things as comfortable as possible for you. it is safe enough to wax as long as you do not have any existing problems like a UTI or you have lost your mucus plug or your waters have gone etc. (Yes! We do get some requests and unfortunately we are not equipped to deliver babies so if you are on the way to the hospital we suggest you stay going!!!) Other than that we would love to see you and your bump!
We hope we have covered a lot of your questions but should you have anything else you need to know or if you would like an appointment with us just give us a shout at the salon on 090-96 46893 and we will be happy to help get you sorted!
Other than that you can follow us on snapchat…. where we try to give out a few helpful tips and tricks daily and we can also answer any questions you have about any aspect of beauty so don’t be afraid to ask…..myself and breda are only a snap away!….
Happy Sunday everybody….we hope to see you all for a wax soon x
I have been asked this question umpteen times in various situations and scenarios. (Some of which involved poor girls coming to me with inflamed eyes or horrendous looking lips after using products that were in the bottom of the never ending pit us women call ‘handbags’) and the simple answer is YES!!!! They absolutely do go off. I didn’t realise how few people actually know this.
Every beauty product you purchase has a little icon on the packaging somewhere which tells you how long it is good for after its opened. The Icon is usually a little open jar with a number of months beside it………
This indicates the beauty product can be used for 6 months/ 12 months etc once opened. And I would sincerely advise you stick to what it says on the tin. I have seen waaaaay too many disasters in my years as a beautician to even chance my arm using a product if I cant remember when I bought it, and I am uber careful now about what goes on my face. Seriously…..you only get one face, you only get one skin….DONT RISK IT.
So what exactly happens to a beauty product when it goes off?
To start with, the product will work less efficiently than usual. For example, if a foundation which contains an SPF has expired it may not protect you from the UV rays leaving your skin totally exposed to sun damage. Can I just mention here that this rule also applies to sunscreen. I once came upon a girl who used last year’s sunscreen on this years sun holiday and absolutely scalded herself as there was absolutely no SPF at all in the cream she lathered on her body before she spent hours in the scorching sun. She then aggravated the burns by using last year’s after sun lotion before she realised exactly what was going on. Some sun creams can last for up to 3 years but we get so little sun in the emerald isle we tend to reach for whatever is in the press as soon as the sun shines and god only knows how many years its been sitting there!
Products with active ingredients like salicylic acid for the prevention of acne or retinol to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles may not be as efficient as usual.
The texture/smell/colour/appearance/consistency of a product may change over time. This is a major indication that your product is off! If your foundation has changed colour it has become oxidised and needs to go. If a lipstick has become gritty or course or fails to apply right due to the consistency change….bin it! Lip glosses are a touchy subject with me. The gloss itself can be fine but with time the applicator can become very smelly. The soft brush/pad can gather bacteria from the mouth on application which can then breed in the tube. I always use a separate lip brush when applying gloss. The brush can then be cleaned separately after coming into contact with the mouth.
A product can sometimes even seem fine to look at but inside it may be harbouring bacteria that you cannot see. Have you ever continued to have little breakouts of spots no matter how hard you tried to combat them? This can be a good indication that a product you are using is past its use by date, is harbouring bacteria and you are spreading it onto your face. Or it could also be a sign that your sponges and brushes need a good scrub.
Another issue that often arises is where people store their make up and brushes. Who stores them in the bathroom???? (I know its the nearest place to the mirror) Who leaves them on the windowsill above the toilet? Guilty? I’m so sorry to be a kill joy but every time you flush your loo, particles of human faecal matter become airborne and nestle in your brushes or on your open eyeshadow palette or head straight for your beauty blender…….EEW! right? Move your brushes to the bedroom!
So back to your make up products. What can actually be happening inside your product container after the use by date is that all of the molecules that once made up your make up product are breaking down into something else that you can take a serious reaction to. You may experience swelling, inflammation, dermatitis, bumps, rash, prickly heat, blisters, bacterial conjunctivitis.
Here’s a little trick I use….. invest in a sharpie marker and every time you open a new product scribble the date on the packaging somewhere. you will always know when it goes off!
If you can’t find the use by date on your products then as a general rule you should replace mascara every 3 months, foundations every year, concealers every 12 to 16 months, powder products every 18 months, eyeshadows and eyeliners every 18 months, lipsticks every 18 moths, liquid liners every 6 months and you should wash your make up sponges after every use and throw them away after 1 month, give your brushes a clean with a brush cleaning solution after every use and wash with baby shampoo once a week and if anything seems dodgy…steer clear! For the sake of your faysheen!
The Front Room 