Waxing is a twice in a month ritual you are used to. Though touted as the most long-lasting method of temporary hair removal, there are things you need to know about the procedure to avoid possible infection and other side effects. Here are a few things you need to look for before opting for waxing at a particular salon:
1. Is the salon clean enough?
If your salon doesn’t believe in using all disposable items, make sure they are sanitized (washed and soaked in a strong solution). If you notice them returning the implements into drawers as soon your waxing is done instead of keeping them in a separate area for sanitizing, you know the place is unhygienic.
Check if the waxing table is clean and sanitized, the sheets on them clean. The gown which they handover to you should also be clean and fresh. It should not smell of wax, talcum powder and should be dry.
2.Is the salon staff following hygienic habits?
Check if people on the staff are wearing clean clothes. They should wash their hands and use a sanitizer before they begin with the waxing.
3.Are they using disposable wax strips?
In our country, most salons in small towns and some of the metros too still continue to use cloth for waxing. These cloth strips are collected over the period of a day and washed en-masse, which exposes you to infection when they are used on you next. So, ask for disposable wax strips.
4. Is the waxing procedure being followed sanitary?
One of the most common practices followed in most Indian parlours/salons is reusing the wax for different customers. A few tell-tale signs could be throwing away the wax into a different can than the regular trash bin, presence of a pot of wax when you enter the room or the pot has wax all over it. Ideally, you should insist for fresh wax to be used. Make sure they pour it out into the pot in your presence.
The other common practice is to ‘re-dip’ the applicator in the wax-pot.
Waxing plucks the hair out from the follicle and removes dead cells accumulated on the dermis (top most layer of the skin). The pores of the skin are open. This coupled with the fact that waxing can sometimes cause bleeding can make you susceptible to infections. Ideally a fresh stick or applicator should be used for each swipe to the skin and never returned to the pot.
A few precautions to be taken before and after waxing:
- Do not shower in the two hours prior to a waxing service for risk of infection as the pores usually get opened.
- In winter, ‘warm up’ before waxing and in summer ‘cool down’ and remove all perspiration.
- If you have had any dermabrasion treatment you should ideally not wax till the skin settles down.
- Do not wax over an area that has had a Botox injection for at least 72 hours.
- Do not wax if you have protruding varicose veins, diabetes, phlebitis, or any skin irritation
- If you’re pregnant, on oral contraceptives, on hormone replacement therapy or on antibiotics, your skin may turn very sensitive. Do a patch test before going in for waxing.
- Do not expose newly waxed skin to direct sun for at least 24 hours before or after waxing.
- Ideally soaps, perfumes, or makeup should not be applied to the waxed area for at least 12 hours after a waxing service.
- Usually, the staff at the salons use astringent on the waxed areas. This is done in order to close the pores which are opened during the procedure.
Waxing is a pretty safe way to get rid of unwanted body hair if done right. So, do take care of all the above points before you go for your next waxing appointment.
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