Top Tips for Summer Waxing

Lisa Stone, Salon System Educator , waxing specialist and waxing educator shares her top tips with PBL Magazine for summer waxing.

Hair Length

When spring/summer arrives, we’ll notice our clients are coming out of hibernation and want to start showing off more skin, so they’ll book in for more waxing. Often the hairs haven’t been treated for many months, so if that’s the case, ensure you are trimming down any long hair to around ¼ inch as long unruly hair can cause problems when waxing from extra skin trauma and bruising to unnecessary pain. One of the big issues in the summer is letting the underarm hair grow to a length that’s suitable for waxing, so many will just shave! But there’s no need to worry about that now - by changing your wax and techniques, you can remove shorter hairs and reduce the amount of time you should leave your hair growth keeping your clients happy and more regular visits to your salon.

Aftercare

We love the sunshine and us Brits will grab any chance to soak it up, but UV and waxing do not mix. So, ensure you’re telling your clients to avoid any exposure to direct sunlight after waxing services for 24hrs, wear loose clothing to cover waxed areas and a hat to shade any facial waxing. Also, do let your customers know that it’s also best to avoid exposing areas of skin that are due to be waxed to the sun as sun burnt skin cannot be waxed. Ensure you’re giving your clients the correct after care advice – encourage them to try and stay cool, avoid anything that will make them hot and sweaty after the waxing service, to wear light loose clothing - nothing that is tight and restricting, and avoid all vigorous exercise.

Summer screams fake tan! But avoid waxing after it’s been applied, waxing will remove the top layer of dead skin cells where the fake tan sits, so you will end up patchy. Also, advise your clients that it’s best they don’t apply fake tan for 24hrs after waxing.

Recommend for your clients to exfoliate! To help with dry skin and ingrown hairs, encourage your clients to exfoliate a few days prior to the waxing services. They should also exfoliate after the waxing (leave a few days to let the waxing and skin settle) – this is a great opportunity to create an at-home care retail package for your clients for added sales opportunities.

Hot Temperatures

In the summer, your salon space may get warm which may cause some waxes to change in consistency and become harder to use. So, ensure you’re choosing a high-quality wax that has a fast-drying time to allow you to work quickly. Clients skin may perspire and may become clammy on hot summer days, so always clean the area well with a good cooling pre-wax lotion and try to keep your room cool too.