Gentlemen, we embrace you! There’s no reason for you to feel left out here, there are many, many BookWell salons that offer men’s waxing services. From eyebrow tidying to chest waxing, back waxing and neatening up more intimate areas, we’ve got a salon to suit you, sir.
Essentially, men’s hair removal is no different to female hair removal. We all have hair in places that we don’t want hair, and it’s removed in just the same way. Perhaps the only difference is facial hair removal. Every day shaving or grooming has its place, for keeping that five o’clock shadow at bay or getting rid of stray hairs that ruin your beard line.
But for anywhere else, shaving at home has its downfalls. A freshly shaven chest looks great. For a day, two at most. Then you’ll have short, blunt, stubbly hairs growing back that are far from smooth. Laser hair removal (IPL hair removal is one of the most common) is an option, that requires six or so sessions and can be fairly painful, and possibly outside of your grooming budget.
Waxing is probably the most cost effective hair removal technique that removes hair at the root. It has results that will last two to three weeks and regrowth will be softer and finer than shaved hair regrowth. But how does it feel? Does it hurt? If you’re a waxing pro, then you’ll be used to it but we’ve got some helpful hints coming up that you might now know about.
When you turn up for your waxing appointment, expect to remove some clothing, obviously dependent on what area you’re having treated. (Unless its an eyebrow tidy, don’t remove anything but your coat for this…)
Your skilled therapist will either use pre-prepared wax strips or hot wax. Hot wax is the most common, and it’s wax that has been heated to make it runnier. It’s actually not hot, it should be comfortably warm when it touches the skin.
Your therapist will use single use plastic or wooden applicators to dip into the wax pot and apply the wax to the skin in small areas at a time. They’ll then apply a clean muslin cloth to the wax, press down hard then immediately rip it off in the opposite direction to hair growth. They’ll then carry on doing the same until the whole area has been treated.
They’ll never use the same applicator twice, that is, there’s no double dipping and will use a clean one each time. As the cloth is ripped away, it’ll take all of the hairs with it, from the roots. Any left behind will be expertly tweezed away.
Does it hurt? Well, there’s no pain without gain and all that but it shouldn’t hurt for any more than a few minutes afterwards. Your therapist will then apply a cooling balm to the whole area. Expect to be red for a few hours but by the next day you’ll have smooth, hair free skin.
To prevent ingrown hairs, it’s a good idea to exfoliate every few days in-between waxing appointments but certainly the day before. For the 48 hours after a waxing appointment, don’t exfoliate or expose the area to direct sunlight (sunbathing or on a sunbed). The skin will be too sensitive for anything this harsh. If you do get any ingrown hairs, try not to fiddle with them and leave them for the professionals to deal with at your next waxing appointment.
Chest and back waxing is probably the most common but shoulders, stomach, nose, ears, buttocks and ‘bikini’ line (Brazilians and Hollywoods still apply) waxing is also common amongst guys.
If you’re a seasoned pro or a novice, book up with one of our salons today and be smooth and hair free by the weekend!