Summer is upon us and with it so is the need to get summer ready. Whether that means hitting the gym, shopping for your summer wardrobe or getting rid of unwanted hair we are all trying to feel good while wearing less.
Last week I got to team up with WAXON Waxbar owner and waxing expert Lexi Miles to find out about the business of waxing, how to get a less painful wax, and comb through some of the myths and questions I had about waxing. Here is what she had to say about her business and what WAXON offers their customers to ensure the best experience.
S - How long has it been since you started your business?
L - WAXON has been operating for four years now; our first location opened in 2012 in Toronto's Summerhill neighbourhood.
S - What inspired you to start a waxbar business and what did you hope to achieve by opening a waxbar?
L - As an avid waxer with a busy schedule I always found it hard to keep up with regular waxing without booking an appointment WEEKS in advance and having to pay a fortune just for a wax. I always found myself wishing I could find a high end, trendy environment with professional Waxologists and great prices that even accepts walk-ins. Enter WAXON Waxbar!
S - Where did you open your first waxbar? How many do you have now?
L - Summerhill is our flagship store that we opened in 2012 and we have since expanded WAXON to seven locations across Canada, including the GTA and Halifax. Our most recent expansions were to Burlington and Oakville.
S - What makes Waxon standout from other waxbars?
L - WAXON’s mission is ‘Providing our Clients with the BEST wax experience every time!’. We pride ourselves on our superior service, trendy vibe and competitive prices. WAXON hires only the best Waxologists in the industry – all trained the WAXON Way using our exclusive wax, WAXON GOLD.
S - What are some tips you can give to someone who has never waxed before?
L - The 40-Year-Old Virgin experience doesn’t have to be your reality! Go to an experienced Waxologist at a place that specializes in waxing and you will have a very different experience. Exfoliate and trim the hair (to the length of a grain of rice) beforehand to both prep and reduce discomfort during your wax.
We also have numbing creams (BareEase for women and Numb Nuts for men) available that are mainly used prior to below the belt services.
S - What can you do prior to a wax to help you have a less painful wax?
L - When it comes to waxing exfoliation is key! By removing dead skin cells that surround the hair follicle prior to waxing the hair will come out much easier and make for a less painful wax.
Keeping up with regular waxing every 4-6 weeks (no shaving in between!!) ensures the hair is at an optimum and even length which means there is less tugging on the hair follicle and less discomfort. The ideal hair length for a wax is a ¼ inch in length or the length of a grain of rice.
HOT TIP: Try our WAXON On The Rocks 2 in 1 Body Scrub. It’s the perfect exfoliator and doubles as an exfoliator and body wash so its super convenient and gentle enough to use everyday! ($31.00 & available online)
S - How often or how long should I wait between waxes?
L - Everyone is different and each area of the body grows hair at a different rate. A general guideline for most areas is 4-6 weeks, but when it comes to underarms, brows or other facial waxing most clients come back every two weeks. The optimum hair length for waxing is ¼ of an inch (think a grain of rice) so however many weeks that takes for the individual is the perfect amount of time.
S - What makes Waxon’s ‘Gold Wax’ different?
L - Gold wax was inspired by my travels to salons in Spain. The hard wax is specially formulated for below the belt services and the ingredients are designed to reduce redness and discomfort to make for a less painful wax experience with more flawless results.
Gold has two main ingredients that most other hard waxes lack - titanium dioxide (soothes skin during waxing and reduces redness afterwards) and mica (increases the wax's ability to grip hair resulting in more flawless results). This allows our Waxologists to achieve a faster wax service (15 min vs. 30 min anywhere else) with less discomfort. Not convinced? You need to try it for yourself to believe it!
S - What made you want to develop your own wax?
L - I wanted our clients to have the very BEST, most comfortable, flawless waxing experience, every time. Our highly skilled Waxologists and custom technique already set us apart from other wax bars, but if there was a wax that reduced redness, nourished the skin and removed even the finest hair with minimal discomfort wouldn’t that be amazing, right?! So I worked hard to develop WAXON GOLD with a team of experts and I believe that’s exactly what we’ve achieved but you’ll have to try it for yourself and feel the difference!
S - What can people do post-wax to reduce the amount of ingrown hairs?
L - The best way to prevent and eliminate ingrown hairs is to frequently wax - we recommend every 4-5 weeks. When the hairs are shorter and on the same growth cycle it reduces the pull during a wax service, allowing the hair to be removed more effectively which prevents ingrown hairs.
Also, exfoliate at least 2-3 times per week to remove dead skin cells – ingrown hairs are caused by hair not being able to break the surface and grow normally above the skin because of the layer of dead skin so the hair curls back under.
S - What is the difference (in terms of results or re-growth) between threading and waxing your brows?
L - The only difference between threading and waxing is the method of hair removal. The hair is still being removed from the root with both techniques so it does not affect the rate of hair growth.
Although our wax is designed to be gentle on the skin people with extra sensitive skin benefit greatly from threading!
S - Where do you see the future of Waxon going? Will you perhaps incorporate other spa services?
L - We choose to focus on one thing, waxing, and to do it flawlessly. Our passion and expert knowledge of waxing is what sets us apart from the rest, so this is something we don’t plan on changing.
WAXON Waxbar plans to continue to expand its existing concept nationally through both Corporate and Franchise development so stay tuned for locations popping up near you. We are also always on top of new beauty care regimes constantly developing new products under our WAXON Cocktail Body line of products. New product releases coming soon!
S - Truth or Myth: When you are stressed or have just finished your menstrual cycle you can be more sensitive when getting a wax?
L - Hormone levels and stress can have a big affect on how sensitive you are during a wax, so we do recommend, if you are sensitive to come outside of the week before and after your period. That being said everyone is different and if you are seeing an expert Waxologist using a premium wax you will immediately notice a difference in pain when compared to your average nail salon or spa.
A lot of clients ask us if they can get waxed during their period and the answer is yes! However we do recommend taking an Advil before your appointment, as it will be a little more painful at this time.
S - Truth or Myth: Everyone is different when it comes to what part of his or her body is the most sensitive to wax.
L - Truth! Everyone has a different pain threshold so what may be painful for one person could be a breeze for someone else. If you’re a first time waxer and are very nervous about the pain, we have numbing creams available that will help numb the area and cut the level of pain you experience. After your first WAXON wax, we’re convinced that you’ll see it’s not as bad as you thought and you may even ditch the numbing cream for good!
BAREASE NUMBING CREAM $12.00 available at all locations
S - Truth or Myth: The more you wax the fewer ingrown hairs you will have.
L - Truth! The more you wax the more likely all of the hair will be on the same growth cycle, ideally every 4 to 6 weeks, this means that during a wax all of the hair is being removed with ease and there is less trauma to the skin and hair follicle which causes ingrown hairs.
As you continue to wax overtime hair becomes finer and finer, helping to combat ingrown hairs because coarse hair is more likely to become ingrown.
The great news is that over time you will stunt the hair growth and some hairs may never return! Yay!
HOT TIP: Prince Reigns Ingrown Hair Serum is the very best (and an Oprah favourite!) to eliminate and prevent ingrown hairs from coming back.
S - Truth or Myth: Waxing makes hairs grow fewer and finer with each visit.
L - Truth! Anyone who has been waxing for years will agree that overtime hair becomes finer and more sparse. An added bonus to long term waxing is that you will end up waxing less because you are actually stunting your hair growth.
Well there you have it! A few tricks and tips to ease you into your next (or first) waxing session. I hope you found this helpful and if you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below and I will try my best to answer them.
In Exfoliant, Beauty, product, skincare, Interview, Beauty Tips, Waxing Tags waxing, how to, wax, beauty, waxon, beauty products, exfoliant, ingrown hairs, waxing truths and myths, waxing 101
