If you have read any of my previous blogs or watched any videos that I have put out there into the world, you will know how much I truly hate fakeness and bullshit. I hate it as much as much as I hate fads or gimmicks that are just trying to rip people off, or make therapists think they must need to spend their hard earned money on something that realistically their clients won’t care about. You know the trends that make us therapists feel like we need to jump on to stay relevant or have in our salon because flossy down the road has got it, and if we don’t have it then we aren’t cool!
There are waxes out there that that truly make my toes curl. You know the fads that I’m talking about, where it’s nothing to do with the quality of the wax – just the gimmick or fad that goes a long with it. I won’t go into any of them on here, as I’m also not a fan of bashing other brands or companies because I think that is super low and unnecessary.
I do believe in education though!
What I mean by this, is education for therapists about a product or the ingredients in the products, so that you can make up your own mind about what is important for you and your business. If that is us, then brilliant. But if it isn’t – then that’s ok too.
I am always honest and upfront, even if that means less sales. I am a salon owner and therapist first, and it is the very reason why I created my own products range. I wanted to provide my own salons with the best possible wax that are aligned with our company values, as well as the most premium pre and post range possible. Not just the usual crappy products, full of synthetic rubbish and artificial fragrance which fill our waxing trolleys. But products that truly love and care for your client’s skin, wax that truly works, where you don’t need any more than just the one wax for the job.
The business owner in me cares about the client experience, quality of service and bottom line profit, and the therapist in me cares about making my therapists life as easy as possible, whilst getting the best results for client satisfaction.
With the above in mind, these are the sorts of questions I ask myself as a business owner and therapist all the time?
- Do we really need a separate wax for tattoos?
- Why do we need a separate wax for men?
- Is it necessary to have a separate wax for coarser hair and one for finer hair – or can one wax do both and we save the trolley space and our own money?
- Do client care if the wax smells and looks like chocolate?
- How many clients want a vegan wax specifically?
- What do our clients really want?
- How much wax am I getting for my money?
Now, onto what I am here to talk about – Hypoallergenic Wax.
I had a DM the other day on Instagram. We get lots of DM’s asking us lots of questions about our products and training, so this wasn’t anything out of the norm. The problem with DM’s is that everyone is so used to having immediate responses from bots or call centres on websites and socials etc, that we tend to get a message, then another, and then sometimes I have even had super rude messages asking if anyone is there within a few minutes. This could be on a Sunday evening at 11pm. I’m sure if you are running your own business, you get this too from clients.
I also get so many questions about facts that other trainers have taught that aren’t always correct. There is so much conflicting information out there, so my belief is to be honest at all times. Even if people don’t agree, or believe what they have been told because another trainer (who has normally told them they are the best in the industry) has informed them of something etc. and they want to know my stance on it. I get this is a lot with pregnancy waxing as other trainers give lots of different information. The very reason why I had a midwife write mine!
Remember…a lot of what is trained is people’s personal beliefs, values or interpretation. Somebody came up with rules once upon a time, and those rules have evolved with other people’s thoughts and beliefs. But there is no actual rule book for all trainers, suppliers and owners to work exactly the same when it comes to waxing, other than the NOS which everyone should be following.
But people are out there making up their own rules, and their own guidelines, which makes it super tough for therapists to know who to trust. This is why I believe in honesty.
Anyway, I digress. Back to my DM!
It was a bank holiday weekend and I had a message from a Beauty Therapist asking if our wax was Hypoallergenic.
My response was short, nondescript and a bit shit to be honest. I responded saying that all hot wax can be classed as Hypoallergenic due to its gentle nature.
Now, this is where I shouldn’t answer if I’m not fully in work mode, or when I am not in a position to answer a question properly. It was past 10pm on a Sunday night and I put zero effort into my response. It was crap! And rightly so, this therapist called me out on it. Her response was a bit brutal to be honest. Let’s just say she made me step up my game and answer correctly. So, apologies to Estie for my shocking service and lack of proper response. You were fully right to express your disappointment – I know better, I should have respected your experience by replying professionally and with so much more detail. Lesson learned and thank you for making me see this.
But it got me thinking that I need to divulge into this subject a bit more if it is information that therapists want and need to know about.
So, what makes a wax truly Hypoallergenic?
And how can you spot the true Hypoallergenic wax from the gimmicks?
Most Hypoallergenic waxes will be fully synthetic, which means fully man made. This is because resin (or rosin it may say on your ingredients listing) is classed as an allergen.
Now, resin gives wax the flexibility that most of us therapists love in a hot wax. It prevents waxes from going brittle or snapping. However, resin is also more expensive as an ingredient, so the higher the quality wax, the higher concentration of pine resin it normally has.
Colophonium, or Colophony (this is the chemical name for the pine resin) is a registered sensitiser therefore if there are any wax ranges labelling themselves as Hypoallergenic that contain this ingredient, are being disingenuous.
This ingredient is so widely used it can also be found in medical tape, plasters, make up, sunscreen, and so much more. If a client of yours is allergic to this ingredient, it is very likely that they know about it.
Most waxes also contain fragrance such as Linalool or limonene. We all know that artificial fragrance can be an allergen for some – so again, this should not be in any wax that is labelled Hypoallergenic.
With this being said, what I meant with my crappy response to the DM I received, was that as Hot Wax isn’t on the skin for long periods of time, it really isn’t an allergen. Products that are absorbed into the skin or sit on the skin for long periods of time are different. Plasters for example, sit on the skin for long periods of time, so an allergy to a plaster and possible sensitivity to hot wax can be very different results.
Hot wax is so topical, and is in contact with the skin for such a short period of time, that it is highly unlikely to be an allergen, unless of course your client is specifically allergic to a particular ingredient. This is the same reason why patch testing a hot wax will not show up an allergy unless a client has a specific allergy to an ingredient. (I have lots of views on patch testing waxes and will write about this is another blog).
So is Hypoallergenic wax a fad, or is it actually needed?
I will leave that for you to decide as it is your business and you know your clients. There is always a risk of allergies with any product that is used, but like anything – it’s down to what you prefer and what is important to you.
My request of you is to buy what is right for your clients and your business. Choose quality over gimmicks every time. Your clients care about the service you are providing and the results you give, more than anything else. They remember you, and how you made them feel more than any smell, colour or gimmick.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
If you have any questions – give me a shout. I promise to not respond with a crappy message again 😉
Amy x