Male Waxing – General Aftercare for Exfoliation and Moisturising
At London male waxing in Islington, we discuss the best way to maintain your skin after your initial waxing appointment; especially if it’s your first waxing treatment then generally most people don’t really know the best ways to maintain freshly waxed skin and to try to avoid those after wax pimples (folliculitis) and ingrown hairs.
During my clients follow up treatments I check on the results and offer advice on methods and products used if clients are still having some problems and look other ways to treat the situation.
It’s generally only a very small number of clients who find it difficult to manage the problem.
I firmly believe that exfoliation and moisturisation is the secret to success with waxing aftercare....I have my own waxing carried out on a regular basis and from my own personal experiences if I follow the aftercare guidelines and do the regular exfoliation then it works....We do have to make the effort and follow the advice given to us... we brush and floss our teeth after dental treatments.. we wash and condition our hair after hairdressing appointments, we moisturise our skin after sunbathing and tanning sessions... so guys it’s no different after your waxing appointment....listen to the advice that we give you.
As therapists we often see clients who follow their guidelines and have great smooth skin... and equally from time to time we see clients that don’t follow the guidance and they can occasionally experience some problems.
There are different opinions on how to exfoliate, the frequency and what you should exfoliate with...
However with so many products to choose from, for general exfoliation including the best products for moisturising the skin it is often difficult making the right choice. This is where your therapist can help as they will have more knowledge, will maybe use the products themselves, but they usually get the feedback from other clients as to what works best.
With leading wax companies regularly updating their aftercare range and they all often claim to be the best in the market, you need to find a product that you can get hold of easily, something that suits your budget, (it’s not always necessary to spend a lot of money of good aftercare products), and also you want a product that suits your skin type and more importantly that it does what it says on the tin!!... You may need to initially use a few products to see what works best for you.
Exfoliate exfoliate exfoliate!!!!!.. I really do believe that it works. But it needs to carried out correctly, you don’t want to scrub and exfoliate skin that’s tender or freshly waxed.
I always recommend that my waxing clients purchase a Japanese wash cloth, I use one and I get great results and the feedback from most of my clients is the same, I retail these and they are not expensive and they often last for many months. Just give it regular wash to remove the dead skin cells and keep it for your own personal use. Loofahs and mitts are also very good, but often we can’t reach all the body with these, but with the washcloth it’s like a small towel so you can hold either end and exfoliate the back really easily just like you are towel drying your skin.
In simple terms by exfoliating the skin we keep the area clean and soft and this means that new hair growth can break through the skin easily and in turn reduces the risk of ingrown hairs. If the skin is dry and lots of hard skin and not soft new hair follicles are soft and gentle and may not be able to get through the skin easily and can become ingrown and the area can become infected with spots and pimples. The hair regrowth will be at different stages and this will have an effect on your waxing programme as short hairs etc will not get picked with the wax... so by regular maintenance it does help in the long term...
In addition to the Japanese wash cloth I always recommend that clients use a good shower cream, something that contains some tea tree is ideal, and again there are many types of shower creams that can be purchased from your local pharmacies and supermarkets that should suit your skin.
Some clients find that using a exfoliating shower cream (with small abrasive particles , or crushed seeds etc) works also for them, and again there are a range of these available that help.
I use a body shop scrub that contains cocoa butter, and can personally recommend this, and sometime I make my own scrub using the cocoa butter one and adding a few drops of pure tea tree oil to this so as well as the benefit of the cocoa butter for the moisturisation I get the natural cleansing and antiseptic properties from tea tree.
Moisturisation... for me it’s like the exfoliation I believe it works.. There are lots of easy ways to moisturise and using a good shower or bath products that’s rich in moisturiser helps, but there are also a lot of good after waxing products that we can easily purchase. Your waxing studio or therapist should be able to offer some advice and or recommendations.
I retail a range of the Perron Rigot waxing aftercare, both in a cream or a gel range. I also retail some sterex products which are great products for soothing and moisturising the skin after hair removal methods. Again clients need to find a product that works for them...
As part of my aftercare plan with all my clients I provide written guidelines for new clients, which lists all the general aftercare guidelines, I give all clients a disposable exfoliating mitt, this is designed to get you started until you can purchase your own exfoliation product range and then I also give clients some creams for moisturising, depending on the area waxed as to the type of products I give clients. All these products can be purchased from me as a part of your maintenance aftercare programme.
I will shortly be expanding my aftercare range by retailing a range of tea tree waxing after care products, in addition to the product range I currently offer, and will have this on display in my studio with my other retail products.
I also currently stock PBF Vanish (Pseudo Folliculitis Barbae) for the treatment of ingrown hairs, which is one of the leading products proven to help exfoliate the skin cell and to “lift” the ingrown hairs above the skin lines. My clients who use this have given good feedback on this product and purchase this as part of their maintenance programme. This is also a good product for clients who use other methods of Manscaping, i.e. body shaving and may be prone to ingrown hairs. Whatever method of hair removal you carry out.. Waxing clippering or shaving just follow these guidelines and it should help...
I am happy to discuss any of this, and please feel free to contact me by email via my website.
Written by: Jack Dunn, Male Waxing Therapist
Owner of London Male Waxing & JD Spa Therapies
