Things I Wish I'd Known: Waxing

Hi Everyone!

Today, at the grand age of 28, I went for my first wax in preparation for my upcoming holiday (you'll be hearing a lot about this trip!). I didn't know what to expect. My experience was less than ideal (to the point where I asked for a partial refund!) so I thought I would share it with you, along with some of the 'things I wish I'd known' prior to my appointment.

I had an underarm, bikini line & 1/2 leg wax.

For starters - I still don't know the name of the lady with whom my appointment was with. I should have trusted my instinct, taken notice & acted on my unease at that point. My therapist talked very little. It made me a little uneasy in all honesty. I didn't feel she was entirely comfortable in the situation. I tried to strike up a conversation with her & she responded, but she didn't seem to have particularly good people skills. Certainly not to the extent that you would want from someone performing treatments.

I made her aware that it was my first time having a wax. She waxed my underarms & plucked a few stubborn hairs.

Again I should've gone with my instinct when I had to ask for direction as to what garments to take off/keep on for my bikini line to be done. When I booked the appointment, I asked if I needed to do/bring anything with me & not being told to wear old underwear/bring my swim suit with me, assumed there'd be paper undies to put on for hygiene reasons. This was not the case & I was told I could either leave my knickers on or take them off. Alarm bells should've rung - who else had put their bottom on that rug covered medical style bed!?! I hope I don't get crabs! That would really ruin our holiday!

I found the bikini part of the wax process the most painful of the three. As she was waxing, the lady said to me "Oh, I can't go any lower than that as I'm not qualified to. I hope that's ok?" I looked down & she'd gone about an inch lower than I normally do! She hadn't asked me how far down I wanted the wax to go. I told her it was possible to see my normal maintenance compared to where I'd let the hair grow for the treatment. She clearly didn't follow this.

When I got home I found that, whilst the top had been waxed, there were still some stubborn hairs that had stayed & she hadn't removed. I'm sure removing hair from another woman's lady garden with a pair of tweezers isn't much fun, but all jobs have their pitfalls & I'd paid for hair removal!

I also found that wax had been left in my remaining hair & that the woman had only done the top of my bikini line, not the sides!!! I know this was my first wax, but I'm pretty sure that it's standard to do top & sides! I phoned up the salon & was able to go back in to have it sorted. The woman's response was "I didn't know you wanted that done" - really!?! You take the top of my bikini line down lower than I normally have it, yet don't think I want the sides done??? Seriously!?! I asked for a partial refund & got a third of my money back. 

Always make sure you're very specific about what you want done (this applies to a lot of things). It may seem obvious, but you never know! After all, you're the one who's going to have to live (at least for a while) with the other person's idea of what you want.

So then onto my 1/2 leg wax. I chose a 1/2 leg instead of a 3/4 because it's the hairs on my shins & calfs that I get self conscious about when I'm cold. I find that the hairs stick up & no matter how well I shaved that morning, they stick out. Even with this, I kept finding patches she'd missed. The low lighting in the treatment room didn't help this.

When I got home I spent quite a while tidying up my bikini line & legs with tweezers. Really frustrating! 

Please note, every salon is different!

I was speaking to a friend about it on Twitter afterward & she suggested asking to see a person's credentials. I hadn't even thought of that! She worked in a salon. To me, that was enough for me to trust her to perform this treatment. My friend also told me that I should have been asked to fill in a client consultation form, which would flag up any medical conditions that may potentially be problematic & any allergies. By not doing this their insurance is null & void. The closest I came to this was being asked if waxing on the site of a bruise had been painful. It wasn't, but that question came a little late!

So to round up,

• check the credentials of your therapist
• make sure they do a client consultation for you
• make sure you're confident that everything's sanitary - if not, speak up!
• check the therapist is on the same page as you regarding the final result & how you're going to go about achieving it.
• If you're not happy with anything speak up & don't be afraid to ask for a partial refund.

I would also suggest asking to use the toilet before leaving. This way you can inspect the results of the treatment & won't have to return if you are unsatisfied - there is nothing more embarrassing than having to get your bits out for a second time for a lady you've complained about!

I really hope that's been helpful for some of you! If you've had a disastrous experience that you'd like to share, please leave it in the comments below so that we can learn from each other!

Tania Xx

P.s. I'm on holiday from 9-13 March so will reply on my return. Xx