The Male Waxing & Shaving Blog

Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

At the moment only 33% of salons offer Male Waxing, so why not build up your male client base before your competitor does? If you are already qualified in waxing you may not feel confident in waxing a man, they are generally a lot hairier then women and what is the best way of doing it?

Well now you can come along and spend a day with Mathew O’Marah, owner and therapist at Waxing for Guys, and learn from his years experience in waxing the male of the species. The training is very hands on, you will spend as much time as possible during the day waxing a male model while discussing tips and tricks to make it as positive experience for your clients as possible. The course covers A&P recap, trimming hair for those clients who don’t want to go all the way, and waxing. It includes using the latest types of hot non-strip wax for areas such as the Speedo line.

The training is also accredited by the Beauty Guild so you will qualify for CPD points, and will be fully insurable. For more information about our training please get in touch.

In July the Beauty Guild published the results of its annual Beauty Industry Survey, and it makes for very interesting reading. The survey was first undertaken in 1995, and has been run every year since to monitor the state of the industry. While the survey doesn’t include every business in the industry it does cover a lot, approximately 34,500 businesses which is a 3.8% increase on the previous year, and over 71,000 therapists working in those businesses.

One of the most interesting facts for me was the type of business people are running:

• 33% Home Based
• 31% Mobile
• 22% High Street Salon
• 7% Hairdressing and Beauty Salon
• 7% Other

Nearly two thirds of our industry doesn’t have a high-street presence, so while there is demand for the full salon experience this shows that a lot of clients like the privacy of a home based private practice or treatment within their own home.

The three most popular treatments continue to be waxing, facials and massage closely followed by manicures. Waxing also remains the most commonly available treatment with up to 70% of Salons offering some form waxing service, while 66% offer facials and 81% offering manicures. Waxing is still highly sort after, but only just over half that have waxing (36%) also provide Brazilian / intimate waxing services.

Within the survey male waxing and male intimate waxing are two separate treatment categories, and this really shows how the demand for this is growing the figures below show the 2010 availability with the 2009 ones in brackets:

• Male Waxing: 33% (36%)
• Male Intimate Waxing: 6% (7%)

The number of salons offering this as a percentage has decreased over the past year, but this may because their are more beauty businesses so the market share as dropped but the number of businesses offering these services may well have increased.

But this does go to show, that even with the press coverage on male grooming etc waxing services for men still remains a very niche market, particularly intimate male waxing. So if you own a beauty business should you be offering male waxing? Absolutely – there are many men who want to get rid of their hairy backs, and many clients who are actively looking for a salon to treat them. And to treat them with respect and offer and professional high standard of service. Male intimate waxing is a very specialised treatment, and those salons offering it are building up a very loyal customer base.

So yes, Male Waxing is definitely worth it and with price a increase of 8% from 2009 to 2010, and 11% for intimate waxing it is a very lucrative service to offer in the salon.

That’s right! You will soon be able to learn the art of Male Waxing with me! Details of the courses are being finalised, but I’m really excited about them and you’ll see the dates and more information announced here in good time.

Wax on!

The Carlton Institute has added a new hair removal course to its list of training available at its training centres across the country. This new technique – the Alexandria Body Sugaring method is fronted by Lina Kennedy who is president of Alexandria Professional, and known as the ‘Sugar Queen’ in Hollywood circles.

Using the Alexandria Professional™ painlessly extracts hair in its natural direction of growth and does so when the hair is still in the early growth stage, eliminating breakage, unnecessary discomfort, irritation and ingrown hairs while exfoliating dry skin cells. The result is smooth, beautiful skin without the discomforts of other hair removal techniques.

I was recently lucky enough to experience an amazing treatment at the Mandarin Oriental Spa in Barcelona. They use the fantastic product range from british company Espa, one of the best range of professional skincare products available in my opinion.

At the end of my treatment I was discussing some suitable products for my skin with my therapist and she gave me a small brochure outlining the full product range. One of the products was the Skin Balancer: 24 Hour Balancing Complex which has the description below:

A light and non-greasy cream/gel moisturiser which helps to calm and purify oily, congested or combination skin. White thyme, sage and lemon actively work to soothe, cool and correct the effects of skin imbalance leaving your skin feeling clean, smooth and hydrated. Even skin prone to oiliness can become dehydrated, so it is important to use a balancing complex in order to regulate oil production and keep the skin healthy and supple.

Having had this used in my treatment the description really did sound wonderful, and I considered buying it … but at €53 I decided against it. I was looking through the brochure, and in the general (ie for women) section there was another product that looked interesting, a 24 Hour Balancing Complex:

A light moisturising blend of natural skin balancers and antioxidants which calm irritation and rebalance congested skin. Lavendar oil helps to regenerate and repair skin cells, whilst sage oil stimulates blood circulation and tones the skin. Essential oils of chamomile and Vitamin C-rich lemon soothe, purify, nourish and reduce stress. The perfect treatment for purifying oily, combination or slightly dehydrated skin.

Both of these products are a 24 Hour Balancing Complex, but they have just been described very differently to appeal to the different markets. The first would immediately appeal to guys, those with razor burn / irritation would be interested. They may not think so much about toning or reducing skin stress, whereas for women more detail about the individual ingredient benefits. It is a really good example of how to describe products and treatments to appeal to guys.

Another example of this comes from The Shave Doctor products, unlike most shave ranges this doesn’t include a Moisturiser product. Instead it has a product named as a “Moisturazor” as a lot of guys may not like the idea of moisturising but using a product as part of their shaving routine wouldn’t be a problem.

Jason over at The Back and Beyond has put together two great resources for male waxing professionals.

For those starting off with waxing guys there can be one big problem, which way is all the hair going. Where should I apply the wax etc, and how do I tidy it all up. Well he has put together two great guides, one showing hair growth directions on the back and one talking about managing chest hair. Not everyone wants the Magnum look.

So if your a waxing professional facing a challenge of a back waxing check these out!

This year’s Professional Beauty London is offering salon owners, managers, therapists and technicians the opportunity to discover the secrets of intimate male waxing.

Attend the unmissable intimate male waxing masterclasses on Sunday 7th March and learn how you can introduce one of the hottest trends of the moment into your treatment menu.

For one day only male waxing guru, Andy Rouillard from Axiom Bodyworks, will be hosting two exciting sessions, showing you just how painless male waxing really is! Discover the benefits of introducing this treatment into your business, how it will boost your profits, how it will attract a new client base, how it will grow your skill set and just how popular it is.

Also, don’t forget to join Andy on Monday 8th March for his free masterclass ‘How the male waxer becomes a man’s (and a woman’s) best friend’.

Male intimate waxing (also known as Brazilian or Boyzilian waxing and the ‘back, sac and crack’) is the latest trend in men’s grooming, with customers often travelling many miles to find a therapist willing and able to provide a first class service.

As recognised leaders in the field, Axiom Bodyworks are the first providers in the UK to offer certificated training in this advanced technique under Habia’s National Occupational Standards for intimate waxing.

This one-day course includes both theory and practical modules, equipping delegates with the necessary skills to perform male Brazilian waxing safely and efficiently.

Training Dates
15th February 2010 – London

For more information please contact Axiom Bodyworks.