The Male Waxing & Shaving Blog

I’m having a long weekend away and am very busy with appointments, and as a consequence I am now not able to take any further bookings for before 8th June. If you wish to make an appointment for after that date please get in touch.

My apologies for the inconvenience this may cause you.
Mat

Just to say that in the coming weeks I will making some announcements about how you can save money on your regular waxing with Waxing for Guys. And I will also be adding a new treatment to the menu … keep popping by to find out what it is!

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.

After searching and trying various products from different suppliers I have taken on a new range of superb skincare products from Australian Bodycare. The name is Australian, but the products are made here in the UK … the Tea Tree Oil that is used in the products comes from Australia. Grown in New South Wales, the Melaleuca alternifolia tree is the one one of the 110 species from which this unique natural oil can be extracted. The oil is distilled under high pressure steam within one hour of harvest!

I am now using these products in all waxing treatments, starting off using the wet wipes as a pre-cleanser for treatments, then using the Hand & Body Lotion as my afterwax of choice. This is great for cooling and soothing the skin immediately after waxing, ongoing it helps keep the skin nourished and soft and can help prevent ingrown hairs.

After each treatment I also offer clients a small sachet of Skin Wash to use as a shower gel for their first shower. This helps to continue soothing the skin, and the antiseptic properties can help to prevent acne and any infection of the hair folicles. For chest and intimate waxing I also include a sachet of the Hand & Body Lotion to use the following day.

And finally just to ensure everything is covered, for underarm waxing I have small sachets of Tea Tree based deodorant that is available that can be applied immediately after waxing. Particularly useful if you are off out or to a meeting later that day.

I also recommend that to get the best, longest lasting results from a waxing that clients continue to use the products at home. The Hand & Body Lotion is available in 150ml and 250ml bottles, and the Skin Wash in 250ml pump bottles. The Deodorant comes in a tube with roller applicator so it is always ready when you are and is very easy to apply. Click here out more about the Australian Bodycare range.

For a good few years now Hive of Beauty have had a range of waxing products specifically for men … Wax 4 Men. The range consists of a warm wax, roller wax and hot film wax for intimate areas.

And of course my wax non-strip of choice is also available – Cirepil Homme from the French manufacturer Perron Rigot, along with a roller version … not sure why they don’t do it as a warm wax.

But until now no other companies have really specifically targeted the male waxing market. This week I took delivery of the latest edition of the Ellisons Beauty Buyers Guide. And they have launched this year “Wax Master Wax for Men”, or (and I love the abbreviation) “Man Wax”. They describe it as:

A high grade premium wax specifically formulated for use on male clients. Distinctively Masculine in appearance ‘Man Wax’ is specially formulated with an increased viscosity for greater adherence enabling wax to grip the hair at its base to deliver optimum waxing performance. Suitable for all parts of the body.

I’ve not used it, infact I’ve not used any of the Wax Master waxes so really can’t comment on their quality but it is good to see one of the largest suppliers in the market taking male clients seriously. Hopefully they have also reviewed how they treat male therapists looking for training in basic waxing in their Training Academy.

If you have used it I’d love to hear your comments about it Man Wax.

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.

Today I took delivery of a few new products, or rather products that are new to Waxing for Guys. I’ll post about some of the others over the coming week, but today I want to talk about a new wax I think I will be moving to very shortly!

I have always used Hive Options waxes, lately using their Green Tea product. And I’ve always been happy with the wax and the result, but recently I’ve been thinking should I look to change. And so I ordered a tin of Perron Rigot Escential Green Tea. And today I got to try it out for the first time.

This isn’t the first time I’ve tried a Perron Rigot strip wax, I do have a tin of Cristal Ocean available that I use for clients who are allergic to the rosin in most waxes. But I’m not a big fan of I must say, I’ve just never got on with the texture of it for some reason. So was very interested to try a different product from the range.

The first thing to note about this is the cost, it is about 230% more expensive then the Hive wax, so to justify that cost it has to be good … very good!

The wax has a very distinctive fresh grass type of smell to it, and that is no bad thing. There is also a slight glittery shimmer to it that looks very nice, but how it looks and smells aren’t what a wax should be judged on. How does it perform in a treatment.

The first thing you notice about the wax is how thin you can spread it. Not just thin, but really really thin! I was able to cover an entire side of the back with wax before I had to remove it, it doesn’t dry out on the skin … great for speed waxing! Also when it comes off it not only takes every hair with it but it also all comes off so the skin isn’t left feeling sticky. And any little bits left over you can just dab with a strip and they come off easily enough.

So, about that 230% price increase … is it worth it? Definately! When you do a treatment you can see just how much wax you have used from the pot as it goes down. Using this it felt like using a tiny amount of wax to what I am used to, so it lasts longer and goes further! And it is more comfortable for the client.

The 800g tin it comes in can be inserted directly into the heater or it can be warmed slightly and poured into the heater bucket. For my trial I’ve just used it in the tin, I would probably use it in the bucket on a daily basis as it is a bit easier with the scraper bar and its easier to control the temperature.

I’m quite excited about this, sometimes its good to do stuff that’s a bit crazy in the name of a good cause! Waxing for Guys is a Primary Sponsor for the Birmingham Twestival that is taking place at the end of this month!!

On Thursday 25 March 2010, people in hundreds of cities around the world will come together offline to rally around the important cause of Education by hosting local events to have fun and create awareness. Twestival™ (or Twitter Festival) uses social media for social good. All of the local events are organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of all ticket sales and donations go direct to projects.

The event this month is to raise money for the charity Concern.

Concern Worldwide was founded in 1968 to meet the needs of people living in extreme poverty, for whom every day is a fight for survival. Concern is a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organization dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of poverty. Their mission is to help people living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives – improvements they can sustain without ongoing support. Concern meets the needs of these people in a caring and personalized manner, respecting their human and cultural dignity. They are committed to reaching the most vulnerable, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Concern’s work is informed by a vision for change and their education programs target the poorest people in the poorest countries in the world, with particular emphasis on reaching out-of-school children such as girls, orphans, street children, working children, children affected by conflict, children affected by HIV and AIDS, and children with disabilities. Concern’s education programs currently reach over 700,000 people in 25 countries across the regions of Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Please follow @concern on Twitter to get a glimpse of their staff tweeting from around the world; including their efforts on the ground in Haiti.

I’ll post some more details in the coming days. But in the mean time, check out the event website and come along! You could even win a free wax and shave!!

Just when you thought the razor was fairly standard now, Shick – owned by Energizer (them of the bunnies) have come out with a “complete reinvention of the razor”.

A complete reinvention of the razor, the Schick Hydro results from years of testing and consumer collaboration, making it the most thoroughly researched product in the brand’s 87 year history.

Over this extensive development period, thousands of consumers provided their insights into the shaving experience and their feedback on prototypes, models and technologies. Consumer testers included men and women of all ages, from all walks of life, and with a wide range of sensitivity to adjustments in razor technologies.

“We had conversations with thousands of men, and what we heard, in short, was the shaving experience needed to be refreshed. They told us the potential for irritation kept them from feeling good during their shaves and that they wanted something that would refresh and rejuvenate them,” said Dan Kinton, senior brand manager for Schick. “With Schick Hydro, we knew that if we could create a shaving line that actually made men feel better, we’d be able to return shaving to its rightful place as a refreshing daily ritual. Our goal was to create a razor that gives back the hydration other razors take away.”

Read the full press release or checkout the new website.

It is launching the US in April, and I’m not sure of a UK date yet – but they sell under the Wilkinson Sword brand.

I came across the fascinating article yesterday, it shows just how sharp razor blades are under a very powerful microscope. So if you’ve ever wondered how smooth is smooth or how sharp a razor is, then I’d definately suggestion having a look at this article.