Everything you needed to know but were too afraid to ask about waxing.

• SPOTTING OF THE SKIN: This indicates that hairs have been removed from the follicle and is quite normal after waxing. These red sposts may stay on the skin for a short period of time but will soon fade away.
• SENSITIVE SKIN: Apply an ice-cold compress two or three times after your waxing appointment; this takes away the sting and reduces redness. Do not apply deodorant until the day after waxing underarms.

• FACIAL WAXING: If after leaving the salon the skin is still red, wrap an ice-cube in a wet handkerchief and apply it to the waxed areas. You should do this 5 or 6 times at one hour intervals; this reduces the redness of the skin. Avoid clogging the pores with moisturizers or make-up for at least 12 hours. After your first lip wax you may develop some whiteheads in the waxed area; this seldom reoccurs with subsequent waxing.

• DID YOU FIND WAXING PAINFUL? The first treatment can often be painful, particularly if you have been shaving. This is because shaving has enlarged the bulb at the base of the hair shaft. Remember that the hair grows, rests, then grows again, so it takes about 12 weeks for shaven hair to be replaced with natural hair; therefore it takes two or three waxes before you "settle in" to natural hair growth. After this time you will experience only minimal discomfort from waxing.

• AFTER YOUR WAXING APPOINTMENT BEWARE OF EXPOSURE TO CHLORINATED WATER AND THE SUN (including the infra-red lamp or solarium). Your skin, already sensitized, may sunburn more easily. Conversely you should not receive a waxing treatment if your skin is sunburnt.

• SOME PEOPLE ARE SUBJECT TO IN-GROWN HAIRS AFTER WAXING: As the hair is out of the follicle for many weeks after waxing, dead skin cells can form over the mouth of the follicle, causing the hair to grow under the skin when it reappears. To prevent in-grown hairs: ask your operator about the use of a Buff Brush between treatments. It is particularly useful for people with persistent in-grown hair. Keep a Buff Brush in the shower recess and each day rub in a circular motion over the waxed areas. A dry Buff Brush may be used for dry, flaky skin. For more sensitive body areas or where the in-grown hair problem is only minor, use a less abrasive product such as a Buff Pad instead of a Buff Brush.

• SOME PEOPLE EXPERIENCE ITCHINESS AFTER WAXING: If itchiness occurs a day or so after waxing you should remember, in future, to follow-up the ice-cold compress given by the operator with similar treatments at home. Itchiness 2 or 3 weeks after waxing is caused by the new hair breaking through the mouth of the follicle. Only people with coarse hair who have been shaving over a long period of time are subject to this problem and it usually occurs only after the first few waxing treatments. Regular buffing of the skin to prevent the dead skin cells clogging the mouth of the follicle is the answer. Use of an anti-histamine cream may be used to relieve itching.

• BETWEEN FOUR TO SIX WEEKS IS THE USUAL TIME SPAN BETWEEN WAXING APPOINTMENTS: To obtain beneficial results from waxing you should establish the time span which suits your hair growth, and wax regularly at these times, perhaps a little more frequently in summer.

• PERHAPS ONE MONTH IN TEN, YOU MAY HAVE UNUSUALLY HEAVY GROWTH; THIS IS QUITE NORMAL: The heavier growth may be caused, for instance, by changes in the hormonal balance (puberty, pregnancy or the pill) or by exposure to the sun which stimulates the oil glands at the base of the follicle. This does not mean that your operator is inefficient, or that hair growth is being stimulated by waxing.

• BEFORE YOUR NEXT APPOINTMENT: Do not use self tanning lotions or moisturizing creams, particularly on your legs, on the day of your appointment as these form an oily barrier which inhibits the grip of the wax.