8 waxing mistakes you could be making

You’re wax appointments are always back-to-back. Good. But that doesn’t mean you should skip on the important stuff. If you’re making these mistakes, it’s time to reassess your waxing practice. 

You think it’s ok to double dip

Repeat these words: Never. Ever. Double dip. You could actually be fined if you do. The NSW Department of Health says that, if wax is used for hair removal, the wax and any instrument used to apply the wax – such as a spatula – must be immediately disposed after completing the procedure (no double dipping). Just don’t do it.

Things aren’t clean

Keeping your wax room clean is really, really important, not only for hygiene reasons, but to make sure your clients make a return appearance. Make sure you always clean your hands before and after a wax client and always clean all surfaces and equipment after every appointment. For more tips on this click here.

You often forget to test the temperature

Just as a mother does for her baby before a bath, it is your job to make sure you’re not about to scald a client with too-hot wax. A good way to check the temperature of your wax is to apply a small amount to the inside of your wrist.

You’re not wearing gloves

The importance placed on wearing gloves while waxing can differ from country to country. But in Australia, for your personal safety and the safety and reassurance of your clients, wearing single-use gloves when waxing is the best policy to have in your salon. Most Departments of Health in Australia state that if you could potentially come into contact with any human bodily fluids, you should wear single-use gloves and toss them after each client.

You’re not washing your hands enough

If you think wearing gloves means you don’t need to wash your hands, you’re dead wrong, sorry. Hands can become warm and moist in gloves, which promotes the growth of micro-organisms – and often it’s not so easy to keep hands hygienically clean as you remove a pair of gloves. Best to be safe and either wash hands or use an anti-bacterial hand rub to get things really clean post (every) client.

Bandaids are for wimps!

You cut your hand on a potato peeler making a romantic dinner for your hubby last night, it happens to the best of us. But, as much as you might want to show off your near-miss, you need to cover that dinner wound up. In NSW you’re actually required to use a sealed, waterproof bandage so that nothing gets in, or out. So make sure you have some bandaids in the first aid kit at your salon.

You re-use single use equipment

This is up there with the double dipping. According to the SA Department of Health, if it is single use, you must toss it once you’ve used it. This includes spatulas, cotton pads, wax strips and single use wax cartridges. In fact, according to SA Department of Health, if you set it up for a client and you don’t use it, it’s still deemed used and should also be tossed, so just put out what you need.

Sterilising is for doctors only

Wrong again! Any reusable equipment, such as tweezers, needs to be sterilised with mild alkaline detergents in the pH range 8.0 to 10.8. You should also get cracking to sterilise, as the longer equipment is left unsterilised, the more micro-organisms will love it and multiply – once they have powers in numbers, they can be pretty hard to say goodbye to. When preparing for a new client, only put sterilised equipment out just before they arrive and always re-sterilise after every appointment.

For more information go to: NSW Department of Health, SA Department of Health, or visit your own state’s Department of Health.

Have your say: How do you make sure you keep up with the regulations in your state?