Yes, clients surfing the crimson wave are welcome…
Beauty therapists have to encounter a barrage of opinions and urban legends when it comes to determining when it’s okay to wax on and when you definitely shouldn’t wax off. And while most ideas on the subject tend to sit on either extreme end of the scale, the truth is typically found somewhere in the middle. So we got Caronlab head trainer Holly Hayes to bust the top five biggest Brazilian myths, wide open. No pun intended…
1. You can’t go, when Aunt Flow is in town
Advising your clients to avoid coming in for their wax when Aunt Flow is in town can cause needless loss of business and short-change your client in the process, according to Hayes.
“The common theory that you can’t possibly get a wax on your period is completely untrue. I don’t advise having clients come in on their first day of menstruation when they’re most sensitive, perhaps towards the end. Unless your client is desperate.”
2. Maybe if you trim it, it won’t hurt as much
It’s a mislead belief that advising clients to trim before their wax will spare them the pain, says Hayes.
“Giving your lady parts a trim before coming in for a Brazilian doesn’t minimise pain. In fact, the longer the hair, the easier it is to grip and properly release from the root. It could be as long as Chubaka’s hair for all we care, as a therapist, it’s our job to remove it. Lilliane Caron’s number one rule is do not trim.”
3. I’m getting too old for this…
Many therapists are anxious about performing Brazilians on elderly clients for fear of tearing their delicate skin, but with a little tender loving care, age needn’t be a barrier, according to Hayes.
“I’ve waxed women well into their 70s and I say, good on them! When treating an older client we just need to be gentle, as their skin can tear and bruise easily. I always use a hard wax on older clients as it’s much easier on their skin. Age doesn’t mean they have to stop waxing, it just means we have to be extremely delicate, with their delicates.”
4. Hold it mister…no hanky-panky tonight
“I’m about to make every man’s dream come true. Yes ladies and gentlemen, the whole, ‘you can’t have sex straight after getting a Brazilian’ is a myth,” says Hayes.
“As long as you use high quality product that is designed for sensitive areas and advise your client to shower after their cheeky rendezvous, there is no reason they can’t celebrate their smooth new look.”
5. I can manage childbirth, but I can’t manage a Brazilian
When it comes to the pain factor involved in Brazilians, client education is key, says Hayes.
“I’ve heard many women say they’re ‘too scared’ or ‘couldn’t handle the pain’ of a Brazilian. I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t hurt at all, your most intimate hairs are being ripped from where the sun don’t shine – that doesn’t tickle. But with a confident therapist and the right technique, Brazilians are probably a solid 1.5 on the scale of 1 – childbirth.”
So next time your client comes in for their regular bikini tidy-up and complains they’re too scared to handle the pain of a full Brazilian, take the opportunity to educate them on the fact it’s not nearly as bad as they are thinking.