Tweeze or Wax?
Base whether you should wax or tweeze on the type of brow hair the client has.
• Waxing
For thick, coarse brow hairs.
• Tweeze
For thin, sparse, or light hairs.
• Do Both:
Based on the thickness that’s there, and the clean up, not design work that’s needed. If there’s a lot of clean up work on a finer hair brow, you can do both.
- Ask The Client
Ask the client what she prefers. You’ll be surprised how many will choose tweezing. Why? Bad experiences in waxing easily turns the client off. Even if the client has very thick brows, if she wants tweezing instead, I would cater to the client and tweeze. The goal is to have a happy client.
Never wax the actual shape or line of the eyebrow. Why? Brow trends come and go, and being able to grow in brows is important. Only wax between the brows, above and way below the line of the eyebrow. All design work and reshaping is done with tweezing. Any hair that is the closest to the eyebrow itself, should be tweezed, never waxed.
Type of Wax:
We personally use Honey Wax from Satin Smooth. The all natural wax is easy to apply and super easy to remove.
Bonus points:
- Applies very thinly.
- Is able to apply with a light warm feel, instead of hot, to the touch. Very little irritation, or redness.
- Comes off clean with water.
- Never hear of breakouts after a waxing because oils are not needed to remove.
To know:
- Accutane, Retin-A or antibiotics, can cause skin sensitivity. Decline waxing services to clients who are taking/using these medications. Accutane users must wait 6 months after the last dose before waxing. Retin-A users must wait 6 weeks after the last use before waxing.
- Other prescription drugs (blood thinners, steroids, etc.) may also cause adverse reactions to waxing- have them check with their doctor first.
- Avoid exposure to the sun, excessive heat, or tanning 24 hours prior to and after waxing.
- Professional services such as injectables (Botox), microdermabrasion, or chemical peels should be completed at least 7 days before waxing.
- Clients may experience extra relief by taking ibuprofen 40-45 min. prior to waxing service to minimize swelling and sensitivity.
Waxing Technique:
1. Clean eyebrow area with toner or witch hazel. Use makeup cleanser if the area has a lot of foundation applied.
2. For sensitive skin, apply a light layer of cortisone cream first. Blot with a kleenex. Then apply a light layer of baby powder to keep skin dry.
3. Using a medium sized wooden wax stick, pick up the wax from the pot and transfer to a small aluminum or paper cup.
4. Then with a new clean small wooden wax stick, or cuticle stick, apply a very light, thin layer to the hairs to be waxed. Apply in the direction against the hair growth first, and then in the direction of, to work the wax over and under the hairs.
Petite Wooden Spatula
5. Using woven cloth cut into small strips, press the strip over the wax and then holding skin tight, pull in the opposite direction of hair growth going along the skin. Do not lift up as this can cause discomfort.
Non Woven Cloths
6. After excess hair is removed, clean with a cotton ball damp with water or witch hazel to remove excess wax.
7. Apply cortisone cream again if needed.
The next step is to do Design Work on the shape of the brow with tweezing.
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