Frequently
Asked Questions

Waxing relies on getting a good ‘grip’ on your hairs so they are removed with the wax – about the length of a grain of rice is a good measure, and long enough to ‘pinch’. This gives a nice clean finish and we can confidently remove all the hairs.

Lycon Hot Wax – which we use for Hollywood, Brazilian, and facial waxing if you choose that option when booking – can remove even very short hairs, so you don’t have to leave it as long between waxing appointments.

If your hair has been shaved, you’ll need a bit more length, as stubbly hair can be coarser and tougher to remove – leave it at least two weeks, preferably three, before your wax.

It’s also important not to have hair that’s too long. Anything over an inch is not recommended, as it’s harder for the wax to reach the skin where it needs to work. If it’s been a while since your last hair removal, have a trim at home before your appointment.

Still have questions? Call us if you’re in doubt, we’re always happy to help.

Most people come for waxing once a month, but this does vary depending on your personal regrowth speed. Generally, for body waxing, you’ll feel completely smooth and hair-free for up to 2 weeks, then you may notice a few new hairs coming through.

Facial hair can grow a little faster, so you might need to come in a little more regularly for areas like the eyebrow, lip or chin.

With regular waxing, most clients find that hair growth falls into a regular rhythm, so the amount of regrowth you see gradually decreases over time. And if you keep it up, some hair follicles will give up and stop producing hair altogether, making your waxing experiences a breeze!

Don’t be scared by what you may have heard or seen! We are expert waxers and when done correctly, waxing is only minimally painful, even on sensitive areas. You might be pleasantly surprised!

If you’re nervous or worried about the pain, you can take paracetamol an hour or so before your appointment, to ‘take the edge off’ the sensation. Follow pharmacist advice of course, and only take if it is safe to do so.

Try to avoid waxing in the days leading up to and during your period, where you’ll naturally be more sensitive, and make sure you don’t have a gym session booked either before or after your appointment.

You’re in safe hands! We use Lycon Hot Wax for Hollywood and Brazilian, which is the ‘gold standard’ in bikini waxing, and it’s by far our most popular type of body waxing so we are really used to doing this treatment.

You won’t be wearing underwear but we’ll give you a towel for modesty, and we work in small strips so you’ll hardly notice until we’re done. You’ll need to be in some different positions so we can remove all the unwanted hair, but we’ll talk you through everything and make sure you’re comfortable.

Especially with these intimate waxing treatments, it’s really important to put on not-too-tight, cotton underwear afterwards, to keep your skin in tip top condition. Make sure you aren’t rushing off to the gym or swimming afterwards too.

Loose, cotton clothes and underwear are always best! We always moisturise your skin after waxing, with a soothing tea tree lotion, so you definitely won’t want to be pulling on tights or lycra afterwards. Plus your skin might be a little sensitive, so sticking to looser clothing will mean you’re more comfortable.

For underwear, you’ll keep bra on for underarm waxing, but we’ll protect your bra with tissue.

And for bikini waxing, it depends on how much you’re having off! Regular and Extended bikini waxing can be done with your normal underwear (so long as it’s loose enough for us to still be able to remove the hairs), or we can provide you with a pair of disposable paper thongs if you prefer.

Hollywood and Brazilian waxes are done without underwear, but we’ll give you a fresh towel for modesty so you don’t feel too exposed ;-)

Exfoliate and moisturise is your mantra!

It’s a good idea to give skin a gentle scrub the morning of your appointment, to loosen any ingrown hairs that we might be able to remove at your appointment. A light application of moisturiser will also help make sure your skin’s in great condition when you arrive for your appointment.

If you really suffer with the dreaded ingrowns, we recommend the use of the Lycon In-Grown X-it spray – it’s absolutely brilliant at treating ingrown hairs all over the body and can even be used on the face.

Make sure you don’t book a waxing appointment after a workout or swim, as hot sweaty skin cannot be waxed.

Always take advice from your midwife or doctor on this one, but generally speaking, waxing is perfectly safe during your pregnancy. We don’t treat during your first trimester, so wait until that first scan is done and you’ve been given the all clear. After that, it’s plain sailing until 38 weeks, so plan your appointments carefully!

It’s also worth remembering that your skin might be a little more sensitive than usual during this time, though of course we’ll do our best to make it as comfortable as possible for you.

Light exercise such as walking or gentle cycling is fine, but heavier exercise that makes you hot, opens the pores, and makes the skin sweaty, means we cannot wax you. Sweaty skin prevents the wax from ‘sticking’, so often the hairs aren’t removed effectively, and the open pores creates the risk of folliculitis. Make sure you schedule your waxing appointments carefully, ideally on a different day to when you are doing heavy exercise.

If you’re under Dermatologist treatment for Acne or other skin conditions, you may have been prescribed Roaccutane or Tretinoin. Both these preparations, either as creams or tablets, are an absolute contraindication for waxing. You must tell us if you are taking either of these products as we may be able to recommend an alternative hair removal method.

You need to wait 6 months after your course of Roaccutane/Tretinoin has finished, before you start waxing.

The answer is… it depends! Certain types of Retinols, like Roaccutane in tablet form, and certain professional skincare brands that contain very high levels of strong retinol, are an absolute no when it comes to waxing, as they make the skin thinner and prone to damage.

Our own Environ range and ‘high street’ retinols are fine, though we will use a barrier technique with protective wax and powder to help minimise any reactions. If it’s your first time, it’s a good idea to start with a smaller area first. Ask us if you would like a free test patch in advance.

Not really. It is super important to keep the skin absolutely clean after a wax – for at least 12 hours. The only acceptable make up is pure mineral foundation, such as Jane Iredale Mineral Make up, applied with a freshly cleaned brush.

We love both methods and there are upsides and downsides to both. We’ll try to explain:

Laser = amazing long term results, imagine just waking up every day not having to wax or shave your legs or bikini? Even before the area is fully treated, hair growth slows down and becomes finer and less noticeable even after a couple of sessions. It also costs less over the long term than waxing and your skin goes back to how it was before nasty dark hairs grew. No ingrowns, dark shadows or regrowth. Downsides = you need at least 6 sessions to be hair-free in an area, each treatment is a bit more expensive than waxing, and the treatment itself doesn’t remove the hair so you need to shave until it’s done. Not suitable for white, grey or ginger hair... and less successful on ‘downy’ facial hair.

Wax = the best ‘quick fix’ hair remover, fast and efficient. All hairs are removed each treatment and regrowth is less as you continue with regular treatments. Downside = you need to grow the hair between treatments, and it can make skin more prone to ingrown hairs.

Whatever you choose, they’re both great options and many clients mix it up, having one area treated with laser and others waxed. This also helps to spread out the cost of laser!

Warm Wax is used for large areas and general body waxing like legs, back and underarms. The wax is applied to the skin with a spatula then a paper strip is placed over the top, pressed down, then removed. As the sticky wax is removed on to the paper, it pulls your hairs out from the root too.

Hot wax works a bit differently. It is applied in a thicker layer after an oily barrier has been applied to the skin, and feels slightly warmer. The Hot Wax is left on the skin to cool, and as it cools, it shrink-wraps the hairs and lifts slightly from the skin. When the wax has cooled it is removed without paper, pulling your hairs from the root with it. Because of the time needed for the wax to cool, Hot Waxing takes slightly longer than warm waxing, but is much more comfortable for delicate areas like bikini and face.

If you’re unsure which to book, give us a ring, we’d be glad to help.

The skin on your face is more sensitive than on your body, so extra care is needed. Keep your skin super clean after waxing treatments. Avoid touching it, don’t put any make up or other products over areas that have been waxed, and keep it cool and dry.

If you need to put make up on after a facial wax, we can recommend a pure mineral range such as Jane Iredale make up, which can safely be used (with a clean brush) after a facial wax. Ask us for details, we’d be glad to help find you the right colour match.

Lycon is a multiple award-winning wax brand from Australia. Established in 1978 it’s stood the test of time as a professional, high quality product. It’s made with the finest natural resins and aromatherapy scents, gives amazing results and allows us to work at lower temperatures than traditional hot wax, so it’s more comfortable for you. We also love the range of pre and post-wax products, which work brilliantly to care for and condition your skin, so you leave feeling comfortable, not irritated.

You’ll definitely be more sensitive to pain leading up to, and during your period, so it’s best to avoid booking appointments during this time.

Allergic reactions to wax, even for those with sensitive skin, are very rare. If you have a history of skin reaction, we would suggest you pop in for a quick and free test patch. We’ll choose a small area or two and do a test. Give us a call to arrange this if needed.

For some women with PCOS, excess hair can be a problem, especially when it arrives on areas typically associated with men, like the stomach, face and buttocks. We support everyone in embracing their natural state, but it you choose to remove, we can help.

Waxing and Threading removes hair from the root, so you can enjoy several weeks before hair regrows – it’s a great way to remove hair but has the obvious downside that you have to let the hair regrow before it can be waxed again. Because hair growth related to PCOS can also be coarser, you may also find waxing a little more sensitive, so try to avoid booking appointments when you have to return to work or to a social engagement, in case your skin is a bit red.

Hair Removal Creams, we’re not a fan of, due to the very harsh chemicals that dissolve your hair. Whilst this may be OK for legs, for many PCOS sufferers, it’s the hair on the face that causes most trouble, and hair removal creams are not suitable for use on the face. Best avoid in our opinion.

Laser is a great choice for the best long term reduction in your excess hair. The main reason we recommend Laser for PCOS sufferers is that it’s the only method that kills off the hair follicle, so you never see that dark ‘shadow’ or black spot under the skin where you know that new hair is just waiting to pop out. Successful treatment can mean skin looks like an area that doesn’t have any hair growing naturally, so is the best aesthetically pleasing end result. That said because PCOS does mean constantly changing hormone levels, you will likely need treatments on an ongoing basis and may never be fully hair-free.

We’d love to help, so if you have any questions, book in for a free consultation and we’ll talk you through the process.

We always wear gloves for waxing, and use disposable spatulas and cotton pads, to avoid contamination. We don’t ‘double dip’ (when dirty spatulas are dipped back into the wax pot) and fresh couch roll and towels are used for every client.

Most people visit us once a month for their regular waxing appointments, but it can vary person to person. We’d suggest start with a 4-week gap and see how it goes.

The answer is - it depends on how you look at it! Obviously, the cost of each individual treatment is higher than, say, a wax, and certainly more expensive than shaving at home, but over the longer term, you can save big. To help show the costs, let's use underarms as an example area.

The average client has their underarms waxed once per month, at £20 each time. That’s £240 per year. A laser underarm treatment costs £49 or a course of 6 is £245... around the same. So it doesn’t take long before you start to see real value in laser.

But that’s not all! As well as hair reduction benefit, laser treatment also improves the condition and appearance of your skin. Ingrown hairs reduce or disappear, pigmentation often lightens and you never have those telltale black dots where the new hair growing under the skin is just visible. No shadows or stubble - skin returns to what it was like before the darker hairs grew. Especially on the bikini, this is a godsend, as even after a really good wax, many clients struggle with ingrown hairs and a plucked appearance. We can return you to smooth and carefree!

It’s probably the most common question we get asked, but most people are surprised at how pleasant the feeling of laser is. You might have heard people talking of a rubber band-like 'snap' when the Laser is triggered, but that’s old technology and our modern machines work in a totally different way.  You’ll feel only a gentle warming sensation, though - a bit like waxing - the more delicate areas such as intimate bikini can feel a bit uncomfortable for the first 1-2 sessions until you get used to it. If you’re worried about pain or know you are sensitive, you can take a normal dose of paracetamol (not ibuprofen) half an hour before your appointment. It helps!