A Florida resident was recently awarded $15,000 in a lawsuit, for a botched brazilian bikini wax.  In which she claims her labia was torn, and had to receive six stitches to close the gaping wound.  After I saw the story on the news (thanks Carla for the heads up), I started thinking, How can you avoid something like this?

Seek Professional Help

I highly recommend that if you are interested in brazilian bikini waxing, no short cuts allowed. Girl bits are tender, and should be treated with the utmost respect.  DIY brazilian bikini waxing on the bathroom floor, or having a friend wax you in her basement is very risky.  Go to a licensed professional that has received additional training in this technique.

FYI- A standard beauty school education is not good enough when it comes to this service, most schools won’t even train their estheticians to preform brazilian bikini waxing.

You Get What You Pay For

Save big at the grocery store by clipping coupons, but being frugal when it comes to bikini waxing can lead to disaster. From experience, education is what separates the good from the the bad.  People that are passionate about their work will become masters of their craft, they will continue their education, and learn everything there is to know about waxing.

FYI- I am slightly against having your jack of all trades master of none stylist perform this service on you, because your safety is most important not the fact that she can “upsell” services to you.

Do Your Homework

Sites like citysearch, yelp, merchant circle, and insider pages are wonderful resources.  Clients will review the business, and their reviews can be very helpful to you.  Just ask, you’d be surprised how many people are brazilian waxing.  You can even call the esthetician directly, and ask about her procedures.  This is your body, and you have every right to make a sound decision.

FYI- Things to look for: Do they have web presence, what are other people saying about them, do they continue their  education, will they stand behind their work.

There is always the possibility of injury associated with waxing, but following these steps can help reduce injury.

Nose waxing is all the rage, and surprisingly it is more popular among women than men. I found this video on youtube for your enjoyment. As with anything this service is not recommended for everyone, but if you are a perfect candidate, go for it.

Nose waxing is not recommend if you: Smoke more than 1 pack of cigarettes a day, have asthma, are prone to nose bleeds, recent rhinoplasty, a getting over a bad cold or the flu.  This service is amazing.  Give it a try.

I was at the Orlando show in 2008 working the satin smooth booth, and a  woman approached me and asked if I could help her. I was all too happy to assist.  She wanted to buy wax for a machine that she had inherited after her mother’s death.

Easy enough.  She had about 6 14oz cans of strip wax in her possession, and wanted to know how she could dump them in to the wax basin.  Huh, wax basin? I showed her a single warmer, a double warmer, and last but not least a paraffin warmer.  Ding, ding, ding we have a winner.

She was looking for a paraffin warmer, and almost purchased six cans of depilatory wax. That would have been a hot mess, literally. I have been apart of this beauty thing since birth, and what comes second nature to me, doesn’t come easy for others. In honor of the lady at the Orlando show in 2008 I am unlocking the mystery of wax, well at least the ones that you”d find in a body spa.

Dip baby dip, come on now!

Paraffin wax (not to be confused with candle wax) typically comes in blocks about the size of a brick, and is melted down in a paraffin warmer. We use this wax during spa services to aid in hydrating the skin.  Paraffin is not used for hair removal.  Here is a video that I found on You Tube to give you an idea of all things paraffin.  It can be used in facial treatments too.

The Hair Removers

There are two types of wax used for hair removal.  One being a soft aka speed or strip wax, and the other being a hard wax or stripless wax. I use both waxes during most services.  Strip waxes typically come in a tin, has a low melting point, and is removed with a non-woven or muslin strip. If you’re ever been waxed 9/10 this is the kind of wax the esthetician used.  It spreads thin and is removed before the wax cools.

Now on to the least favorite misunderstood wax of them all, and my all time favorite (I root for the underdog) hard wax.  This wax can come in a variety of ways tins, beads, and blocks.  Hard wax has to be warmed first before it can be used.  It spreads thicker than strip wax (about the thickness of a nickel), and has to harden before you can remove it. The great thing about hard wax is that it does not stick to the skin, only the hair.  It may be an alternative option for someone who skin has been unhappy when using strip wax.

Here is a video I did on hard wax.

This Blog Post is dedicated to Regina F.  thanks for the inspiration.

Have you ever had a paraffin dip?

First Things First

The First Step in keeping your bikini line dreamy, is to find a method that works for you and be consistent. You bet my preferred method of hair removal is waxing, and you get the best results if you wax every 4 to 6 weeks. Exfoliate every 3 to 4 days and moisturize your bikini area daily to prevent ingrown hairs.

A Brief Reminder

You will see me or hear me say this a thousand times and it is so important. Make sure you are waxed by a licensed esthetician, that she practices no double dipping,  and that she wears gloves while waxing. This will keep you safe while enjoying your newly waxed skin.

RT @myshobha ‘could a bikini wax kill you?’ @womenshealthmag article is on the homepage of http://www.msn.com today!!!! *great question*

After The Doctors body waxing episode aired the fur flew. Ok well not literally but yes people started asking the hard questions. Can someone die from bikini waxing or lose limbs? I still have not seen the episode that aired right before waxing season went into full-swing.

Urban Legend: I would have to say that anything is possible and yes in the case of the young woman in Australia that was near death after a brazilian bikini wax. There are two contradicting reports one that says that she is a diabetic and another that reported that she had the STD herpes.

Either way she should not have been waxed. Both diabetes and Sexually transmitted diseases are contraindications for body waxing and can have serious consequences if ignored. There is no 100% sure fire way to guarantee a perfect wax, but we can definitely minimize the potential of wax related injuries.

Make sure the person waxing you is a trained esthetician, wax technician, or cosmetologist, that they practice “no double dipping”, and that they wear gloves. Following these steps can help to reduce injury.

To deny that great makeup looks better on beautiful skin would be nothing short of insane. In our western culture, we are negligent when it comes to our skin. In her book The Color Of Beauty, Iman said that she was taught that “the skin you take care of in your teens and 20s is the skin you inherit in your 30s, 40s, and beyond.”

When I read that statement, it struck a nerve. I remembered a conversation that I had with my Aunt Sheila (my dad’s sister) back in 1999 when we were roomies down in Georgia. I’d gone in her room to say good night, and there she was standing in her bathroom with a white mask on her face.

That moment opened up a ritual of weekly masks and girl bonding. We would wash our faces and put on our masks and talk. Now my aunt Sheila has the most beautiful skin I have ever seen on an individual. Her complexion is perfect, but so is her skin care routine.

Every night she cleanses her face. “I don’t care what time of the night it is. I never wear makeup to bed.” She learned that from her mother. She will occasionally use a toner if she feels oily and uses plenty of moisturizer and avoids her oily zones.

Now her excellent skin care habits totally rubbed off on me and played a part in my decision to add esthetician to my makeup artist resume. Flash forward to 2009 and here I am makeup artist/ esthetician with my own blog about skin care and beauty.

Ms. Esthy TV will be launching Spring 2009. This show is where Beauty, Passion, and Technology collide. Don’t miss out… Stay close to your computers.

I would like to personally thank each and every person that has supported Ms. Esthetician with your words of encouragement, wonderful reviews, emails, reading this blog and referring your family and friends. I really do appreciate your earnest efforts to make “our” business a success. You all are my eyes and ears. It is the goal of M.E. to continue to provide you with the kind of service that you love, quality work in a hospitable environment. Without you there is no Ms. Esthetician. Thank you.

It has been amazing waxing with you this past year.

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon.

On that day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further. It seemed to be stuck.

Then the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth out, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of cocoon. The moth emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand and be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened!

In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting coocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.

If we were to go through life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

Give every opportunity a chance. – unknown