Powder V Oil when waxing...

Powder or Oil? What to do, what to do?

THE MOST CONFUSING STEP IN WAXING

aahhhhh beauty schools the world over, I blame you for creating the powder or oil confusion.

In my school, if it bared itself,

we powdered it, and powdered it good. We darn near made a cake of it.

Underarm cake. Face cookies. Brow brownies. You get the picture :)

The more powder the better! If you can still see the skin, you don't have enough powder on it!

So we powdered and powdered, without ever really knowing why, other than, "because they said to".

Now that we are out of the clutches of "the man" and on our own we don't have to be afraid to ask the questions that so few know the answers to...

Why do we powder when waxing?

AND...

perhaps more important, do we HAVE to powder every single time?

The mystery will now be revealed

Deep breath, and drum roll please (rat a tat tat)

No, you do not need to powder every single time you wax,

I realize that this news may rattle some of you to the very core, so feel free to take a moment before you continue.

Feel better? Good, let's move on...

Here's the scoop

Why powder at all?

Powder is meant to absorb moisture (perspiration and general dampness)

If there is moisture on the skin, the wax WILL NOT ADHERE to the hair, which will make your waxing service a total nightmare. So, If you're client is moist, for whatever reason, powder is the way to go.

Side note: some say that using powder also helps to make the hair stand up so that it's easier to wax on the legs.

How much powder should you use?

Excellent question. You don't need much, just a light dusting will do. If your client continues to perspire throughout the treatment you can add a bit more here and there. If you dump a bunch of powder on damp/oily skin you will make a cake and it will not be tasty.

What powder is best?

In general you want something pure, without fragrances or oils. Fragrances can be irritating and drying and oils may interfere with the wax you are using. Of course I recommend Beelicious Dusting Powder as it is 100% organic and free from all chemicals, fragrances, oils etc.

How do I know when I need to powder?

An even better question! The simple answer is, analyze the skin to see if it is damp/oily. If it is use a bit of powder. If, however, the skin is dry and flaky do not use powder.

Powder absorbs moisture and oil, if the skin is dry/dehydrated and you apply powder, you are further drying the skin making it more susceptible to lifting and general irritation. Makey Sensey?

So what does oil have to do with any of this?

If you apply a bit of powder when the skin is damp/oily, then you would use oil (or the like) when skin is dry/dehydrated to protect and hydrate. But not too much (remember too much oil and the wax will not stick).

Bottom line, the more balanced, supple and hydrated the skin is when you remove the hair, the better your results will be.

For some reason when waxing we tend to throw the skin out the window and focus on the hair. Remember the hair is attached to the skin, so we need to look at both to provide the best service possible.

Hope this was helpful.

Happy waxin' y'all

Tags: Waxing, brazilian, brow, design, waxing

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Comment by Kimberly Cummings Nyamekye on May 1, 2013 at 9:46am: Thank you sooooooo very much for all the great tips in waxing. I remember some things and little short cuts from school. It is always nice to have some helping tips in the wax field. Thanks for posting all the great info. love it..

K