Comparison of Hot and Warm Waxing Products in the Industry Today - Essay Example

A comparison of hot and warm waxing products in the industry today The following essay will look at waxing and its status in the industry today; comparing hot and warm waxes used, briefly looking at other hair removal methods. The way the evidence was gathered in this essay is through the internet, research papers and journals and books. There is also a physical aspect to this essay in the collation of information gathered from local salons on their best selling methods. Ancient Egyptians waxed, a smooth hairless body was the standard of beauty, youth and innocence for all young women in Egypt. The Greeks also adopted this idea; they thought pubic hair was ugly. The Romans had a different approach some of the time with tweezers calling them “voisella” they also had a kind of depilatory cream, “philotrum” or “dropax” waxing was done with resin or pitch. In 1520, “Bassano de Zra wrote; “The Turks consider it sinful when a woman lets hair on her private parts grow” (www.getgrowing/history). Gallant (1993) pg 265 states, “Shaving, cutting, abrasive gloves and depilatory creams remove hair from the skin surface only”. Although this is not used by industry because in comparison the effects of these methods will only last days and waxing will last much longer. Warm wax increased in industry from 1975 and slowly replaced most hot wax in salons in the industry, although hot is still used warm is more commonly used because its applications time is much faster. The heating temperature for warm wax is 47C but its working temperature is 43C. The ingredients include a mixture of glucose syrup, zinc oxide and some synthetic resins; the mixture also includes azulene a soothing agent. Fructose syrup-honey can be used as an alternative base product. Disposable waxing heads which screw onto containers with wax in are said to reduce the risk of cross infection as they are single use. The physical application is the same as warm wax. Hot wax is a blend of waxes and resins these enable the product to stay flexible when cool. The end product contains 25%-60% beeswax. Hot wax also contains soothing agents including azulene also cetiol and vitamin E to calm the reaction on the skin. Gallant (1993) pg 267 states that “if well maintained, hot wax is very economical to use, but it does require proper care to work at its best” Sugar waxing is an ancient method of waxing and can be applied with the hands or strips. The contents of sugar wax include sugar and water mixed to a paste and can include honey and lemon. Warm wax is applied to cleansed skin in the direction of the hair growth. Patterns of hair growth may vary, for instance, the hair growth on the underarm area usually grows in several directions and can take a few applications of wax to complete. The legs have less hair growth on the muscle on the back of the legs (gastrocnemius) and the direction of hair growth is more consistent. Strips placed over the wax and are pulled away in the opposite direction of the hair growth; this pulls the hair directly from the root. This can cause temporary redness in the area due to the slight trauma to the surface area of the skin. Hot wax application is applied to cleansed skin, but talc is applied to the skin first to help the hairs stand on end this, will help the wax adhere to the hairs more effectively upon the application of the wax. Wax applied against the direction of the hair on the first layer and against the hair growth on the second layer, allowing the edges to be slightly thicker will help in the removal. To remove the hot wax; when the wax has lost the shine the edges need to be lifted so the wax can be removed in the same way as if a strip against the hair growth. Hot waxing cannot be repeated on the same area twice because of the temperature this could cause severe irritation to the skin. The wax that is used the most in industry today is warm wax but there is a wide variety available from the most common honey wax to aloe vera which is believed to have healing agents to reduce irritation and help healing. This wax comes in a clear gel form, and is not very easy to use for visual reasons; also cosmetic waxes such as chocolate and strawberry are available. Waxing is only a temporary method of hair removal and lasts around 4 to 6 weeks. There can be regrowth from the day after; this is because there are different hair cycles known as anagen, catagen and telogen and depending on the cycle that the hair is removed from the follicle will depend how close to the surface the new hair is. There are factors which need to be considered when looking at regrowth or general growth of the hair, hormones play a large part in the rate hair grows for example puberty, pregnancy and the menopause all effect hair growth patterns. Hair grows faster in warmer climates so hair will grow faster in the summer than in the winter hair also grows faster at night than in the day, medication and illness also have an impact on hair growth patterns. The average cost of a half leg wax using warm wax is £12-£15, a few pounds more for hot wax. Bikini waxing can vary more as different salons have both basic and specialised waxing such as Brazilian or Hollywood, which removes hair in the genital areas. Prices start from around £12 upwards, although local colleges in most areas will offer waxing services from their students at much cheaper rates. Prices did seem to change a little geographically but this was no different to any other product or service. The different styles of waxing are more varied than the basic bikini or leg wax and male waxing is also on the rise. An online article states that an eyebrow wax varies from £7 at beauty salons or hairdressers as the process is very quick and simple (Mail online Article/37058). Buying wax from the wholesale warehouse ranges from £3-£4 for warm wax excluding VAT. This can do in excess of five treatments at around an average of £7-£8. The hot wax ranges around £4.80 per 425g pot excluding VAT. This wax will incur fewer treatments. Warm wax needs the use of strips, at a cost of about £2.50- £3 excluding VAT per 100 per packet. Taking all this into account, the cost effectiveness for both would about the same. From the evidence collated within this essay it would conclude the method of waxing is more of a personal preference of the client rather than the cost effectiveness. Warm wax is cheaper, but needs more products. Hot wax can be more effective on shorter hairs, but more painful. Also, surprisingly around 40% of some women today will wax for their boyfriends and husbands, according to an online article (Renton 2009). Both warm wax products and hot wax products have their advantages and disadvantages. One benefit of warm wax is that it is a much faster process when compared to hot wax. More areas of the body can also be waxed at the same time. Warm wax can also be used for a range of both smooth and rough hair and in terms of hair regrowth; the hair tends to be of a finer type. One of the drawbacks of warm waxing is that when the process is complete, a sticky deposit is left behind. Severe skin irritation is also a common occurrence and there may even be discomfort in the pubic area as well as the chin, lip and even under the arms. Another drawback is that ingrown hairs may accompany re-growth. Hot wax on the other hand works better when it is applied onto areas that have rough or coarse hair. It also does a better job in terms of the way it grips hair compared to warm wax. Hot wax does also not leave behind a sticky deposit, as is the case with warm wax. As regards sensitive skin, hot wax is the better alternative. In addition, it is noteworthy that there is less inflammation on the skin after waxing (Vou, 2009). Hot wax however has its own share of disadvantages. To start with, it can be messy. In terms of both application and removal, hot wax takes considerably more time than warm wax. Furthermore, Hairs can breaking off of hair below or at surface is common. It also does not remove ingrown hairs that accompany regrowth, as is the case with warm wax. It is also difficult to apply hot wax to large areas of the body at once. Hot wax does also not remove the hairs that lie flat to the skin (James, 2010). Before using any wax products, it is important to consider some things. Infectious conditions of the skin greatly hinder waxing. This will occur especially if some of the skin products that we are using are laced with compounds such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid as well as alpha hydroxyl acids. These compounds may make the skin inflate during the waxing process. Some drug prescriptions should also be taken into account before waxing. For instance antibiotics as they may cause the skin to inflate or thin out. Skin that is broken or sunburnt should also not be waxed since it may tear easily (Torres, 2009). After using waxing products, one should avoid total exposure to the sun for around 24 hours. Potential activities that may irritate the skin such as using deodorants, saunas, swimming pools as well as hot showers should also be avoided. Dermatologists also recommend the use of moisturiser on a daily basis after one has under gone waxing. Appendices Number of Treatments per week average 5 – 10 10 – 20 20 – 30 30+ Types of wax used and do you have any other method of hair removal Hot Wax Warm Wax Tea Tree Wax Yes No References Gallant, A. Gillot, K. Howard, J. (1975, 1980, 1993) Principles and Techniques for the Beauty Specialist. 3rd ed. Cheltenham. Nelson Thornes Ltd. James, A. (2010) Waxing for hair removal http://www.hairfacts.com/methods/waxing-for-hair-removal/ Mernagh-Ward,D. Cartwright, J. (2004) Health and Beauty Therapy. 3rd ed. Cheltenham. Nelson Thornes Ltd. Renton, D. Groskop, V. (2009) My decade: The Brazilian waxer. The Guardian. 17 October. (2009) Is Eyebrow-waxing a good idea. Mail Online. Torres, N. (2009) Waxing Online http://hairremoval.about.com/od/waxing/a/wax-warnings.htm Vou, B. (2009). Warm Waxing http://www.waxinghairremoval.co.uk/warm_waxing.htm www.getgrowing.com/history.htm Read More