Dip, Drip or Paint....

[MyBelize]

...Paraffin that is...

I am a salon owner with not a lot of experience in the nail industry.

How do you get the wax on the hand? I am told that dipping is now considered a no no. I have actually tried scooping wax into the liner then inserting my hand but I find this feels gooey and messy. Does it feel the same way when you dip or apply with a brush? I've never had a paraffin treatment before yesterday.

 

[akaza]

Hi,

I use the dip method...Its the first that I've heard of not being able to dip?

I think if you use the anti back spray before you dip and clean the paraffin bath regulary and change the wax often, then dipping shouldnt be a problem...I wouldnt do a paraffin dip on anyone who had a skin or nail infection etc...

hth x x

 

[sidmisty]

...Paraffin that is...

I am a salon owner with not a lot of experience in the nail industry.

How do you get the wax on the hand? I am told that dipping is now considered a no no. I have actually tried scooping wax into the liner then inserting my hand but I find this feels gooey and messy. Does it feel the same way when you dip or apply with a brush? I've never had a paraffin treatment before yesterday.

Hi when I do it I line a class bowl with tin foil scoop it up with a big spoon then I brush it on with a soft brush a bit like a paint brush
Very messey and you have a job to clean the brush afterwards but its all down to hygine
Alison xx

 

[JoJo!]

I also do the same. I line a small bowl with foil and scoop out wax from the pot and put into the bowl then apply it with a brush. This is the way i trained and this is the way i always do it as it is most hygienic and there is no chance of contaminating your main paraffin wax bath. HTH

 

[pringle12]

I also do the same. I line a small bowl with foil and scoop out wax from the pot and put into the bowl then apply it with a brush. This is the way i trained and this is the way i always do it as it is most hygienic and there is no chance of contaminating your main paraffin wax bath. HTH

I do it this way too,for hygienic reasons.xx

 

[Yummi]

Sorry to hijack the thread, can I ask how you guys clean the brush?

At college we haven't been given a specific technique to clean the brushes and its flippin hard to do!

 

[Martin Duffy]

I anti-bac spray & dip, for those worried about hygiene of dipping this might be of interest:

Therabath Paraffin Products | Paraffin Hygiene Information

When I was at college they used to re-use it, which was rather horrifying when it came to paraffin face masques!

 

[Southerngirlspa]

I just got some cool little strips that are thin and stretchy and designed to be used with parrafin. You dip them in the wax, then wrap the hand or foot up like a mummy, then let it cool and peel off.

I havent used them yet, so I dont know how easy they are to work with, but they look really nifty. I will let y'all know.

Hygenic or not, I know a lot of clients have expressed their squeamishness in putting their hands or feet into the wax after others. So in an effort to just not even deal with the issue and offer a super clean alternative I got these.

 

[Martin Duffy]

I've never had any clients express any concern about the wax issue, although I've always explained to them that it's perfectly hygienic. I find people are a little less concerned about hands anyway, probably due to all the dirty doorknobs, money etc they touch day in day out!

Normal gauze works just as well, simply dip it in, let it drip & wrap it around the hand/foot.

 

[Cathie!]

I'm sure there was a thread some moons ago about the wax creating a seal around the skin as soon as it hits the wax, so no cross contamination can occur, I'll see if I can dig it out.

We're H&S mad in this country!

 

[Martin Duffy]

I'm sure there was a thread some moons ago about the wax creating a seal around the skin as soon as it hits the wax, so no cross contamination can occur, I'll see if I can dig it out.

We're H&S mad in this country!

If you click on the link to the site I posted above it gives a demonstration of the 'glove' effect. You're certainly right about the H&S thing, far worse happens at sea as they say!

 

[adelekeegan1]

I always dip as I was taught about the instant seal as the wax is hotter than the skin.

It real does give the best coverage in my opinion.

 

[ClaireyCanary]

i never dip the hands into the parrafin wax warmer - when i was studying at college we were shown an accident video in which a therapist placed a clients hand into the parrafin wax and although the wax was the right temperature the actual warmer was to warm and as a result burnt the clients hand. it was a messy photo. yuk

xoxo

 

[Martin Duffy]

I can only think the wax heater being used was not suited for professional use as I've never seen or heard of this happening. Good quality paraffin wax heaters have a thick plastic mesh at the bottom to prevent the hand ever coming into contact with the bottom (which is the part in immediate contact with the heating element), which would make such a burn impossible.

 

[PolishedAussie]

Sorry but really against the double dip etc. To much problems with cross contamination! Yes we do touch things all the time and we arn't in a bubble but just think that we have a professional obligation to make sure that we are reducing the risk. I also read an article somewhere about someone who contracted multiple warts that they suspected they contracted from a paraffin dip. Again these things are not often easy to prove but hey I wouldn't want to be the salon in the headline or the therapist with something on my conscience!! Sorry just thinking of the bacteria under multiple peoples nails festering in the wax...anybody!!!!

 

[Katmoz33]

i use a small bowl to scoop the wax in to then i paint it on with a brush, just line the bowl so its easy to clean out...
i was told that dipping is unhygenic and can be off putting for a client if they think someones foot has been in the wax bath before their hands eeek! lol

 

[Martin Duffy]

To reiterate on the dipping is unhygienic comments, there have been no documented cases of cross-contamination due to communal use of a paraffin wax bath. The wax heat is maintained around 130 degrees F & contains no water, which makes it very difficult for any pathogens to survive.

Furthermore, when a body part is dipped into the paraffin an instant layer of wax forms around it because the skin is about 22 degrees colder than the wax, this barrier prevents germs or dirt (which won't be there if the hand is sanitised first anyway) from contaminating the remaining wax.

Here again is a link that demonstrates the truth of this & contains lab reports relating to the relative safety of 'dipping' with paraffin wax.

http://www.therabathpro.com/hygiene.php

 

[Becca Bee]

I'm against the double dipping as well. I was trained to dispose of the wax after every use, and would be horrified if i thought that any parafin had been used before me. Why would i want to expose my clients to any risk?

Just as another point, parafin wax doesn't get hot enough to kill bacteria, so even if the wax seal is true, then i don't honestly think that the temperatures are sufficient to warant the risks presented by double dipping.

I won't do it, it doesn't feel right, and goes against my training... What price a client's safety and peace of mine? It's not as if parafin is a huge expense...

Rebecca

 

[Martin Duffy]

No-one is talking about re-using the wax, well at least I hope not, we're talking about the immersion of the hand or foot into the wax bath itself as opposed to other less 'communal' methods. Regarding the heat issue, if you click on the link I provided there is reference to a clinical study on survival of bacteria in paraffin wax.

 

[MyBelize]

See...the only problem I have with the link is that it is written by the company that is supplying the paraffin bath (Thermabathpro). I would like to see a study by some independent source that claims this as well.

Meanwhile, what seems to work quite well is a lined pan and a turkey baster. The turkey baster allows the wax to drip over the hand quite well and the bowl catches the drippings.

Also, I recently purchased the spray paraffin and have tried it a few times at home to see how well it works before bringing it into the salon. My thought is that I would refill the little sprayers from the main bath (with the turkey baster) because they are quite expensive. The problem is, when doing it at home, the wax sprays everywhere. So now, I have to find a solution to this problem.