Waxing problems

[krum]

I'm new to waxing and at college we trained using PHD. Now I'm in a salon I'm finding using pot and stick really hard especially for leg waxes.
My problems are. The wax flicking and dripping everywhere! Getting it to leg from pot it drips and when on the leg I can get a thin spread but only a about 3 inches long not the length of the whole calf.
We use honey wax. If it's any cooler and therefore thicker it won't spread but when it's hot an thin it runs everywhere!
I keep ending up dribbling wax everywhere on the bed.
Also the clients end up covered in little patches of wax no matter how I press and pull my strips.
What makes it even more annoying is the bed is static and I'm tall so it really hurts bending over the bed meaning it's even harder to concentrate.
Can anyone help? Hints and tips? I'm so annoyed at college for teaching us in a method that is not used in he vast majority of businesses.

 

[Jack Dunn]

I'm new to waxing and at college we trained using PHD. Now I'm in a salon I'm finding using pot and stick really hard especially for leg waxes.
My problems are. The wax flicking and dripping everywhere! Getting it to leg from pot it drips and when on the leg I can get a thin spread but only a about 3 inches long not the length of the whole calf.
We use honey wax. If it's any cooler and therefore thicker it won't spread but when it's hot an thin it runs everywhere!
I keep ending up dribbling wax everywhere on the bed.
Also the clients end up covered in little patches of wax no matter how I press and pull my strips.
What makes it even more annoying is the bed is static and I'm tall so it really hurts bending over the bed meaning it's even harder to concentrate.
Can anyone help? Hints and tips? I'm so annoyed at college for teaching us in a method that is not used in he vast majority of businesses.

You may find using metal or plastic spatulas much easier to use; the hold a lot more wax than the little wooden ones and they are much stronger so you can get a much better application of wax. It's important to keep your spatula at 90 degrees ( just like when you spread butter on toast!) and keeping the spatula at that angle will give you a longer spread of wax. The moment you lay the spatula down on the body it just won't spread and you just get smaller areas covered...

If there are little patches of wax left it may be that the skins quite dry and using a little oil may help this or running the strip a bit firmer should also help to lift them all. If there are little bits of sticky wax left then using a little oil on the skin and rubbing over this gently with a clean wax strip this will remove these.

Also there are so many different consistencies of wax available so it's worth trying out a few different ones to see what works for you some of the creamy waxes can be very thick so they don't spread so easily... Maybe you should try some of the more fluid type waxes and see what you think of those. When I'm waxing I have my wax quite thin and I spread it really quickly with the spatula.

Getting your couch in the correct position is really important as bad posture can make your working day feel very long and stressful! It's a shame that your couch doesn't have the option of adjusting the height, often they have some facility for moving it up or down with some little pegs.



Hope that helps ...

 

[Lauren121]

Is there a chair on wheels you could buy? Like an adjustable one so you can get at the right height? Maybe not to sit down but to kneel on it? To take some strain of your back

 

[Kim Lawless]

You need to master turning your spatula nice and slowly from the pot to the body without stopping. The second you stop it will drip. Hold it straight the whole time.........if you hold it upwards like a lollipop the wax will run down onto your hand and if you hold it downwards or tilted it will drop onto the floor. So sideways and turn it towards you if you're right handed and away of you're left handed.

If you're leaving wax behind when you're rubbed the strip well it could be that you're applying the wax too thick or it's a poor quality wax.

HTH's

 

[squidgernetball]

I cannot fathom why a college would teach phd.

Some time after leaving college I bought a roller wax kit. I used it for several months but felt I needed a regular pot and spatula alongside it for awkward bits and then started to think I was losing my waxing skills so gave up the roller and honed my pot and spatula skills!

It may help if you could observe some waxing, or have a look on you tube x

 

[krum]

Thank you for all your advice.
It is hard in that I have to use what the salon provide me with and that is a hydraulic bed that doesn't work so is stuck at one height. Wooden spatulas and salon systems warm wax.
The idea of using a different spatula is great. I hope to have a home salon in future and would love to use all these things. Thanks for the technique tips. I can definitely use those [emoji4]

 

[kirstie1980]

You need to master turning your spatula nice and slowly from the pot to the body without stopping. The second you stop it will drip. Hold it straight the whole time.........if you hold it upwards like a lollipop the wax will run down onto your hand and if you hold it downwards or tilted it will drop onto the floor. So sideways and turn it towards you if you're right handed and away of you're left handed.

If you're leaving wax behind when you're rubbed the strip well it could be that you're applying the wax too thick or it's a poor quality wax.

HTH's

I was trying to come up with a way to write this but i didnt make any sense. Thank god for Kim The whole spatula spinning thing does work. I cant believe they didnt show you this when learning, i get my students learning how to handle the wax properly before they even apply it to skin. All schools are different i guess

 

[Syvanna]

Spinning is definitely the answer! Can't believe they didn't show you this either!

 

[Kim Lawless]

Absolutely! My students will tell you how strict I am on this. They have to master the spatula before I let them move away from the wax pot. Sounds picky at the time but it serves them well in the future.

If you can't handle your wax and spatula, you won't be a good waxer because you will be focusing on trying to not drop the wax rather than your waxing. When you get this right you should be able to stand and have a conversation whilst turning the spatula (nice and slow) and it won't drop.

 

[Grace_Hair]

I would speak to your salon (if you're employed) and ask them to get different equipment. Surely they want you doing your best and if using different equipment is going to help you achieve that it's a good investment?

 

[squidgernetball]

I'll be honest. As an employer I don't expect to buy new equipment, I would expect a therapist qualified in waxing to be able to use a pot and spatula. Sadly, I think this therapist had badly been let down in her training. To 'teach' PHD waxing in a college is, in my mind, an out and out cop out. Waxing with a spatula is a skill that you learn at college and hone your skills over time. To not even be taught it is shocking. However, we are interviewing next week, and I now know to ask if they are trained with pot and spatula. Sorry it doesn't help the op!

Vic x

 

[Grace_Hair]

I'll be honest. As an employer I don't expect to buy new equipment, I would expect a therapist qualified in waxing to be able to use a pot and spatula. Sadly, I think this therapist had badly been let down in her training. To 'teach' PHD waxing in a college is, in my mind, an out and out cop out. Waxing with a spatula is a skill that you learn at college and hone your skills over time. To not even be taught it is shocking. However, we are interviewing next week, and I now know to ask if they are trained with pot and spatula. Sorry it doesn't help the op!

Vic x

I wasn't meaning changing their WHOLE way of working.
But for instance, someone said to use different types of spatula. Something as simple, and I'm assuming, as inexpensive could make her job easier and of better quality?!

 

[squidgernetball]

I wasn't meaning changing their WHOLE way of working.
But for instance, someone said to use different types of spatula. Something as simple, and I'm assuming, as inexpensive could make her job easier and of better quality?!

Sorry, thought you meant a whole new wax system lol x

 

[Grace_Hair]

Sorry, thought you meant a whole new wax system lol x

I wasn't very good at explaining myself!!

 

[FakeBakeLover99]

I was trained spatula turning before we applied it to the skin too and after a while its second nature and you don't even think about the process. Xxx

 

[krum]

Does anyone have a video of spatula turning/spinning? Most videos I find don't show taking the wax from the pot just close up of applying it to the skin.

 

[sandydee]

Just practice turning a spatula in your hand pretending you have wax on one side of it. The more you practice the easier it becomes once you add wax. Hope this makes sense. x

 

[BeautyByShan]

I use Gigi tea tree cream wax and it's lovely
It doesn't run too much when warm and is perfect for spreading. I remember when I first started waxing I had the exact same problem but I worked with 3 other colleagues so I watched them and came up with my own technique
First dip the spatula into the wax pot. Before taking the spatula out of the pot but after you have taken it out of the wax, let a little bit of the excess wax drip back down into the pot. Then take your spatula out of the pot. If worried put your other hand underneath the hand holding the spatula. Hold the spatula straight so the wax doesn't slide off and if you get any stringy peices of wax coming off the spatula then turn the spatula like everyone else has said and spread like butter on toast
The key I think is to be fast once taking the spatula out the pot. This sounds complicated but hope it helps!!

 

[spbabyy]

What we do in college with the pot and spatula is when walking to the client we then the spatula to prevent it dripping, if you aren't confident with it you could always walk over holding a wax strip underneath while u turn the spatula so if any wax does drop off it lands on the strip x