Waxing question#3 - full legs make me give up the will to live - help!

[Sassy Hassy]

Given the problems I have in Q1 and Q2 already given I know that it is not helping my quest to do full legs in a decent time as I am struggling to get the wax to flow as I want it to, and then maybe having to rego over areas because I didn't get the hair out first time.

That said I just find full leg waxes mind numbingly tedious and seem to take me forever. Does anyone else find this, or just me? Please say I'm not alone and I will feel much better!

At the moment I do the lower half of each leg with wax and then remove, then the knees and remove, and then the tops of the legs and remove. Same on the back (minus the knees). But somehow it can still take me up to an hour, especially really hairy people and larger ladies. I do spend a lot of time making sure I get every last bit of wax off and tweezing a lot, but I know I have been to salons for my own waxing and they have done neither when it has needed doing. Am i being TOO meticulous?

Again any tips anyone can give I would be mucho obliged. Thank you
PS I am using the Australian Bodycare tea tree system

 

[Chameleon]

Sassy,dont despair hun...if it takes you an hour then so be it

You are breaking the areas over just fine and thats how i do it....but i know if someone new comes through the door i just pray they are a size 8:lol::lol:

Seriously,take your time and charge accordingly,dont undercut yourself ,with the amount of product you use.

I wish i could jump on a plane and we could have some "one on one" practise...

I know its frustrating,when you have a system,and dont want to re invest...believe me after seeing Perron Rigot in action,wowed me.

I have to sy that is very good on stubborn hairs,and coarse hairs,esp.for bikini and underarm,but i know you dont want to hear that:lol:

Just keep perservering:hug:
Remember to stretch the skin properly on the upper leg,watch for the direction of hair growth.

I have to say though,when i can i will be getting Perron Rigot,for bikini and underarm....trust the French to have the answer again:green:

 

[Sassy Hassy]

The upper leg is not so bad for me as the hair tends to be less coarse, and I do wax round the leg in the direction of the hair if it goes that way. I think you and Richard are going to have to take a working holiday to Javea!!!

 

[Urban Geek]

Andy gave good advice re charging for waxing. Don't state a set amount on your price lists, put from £.... to £.... and then you can charge according to each clients needs.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Andy gave good advice re charging for waxing. Don't state a set amount on your price lists, put from £.... to £.... and then you can charge according to each clients needs.

OMG this answer is so non PC, but do I say " well that'll be xxx extra Mrs Smith cos you're so big and I had more to wax"?!!!! Actually I do it the other way round, we've kind of set up the price at the top end of the scale (although it's not their fault that I am slow) and if maybe on the upper leg they only have a small amount of hair that needs waxing I tend to charge between a half and full leg.

 

[Urban Geek]

Your idea too of stating a higher price is a good idea too, although it might deter some money conscious people from going to you.

Andy did say that when we sate a from £ ... to £... price we should never quite charge the highest amount otherwise clients would get a bit annoyed.

When I start doing waxing, I would explain my costing before I start the service and explain that it is based on the time I take.

 

[bombini]

If it makes you feel any better it takes me about an 1 hour for a full leg wax and I have been waxing for years ! I hardly do any so I blame it on lack of practice :lol:

I think the average is between 40mins - 1hr so son't worry to much.

 

[joe90]

Hi Sass, I hate full legs too but have found them much less of a pain (no pun intended) if I do the back of legs first. I start at the top work my way down to the bottom of each leg, then do the fronts. Maybe it is psychological but I don't seem to take nearly as long doing them this way.

 

[BABSann]

I think given that you're working with clients who have a much stronger/courser hairgrowth than what you are used to Sass,one hour is absolutely realistic.

I have a Turkish and a few Spanish clients who come in for regular waxing and they definately take me longer than most.Of course there are English ladies who have stronger than normal hairgrowth but I think your timings are perfectly normal.

I think you will find that the more you do the quicker you will become with your waxing,and I reckon that when you come back over here for visits,if you're asked to do a full leg wax you will do it in no time at all because it will seem like a doddle.
Dont let it get you down,keep up the good work and using your tweezers shows you're professional and thorough.I am amazed how many clients tell me that places they have been before have not checked for stray hairs or used their tweezers.

 

[JackieMc]

I know its frustrating,when you have a system,and dont want to re invest...believe me after seeing Perron Rigot in action,wowed me.

I have to say that is very good on stubborn hairs,and coarse hairs,esp.for bikini and underarm,but i know you dont want to hear that:lol:

I have to agree - I swapped over to Perron Rigot as soon as I had completed my training and I haven't looked back since. Their 'stripless' wax is a dream to use. More pricey, but it's worth it, and everyone I use it on say they would never go back to another wax as it is far less painful, even on the bikini line!

Regarding your times, I take a long time doing full legs too, and if I miss any I'm there with the tweezers trying to get every last straggler out, I reckon your clients will appreciate the time and care you take when waxing them so I wouldn't worry.

Jackie
x

 

[siana]

This has been great reading for me as I am new to waxing too. Can someone please tell me more about this Peron Rigor??? wax I keep reading about. Is it used the same as normal warm wax in a wax pot but at a higher temp? Why is it so good - please enlighten me someone is sounds great.

Siana

 

[Kim Lawless]

A full leg wax makes anyone lose the will to live. 45mins to 1hr for a full leg and bikini is average. I always include their feet.

Where's that Andy (Axiom), I want a word LOL. I would never charge more for a hairy person. Bloody hell!! It's like going into a Harvester and being told "I'm sorry Madam but can I weigh you first" LOL. Another problem with charging different prices is that you have to make sure that you charge the same next time.

My waxing price list is very detailed so I just decide what they are having. For example:-

Bikini.............I would do just inside the knicker line
High Bikini...........I'd go very high so they could wear a high leg bikini
Australian..........An extra £5 as I go 'down under' (inside their butt) on bikini and high bikini
Brazilian...........Butt and most of the front leaving a landing strip)
Hollywood..........All off, back and front.

It's like anything, everyone is different. Some people are extra hairy, and some people are so hair free that you wonder why they've come to you in the first place. Some you win and some you lose.

What they don't tell you at college is that for the most part, slim people are quick and easy to wax and larger ladies can take longer and are more difficult.............it stands to reason as you have a larger expanse of skin to remove hair from. For example, if you do a bikini on a slim lady, you go up to the bone, stretch and bam.............it's off. £12...........thank you very much.

On a larger lady, like myself, you have to make sure that the skin is stretched or you could cause bruising. Also, you have to get them to move around a bit to get to certain areas.

It's different strokes for different folks.

 

[pellant]

Hi Sassy

I use the the clean and easy system and a full leg takes me about 40-45mins, and that is with the tweezering after, I do not like to see my clients leaving with hair still on. But I do love waxing.

 

[pellant]

Bikini.............I would do just inside the knicker line
High Bikini...........I'd go very high so they could wear a high leg bikini

I like the sound of that, I tend to just charge one price whether it is normal or high. May have to change and add a price for a high bikini.

 

[Little Angel]

Hi

I do roller waxing for legs, fantastic! I use the depilieve and find it really easy and pleasant to work with, my clients say it hurts a lot less then the old pot method too.

I take about 30-40 mins including tweezing, but then i have been doing it a long time. Practice makes perfect, just like nails you get your times down as you get more experience.

HTH

 

[Axiom]

Where's that Andy (Axiom), I want a word LOL. I would never charge more for a hairy person. Bloody hell!! It's like going into a Harvester and being told "I'm sorry Madam but can I weigh you first" LOL. Another problem with charging different prices is that you have to make sure that you charge the same next time....

It's like anything, everyone is different. Some people are extra hairy, and some people are so hair free that you wonder why they've come to you in the first place. Some you win and some you lose.

Lol, I hear my name being taken in vain! :wink2:

I see it more like going into Harvester and being charged according to how much I take from the dessert trolley, lol Think of it this way: why should I pay the same price to have the 3 hairs on my chest waxed as someone who is covered from neck to navel in thick, wiry curls? As you said yourself, everyone is different, from the gorillas to the virtually hairless, so why should we all pay the same price?

It's not necessarily about the amount of hair itself, but more about the time and effort it takes us as therapists to get clean results - tweezing takes time, larger customers take more time than smaller ones, stubborn hairs take more effort than ones that come out easily, and this is time and product that I feel justified in charging for. Keeping a note on my client record cards allows me to charge the same next time, and as long as the maximum price is quoted on the menu my first-time customers know where they stand in that they will never be charged above this ceiling (and as Christine said I've pitched my upper limit slightly higher than I would ever actually charge, so that no-one feels like they are the hairiest beast out there!)

As for the legs, Sass, I have one fab little tip which I picked up from Lori Nestore: get the back of the upper thighs while the client is still lying on their back (i.e. face up). Ask them to hook their hands under their knee and lift their knee towards their chest, then get all of the hair you can reach at the top of the thigh from this angle - it keeps the skin beautifully taut and really cuts down on time.

Andy x

 

[BABSann]

I feel I have to comment on the charging of different prices depending on amount of hair.

I personally would NOT recommend this at all.Firstly Andy ,you work on the male clientelle who are not easily offended,well...not as easily:green:

Women on the other hand are a different matter altogether.What would you say for example to the 2 friends who come in for a half legh wax each.one is a size 8,you charge her £12.50,the other is a size 22,you charge her ???????How is a therapist going to diplomatically explain the reaon behind her price difference??

I think it would be a huge minefield and I have never been in any salon or known of any therapist who charges more for the bigger person,well.....until now Andy:hug:JMHO

 

[Chameleon]

Well,personally i think you remain diplomatic,and with tact,after all its your time and product,and if they have more hair,you have to charge accordingly babs...

I do this as Andy states,and i stand by it:lol::green:

 

[BABSann]

Well,personally i think you remain diplomatic,and with tact,after all its your time and product,and if they have more hair,you have to charge accordingly babs...

I do this as Andy states,and i stand by it:lol::green:

I would never charge more,I really dont think I could be so callous.Sorry,my best friend is a bigger lady and I know she would be absolutely mortified if we went into a salon for the same treatment and she got charged more.

I know its not just about bigger people as it dosnt always follow that a bigger person has more hair.

Do we start charging more for massage because someone is bigger and its harder work for us and more oil is needed???Where do we stop???

Sorry Its how I feel,:green:

 

[bombini]

I can see why we should charge more, time, wax etc. but after mentioning it to a few people I have had quite negative reactions.

I have always had different prices for eyebrow waxing and this works ok but I have to say I would be concerned at explaining to the client why I have charged them the highest price for a leg wax, and would be worried they may take it as some form of discrimination - I can see it now in take a break magazine about how the larger girl gets charged more than her slimmer friend !!

I also think that the client would be inclined to go to another salon (for the cheaper price) then say oh you know that salon up the road they charge more because im fatter, can you imagine ? May aswell shut up shop now :lol:

Also how many of you knock money off if you finish 10 minutes early or the client has hardly any hair ?

If I was going to do this then I would have a price say £14 half leg wax then charge extra per 15 mins, even then im not to sure as the client could argue you are just slow lol