Posts Tagged ‘skin care’

Wax FAQ’s at Sweet Lemon Spa

June 16th, 2015

Frequently Asked Wax Questions:

First of all, if you are 4 days before, during or 4 days after menstruation, it’s best to hold off because this is the most painful time to get waxing.

If you are especially sensitive, please let us know beforehand, we can arrange for you to receive  numbing cream which will need to be applied 45 minutes before your service.  Many people use ibuprofen before waxing, and if that’s something you are comfortable taking, it may help with discomfort.

Three days before you wax, you want to exfoliate.  If you are using our Orange Pomengranate Body Wash, it contains glycolic acid which is a wonderful exfoliant and skin softener, however before any body waxing we want to hold off using it for 3 days before body waxing.  Using a physical scrub such as a sugar scrub will also work, just do this 3 days before.  Then post waxing, we want to hold off exfoliation for about 3 days after, since the skin may be more sensitive.

For facial waxing, please avoid using any retinol products, such as our Rejuven-A or Retinol Resurfacing products for one week prior to a facial wax.  If you are using our Herbal Salicylic Cleanser, Glycolic Citrus Cleanser, Lemon Cream Scrub, Rose Cream Scrub, Cranberry Enzyme Mask, Papaya Pineapple Mask, Pumpkin Mask, Mild Medicated Toner or Glycotoner, please stop using them for 3 days prior to your facial wax.

Why exfoliate? Because we want you to get the best waxing service possible, if hair gets trapped under dead skin it may not be removed while being waxed.  The wax will pull off the dead skin, leaving hair free.  Sometimes it does not show up right away and you get home and realize that you still have hair in these areas.  If this does happen, please let us know right away and we can get you in for a wax cleanup service, depending on the amount, we may have to charge you.  This is a case by case situation, we prefer to avoid.

We begin each waxing service with a brief consultation.  We sanitize the area to be waxed.  Then, depending on your skin and the area, we determine whether to use hard or soft wax. Soft wax is used with a strip and is the most commonly used wax.  It’s best for areas like the eyebrow, where we need definition, or the leg areas which are usually the least painful.  The soft wax takes off the dead skin, and can be more painful than hard wax.  Our standard is to only use hard wax for bikini, Brazilian, chest, lip and chin waxing.  Hard wax does take a bit longer because it is applied to the skin, and must harden first, however it does not take off skin cells, it merely wraps around the hair and only takes the hair with it, making it a less painful choice. Sometimes hard wax is hard to remove, so we gently use a little strip wax or oil to remove it, depending on the area.

Depending on the area, and if you have had problems with ingrown hairs before, and if it’s not contraindicated, we use high frequency to the area post wax to kill any bacteria that has been on the skin.  If you are especially sensitive, we recommend getting an LED treatment afterwards, it will also kill any bacteria and help with any post waxing inflammation.  Unfortunately, if you are pregnant, we can do neither high frequency or LED, but we will use a grain alcohol and Topical C to sanitize and reduce inflammation.

Why Should I Get a Facial?

June 11th, 2015

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Why should I get a facial?

asked my friend Sam, when I suggested it to him. ” Is there something wrong with my face?”  Oh dear, I am offending him I think to myself.

“No, Sam, I don’t see anything from here, but with a facial, you get a skin analysis after a cleanse and exfoliation.”

 

95% of my facial clients have concerns over aging, sagging, crepey dry skin or acneic, dark circles under the eyes.  What about the part of the population like my friend Sam, who has great genetics and no big visible signs of aging?  Should they get a facial or it is just an indulgence.  Let’s look at what happens during a facial…first we consult with an esthetician, someone who is trained and experienced in looking at the health of our skin under a magnification lamp after the makeup has been taken off, cleanser applied to prepare the skin, an exfoliation has been done to remove dead skin cells.  An esthetician can tell us why we are experiencing dark circles, sun spots or blemishes and what we can do about it.  Our esthetician will also look at our current skin care regime, so many are deficient in taking proper care of our skin.  For example, many people do not cleanse at the end of the day…so they sleep with pollution, makeup, sweat and skin oils on their face.  An esthetician can look at your lifestyle and give you all the tricks and tips to make this a habit immediately.

At what age should we start getting facials?  In France, they begin in their teen years.  They learn at an early age to take great care of theirskin with a monthly facial and good skin care habits are started.  For the most part, French women have amazing skin.  Here, in the United States, only teens with acne get facials (or are treated by a dermatologist). Women without acne, begin using toxic, over the counter skin care products, if they use anything at all.  Then they turn 35, and things begin to change because collagen and elastin production slows down dramatically. They begin to notice the changes in their skin.  They may go to Ulta and try to find some miracle cream that firms their skin.  Deeply disappointed, hopefully they book an appointment for a facial.  Now we see the dull skin, the age spots, the fine lines…all that could have been prevented, and we must use products to reverse the signs of aging.  So, it’s up to you when you want to begin taking good care of your skin, and if you want preventative or a healing/reversing type of treatment.

So, now when I tell you to get a facial, I am sure you are not at all offended.  If you are ready to book an appointment now, please do so.  Or book a complimentary skin analysis and I can get you some insignts on your skin.