Feature Friday- The Man Rug

Everyone loves a manly rug, but when is it too much? When it starts sprouting from your shoulders and out the top of your t-shirt! 

 

Three tips and tricks for a clear back and to get the most out of a back wax. 

1. Regularity- For best results, waxing should be done every 4-6 weeks so that the hairs become weaker and thinner. This results in fewer ingrown hairs and decreases the hair growth, which means the man rug will shrink! 

2. Exfoliate daily- Use the Dermalogica Buffing Cloth in the shower every morning with shower gel to exfoliate dead skin cells and remove bacteria allowing the hair to regrow smoothly. Exfoliation also lifts the hairs which enables the next waxing treatment to be performed quicker. 

3. Moisturize- Use a tea tree based moisturizer for its antiseptic, antibacterial & soothing properties for 2-3 days post wax. 

 

Treatment Thursday- DIY pedicure

Keeping feet soft and presentable between salon appointments can easily be forgotten until it's time to wear summer sandles. Here are four hacks to keeping your feet looking nice all year round! 

1. Use a Pumice stones- these are an essential in any bathroom to use all year round. For £4 this block will keep your feet soft between pedicures. Simply put the size of a 5p amount of shower gel on the pumice bar and scrub the base of your feet regularly in the shower. 

2. Soak your feet after a long day- Soaking salts help relax and soften sore & tired feet. After soaking for 10 minutes apply a foot cream and a cosy pair of socks. 

3. Apply a Foot Cream- after every shower to help the foot cream absorb, and just before bed to give your feet a moisture boost. 

4. Cuticle oil- is often overlooked but very beneficial for the cuticles on your toes. By rubbing oil into your cuticles it promotes nail growth and helps strengthen the nails. 

Whatever your budget you can still look after your feet either with a DIY home pedicure or getting the salon treatment. You're on your feet all day everyday & looking after them is important- not only with wearing proper fitting shoes & socks but also maintaining the condition of your feet. 

Waxing Wednesday- NEW sine wax

This weekend I was introduced to the newest waxing systems in London- Lycon wax.  I started looking into it and thought I'd check with Queen Bee Spa Supplies, my waxing distributor to see if they had heard about it and what their thoughts were because Carol is Queen of Waxing. 

Their rival product is called Sine wax and it comes in pink or purple. The wax is cooler and flexible and once applied and left to stiffen slightly, removes hair quickly and effectively from the root, meaning there is no need for strips! This product is particularly effective on short, coarse hair that can be difficult to remove with traditional warm waxing methods.

Sine wax is used at a lower temperature than traditional waxes to help reduce the post waxing redness and sensitivity.  This is the newest product in the Australian Bodycare collect and is used in conjunction with the 

tea tree pre-wax antiseptic wipes and After Wax Lotion.

Normal aftercare advise is still important and must be adhered to for optimum results. 

Sunny Sunday- cracked heels

Summertime is the weather and season for sandals, flip-flops and open-toe shoes, but it wrecks havoc on your feet. The constant rubbing, walking barefoot and exposure to the elements causes feet to become dry and heels to crack. 

This can easily be combated with a little extra tender, loving, care. During the summer months it's important to keep hard skin at bay through regular exfoliation, which can be done with a pumice stone or foot file. Use it daily in the shower to slough off dead skin cells. 

Pumice bar £4.00 Australian Bodycare Hand & Foot Treatment £9.98 

Moisturizing is key to keeping feet soft and sandal worthy. Moisturise daily after bathing and reapply at night when your skin is repairing and resting. A daily dose of your body moisturiser on your feet with help prevent dryness during the day and an intense foot cream will help to repair and restore moisture loss at night. I recommend Australian Bodycare hand and foot treatment.

Waxing Wednesday- Anytime Balm

Today's Spotlight is our new Australian Bodycare Anytime Balm. 

Anytime Balm 30ml pot for £13.50 

This emollient balm is for all skin types and can be used in various ways.  There are several key ingredients that make this formula unique and effective.

Tea Tree Oil- it contains 1% which gives it antiseptic and antibacterial properties. 

Macademia Ternifolia Seed Oil- a medium weight oil, with a chemical make up similar to the skin's natural sebum.  It absorbs easily and has a calming soothing action that leaves a slight film over the skin to help prevent moisture loss.

Glycine Soja Sterols- this ingredient is from the soy plant. It's an extremely lubricating emollient that helps condition the skin and is anti-inflammatory. Soja Sterols are known to be 3-4 times more active than shea butter. 

Ways to use: 

🔹bug bites 

🔹scrapes or abrasions 

🔹cuticle cream 

🔹lip balm 

🔹nappy rash 

🔹intensive hand or foot cream

For smaller areas use a pinhead amount and apply to lips, bugs bites, cuticles etc working the product into the area. For larger areas use a 5p amount of balm and warm between the fingers or palms to soften then apply to any area that needs an intensive moisture infusion.

Waxing Wednesday- moisturizing is key

I had a client in having a bikini wax in the morning before heading off on a romantic weekend with her partner. Not quite ideal timing as it's best to have this type of treatment 24-48 hours beforehand to ensure the area has calmed down post wax. I always give my clients aftercare advise post treatment or during if I notice any adverse affects from the previous treatment- usually ingrown hairs. Most people that have waxing done are familiar with the exfoliate, moisturise, no sun exposure or swimming for 24 hours, etc. 

Because my client was having a special weekend I gave her a couple of samples with strict instructions to reapply the after wax a couple hours after treatment and to use it the following morning after showering. It worked a treat and she would now like a bottle to use everytime. 

Moisturizing after waxing is essential to keeping the skin soft and to help prevent irritation and ingrown hairs caused from dry skin. Australian Bodycare Tea Tree Hand and Body Lotion offer several sizes 100ml £8.50, 250ml £15.99, 500ml £25.99 and it contains 5% tea tree oil which provides an antiseptic protection after waxing.  This can be used daily as a hand, face and body moisturiser or after waxing to help calm the area and reduce redness. 

Waxing Wed- A-Z guide of Tea Tree

I was introduced to Australian Bodycare years ago by my Aunt. She had two successful salons in London and she used to stock the products. When I was a teenager I wasn't a fan of the smell, so as teens do I just wrote the product line off. 

Then, 10 years later when I was opening my own salon I went to Aunt D as an advisor and mentor to help me start my own business. Interestingly enough Australian Bodycare were still going and they not only did retail products, they had also created a waxing system based on the tea tree ingredient. It's the best waxing system I've found & I have clients that come from near & far just for the tea tree wax....I'm sure my expertise may come into it a little bit?! 

So on my Aunt's recent travels to New Zealand she came across this little gem of knowledge- the A-Z guide of Tea Tree! 

The only comment I'd like to pass on about this guide is the 'Pet Care' section. This recommends shampooing animals with a tea tree shampoo- they smell nice afterwards, but from personal experience don't use neat tea tree oil on them! 

We have a retriever and he gets heat sores in the summer, so for three days I was putting oil on his sores thinking I was helping...by the end of 3 days he was so lethargic he could barely walk....I'd poisoned him with too much tea tree- oops! Luckily as soon as I stopped using it he was fine, but I got a slap in the wrist from the vet & was told only shampoo because the percentage is minute!