Finding the right wax can be Life Changing!
INTRO
I join many forums and groups for esthetics and waxing and every single day, there is at least one person who asks, “What is the best soft wax?” or “What is the best hard wax?” or “Hate my wax – give me your suggestions!” This is literally every single day, and the same answers always pile in. I sometimes feel like I need to advocate for Caronlab since I cannot believe people still do not know about this brand. I sometimes even see people mixing brands or waxes together to create the perfect wax to use. I honestly do not know how safe this is and why anyone would want to go through this kind of trouble when you could just pick the right wax from the start.
I started thinking just how little knowledge we have as technicians and professionals when it comes to choosing the right wax? The number one factor I always tend to see is price. I don’t know if it is positive to buy whatever is cheapest just to get the job done. I also see answers like, “The wax I want is too expensive, so I am going to settle for the cheaper stuff.” I’ve heard people say how much they love Caronlab but the moment they see the price tag they instantly decide not to buy the wax.
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN
I have a few accountant clients and they always say, “wax must be your biggest expense.” I explain that “actually disposable wax spatulas are my biggest expense.” I restock 2 large boxes of the big disposable wax spatulas bi-weekly and smaller spatulas in various sizes every few months. If you are still double dipping or flipping your spatulas around to use the other end to save a few dollars, STOP! If you want to use both ends of a single spatula, simply just snap them in half. Hygiene is important now more than ever since the global pandemic.
Natural Resin
Synthetic Resin
Let’s talk about resins briefly. If you are using a natural pine resin-based wax, I guarantee you that you will be spending more money in your wax room compared to your synthetic-based waxes. The majority of these waxes are usually in 397g/14oz tins with bright colours, heavily fragranced and super sticky. They are frustrating to work with because the hard wax will go brittle and will not perform the same from tin-to-tin and there is an increased chance of histamine reactions. Price point for this type of wax looks great because at first glance it appears that you have saved money because it is cheap. Except the reality is that you will have to stock more than one tin to last you the week and you will need to purchase more the week after. You want to make sure you are picking a high-quality synthetic resin-based wax to avoid all the problems mentioned with natural pine resin wax.
Our soft/strip waxes come in 800g/28oz recyclable plastic jars that are double the amount of wax that you can get from most other brands. A jar of 800g/29oz Caronlab wax appears costly upfront compared to a single 397g/14oz tin of strip wax. If you purchased 2 tins of the 397g/14oz wax it would actually cost MORE and you would be getting less than one jar of Caronlab strip wax! You will also need to use more of the poorer quality wax which also means you would have to purchase it more often, compared to Caronlab where you will be protecting the skin, removing the hairs, and using less wax.
Now what about hard wax? If you are purchasing 397g/14oz tins of hard, then your money is pretty much going down the drain. That natural resin wax is most likely brittle, your clients are getting histamine reactions and you’re using a lot of the wax to get the job done. Brilliance Hard Wax does come in a microwaveable formula and in an 800g recyclable plastic jar which looks more expensive, but the reality is that one jar of Brilliance costs less than 2 jars of your 397g/14oz natural resin tin and it also is easier to apply and remove and more comfortable for your clients.
Well, what about hard wax beads? A 5kg/11lb box of Braziliant Hard Wax Beads is going to be the best investment since you are buying the wax in bulk. Other brands using natural resin-based or a hybrid of natural/synthetic hard wax beads around the same size will seem like it would be better for your wallet but remember that natural resin waxes tend to go brittle. The wax also tends to be inconsistent from batch to batch and there is a higher chance of histamine reactions. The cost difference makes sense when using a high-quality synthetic-based resin wax because the waxes will be pliable, flexible, moldable and less painful during hair removal and the best for sensitive based skin types. Using a grippy wax like Braziliant 2 in 1 Film Wax means you will get the hairs the first time with minimal clean up and because you can apply the wax cellophane thin, you use less wax to get the job done and can expect to save money and not restock as often.
THE VERDICT
Is Caronlab really that expensive? It will be if you are not using the products properly! Application, wax consistency, and technique is so key to being how you can save money in the wax room. If you are going through the strip waxes quickly then I would revisit if you are applying the strip wax as close to transparent as possible. If you’re going through hard wax quickly, is the wax at the right temperature and consistency to grab the greatest number of hairs the first time?
I restock hard wax more since I mainly do Brazilian waxing services. I use a lot of Brilliance Hard Wax and I like to have my hard waxes always topped up. Soft wax requires a full top up bi-monthly for me. I have saved so much money making the switch over to Caronlab waxes and their concentrated ancillaries – you can save money in your wax room too!
Quoting Lilliane Caron in her October 4, 2018 blog: “Price should not defer you away from a high quality product. Paying that extra couple of dollars can make all the difference when it comes to securing repeat business and long-term clients. A salon providing high quality treatments, with high quality products can be extremely profitable. Cheap waxes cost more in the long run. The same goes if you are using more product to get the result, you actually have saved nothing and could ultimately lose the customer if you continually send them home with irritated skin and a substandard result. It all comes down to how many clients you have, and how many choose to come back to YOU over any other salon.”
You can read her blog post here: Should you change your wax?
IN CLOSING
If you have any questions, need help troubleshooting, want to know how you can start saving money in your wax room by switching to Caronlab, please feel free to message us! Let me know what you would like me to cover in my blogs and what you would like to see in our educational webinars!
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