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Waxing is a popular hair removal process for both males and females these days. It’s a method that can be done at your convenience in your home or by a professional at select salons and spas.

Depending on your particular skin, hair type and rate of hair growth, waxing has been known to provide smooth results as long as 3-8 weeks and is suggested as the longest lasting temporary hair removal method.

While there are people who say this method of hair removal is not as painful as it sounds, basically, the waxing solution wraps around the hair and then is pulled. Pulling the hair and its roots out.

If you’re concerned about pain, you can purchase a pain reducing gel or anesthetic numbing spray from your pharmacist, which needs to be applied thirty to sixty minutes before waxing.

And if you have problems with acne, avoid any type of waxing until your skin is clear.

If you’re not totally committed to following through the waxing process, no matter how much it hurts, you may just want to go to a salon and let a professional do it for you. But be aware that waxing at a salon can get pretty pricey, especially if you want to remove hair from large areas. Just to give you an idea, usually it’s about twenty five dollars for bikini line hair removal.

Today, there are several kinds of waxing hair removal products available – With warm waxing being the most often used.

Cold wax comes in a paste or gel that isn’t heated before applying it to the skin. Getting the wax from the container and controlling the thickness to the skin is what makes most cold waxes so messy. It’s not quite as effective and less preferred than a warm wax. But if you have sensitive skin, a cold wax causes less skin irritations.

If you choose to use a waxing hair removal product at home, read all instructions that come with your kit carefully.

Always test a small area of skin for sensitivity or an allergic reaction.

Your hair needs to be a little bit long, about an 1/8″, for the best results with this type of hair removal product. So if your hairs are longer, trim them down. If shorter, allow them to grow in a bit.

With this method of hair removal, you don’t want to bathe beforehand. Hair absorbs moisture which makes it soft and harder for the wax to adhere to. Dry hair is tough and/so easier to pull off. Lightly powder your skin to absorb moisture and natural oils. This will keep hairs easier to pull, which will limit inflammation.

Some people exfoliate the area before waxing to remove dead skin cells that can contribute to ingrown hairs.

Do not overheat the wax. You don’t want to burn your skin. Lower the temperature of the wax for facial hair and only use it on one small area at a time.

The consistency of the wax should be soft, not runny.

Hair removal by waxing can break the hair, which is a main cause of ingrown hairs.

To avoid ingrown hairs, apply a thin layer of wax in the direction the hair grows. If you’re using a strip over the wax, rub it in the same direction. Leave about one third of the strip free so you can get a good grip for pulling it off fast.

Pull your skin taut and then pull the strip back, not up or out, in one smooth movement. Don’t be timid – Slight pulls will only leave patchy areas as well as cause more pain.

After waxing, remove any excess wax with a warm moist towel, being careful not to touch the skin with your hands, which might cause an infection.

When skin is freshly waxed, limit creating ingrown hairs and other skin irritations by not wearing tight clothing around the area.

Another way to limit severe skin problems after using a waxing hair removal product is to exfoliate the skin one to two days later. This will help prevent dead skin cells from building up.

Be careful not to expose the newly waxed area to the sun for at least forty eight hours or the skin may darken, but not in a good way. And always use a good sun blocker thereafter.

Be aware – Using a waxing hair removal product usually leaves a redness, so if you’re doing it for a special occasion, do it a couple of days beforehand.

Now, if you decide waxing may not be for you, there are alternatives. Do some research and you’ll find other hair removal products that are not quite as, uh, “intense”.

Visit a1-hair-removal-product.com for more hair removal product information.

Bodworx International presents hair removal product tips and the latest data for removing hair from your entire body. Visit them at their hair removal product website at a1-hair-removal-product.com for more information.

It doesn’t matter who we are, a famous star or just ordinary people, we all have things that we don’t like about ourselves. The meteoric rise of the cosmetic surgery industry attests to the fact that there are a lot of people who don’t like something about themselves enough to pay lots of money and go through immense agony to change it. I was cursed with bad hair. I often look at those models on TV and wonder why I didn’t get thick, shiny Alberto shampoo hair. But perhaps the problem isn’t with hair, or whatever you don’t like about yourself; perhaps we are comparing ourselves to unreal examples and focusing too much on what isn’t perfect.

I was watching an interview with a super model. The interviewer asked this near perfect woman what she didn’t like about herself. I was thinking, what was there not to like, but she said she didn’t like her feet. She had very ugly feet and it really bothered her. At first I thought, “Oh please! Couldn’t you come up with something better than that?” But the fact here was this picture perfect woman who, instead of focusing on all that she had going for her, was lamenting about her ugly feet. I saw Cindy Crawford in an interview once and they asked her what she said to people who lamented that they don’t look like her. She replied, “I don’t look like me without all this makeup.” So, although Cindy looks perfect when we see her, it isn’t without a lot of help and foundation. Jane Fonda once replied to an interviewer that asked her how she managed to stay looking so good, “I eat right, exercise and spend lots of money.” So perhaps it isn’t that bad hair happens to good people (or whatever you don’t like about yourself). It may be that we have a lot that is really good. We are just too busy focusing on what we don’t like and comparing it to unrealistic examples.

When I am honest with myself, and not obsessing about my hair, there is plenty that I have been blessed with. One big blessing is my health. I think people take their health for granted until it is too late. Trust me! Those I know with health challenges would trade their hair for my health any day. I also have amazing teeth. I was born with perfect teeth. They are white, strong and straight. People always compliment me on them and sometimes think my teeth are capped or otherwise altered, but they’re mine. I also have fabulous skin. I am not sure why I have such great skin because as a young person it was not uncommon for me to spend hours on the beach soaked in baby oil laying on foil trying to get a tan. I don’t tan easily, but somehow my skin survived the torture and looks great. So there really are things I have that are good, even great, but I tend to focus on what I don’t like about myself, and I believe there lays the problem. Instead of focusing on what you don’t like or have, focusing on what you love about yourself might just give you a different perspective.

We all have great features and we have some not so great features. But if all you ever do is focus on what you don’t like, that is the only thing you are ever going to see. If instead of obsessing over whatever it is you don’t like about yourself, focus on what you do like and what is good or even great about you. You are not just your hair, or nose or whatever it is you don’t like. You are an entire package made up of lots of great attributes and features. Begin to focus on what you like and you will be surprised how those features will begin to become more prominent.

Coach Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD, is a Certified Master Coach specializing in working with business owners and professionals in being more profitable and productive while staying sane and balanced. Coach Lee is the publisher of the award winning e-zine, 365 Days of Coaching. Her first book, 365 Days of Coaching – Because Life Happens Every Day (Universal Publisher, 2004) was named a finalist for Best Book 2004 by Publish.com and has a five star rating on Amazon.com. Visit Coach Lee at her websites CoachLee.com and 365DaysOfCoaching.com. True Direction, Inc. Copyright

Ah, the never-ending debate over professional and non-professional hair-care products. In the past, this debate was resolved easily with a famous quote, “You get what you pay for.” But today, the line between professional and non-professional products has become blurry due to the emergence of inexpensive professional products and expensive non-professional products.

You see, it used to be that you almost always paid $10 for a bottle of shampoo from the salon. Non-professional shampoos, on the other hand, only cost a couple of dollars. Today, however, you can spend as much or more on a bottle of shampoo from your local department store as you can for a bottle from the salon. The reason that this is so is because most professional product lines have not raised their prices in years, while new shampoos and conditioners being introduced to the non-professional market have been given packaging and price tags to mirror their in-salon competition.

So, now the only thing that separates the non-professional from the professional is the quality standard by which each product line is produced. Just think about it this way: All products made to be used in salons by professionals can only be retailed in salons. That means that the products must be of the highest quality. If they weren’t, beauticians simply wouldn’t use them. Never will you find a professional product that causes build up or leaves the hair feeling dry and brittle. Professional shampoos will also not strip hair of color or vital moisture. If you could get these products or products of similar quality in any department store, why wouldn’t your beautician use them?

While not all non-professional products are bad, you do run the risk of choosing a product that could cause problems like build up, dryness, breakage, color fading, lifelessness, frizziness and a host of other problems. That means that if you choose to use a non-professional product, you should monitor your hair closely to look for any adverse affects.

Also, keep in mind how much you are spending. While it makes perfect sense to choose a non-professional product at huge savings over a professional one, it doesn’t make much sense to spend as much on a non-professional product as you would for a guaranteed, professional product.

In the end, the choice to use professional products or not to use them is yours. Just remember to watch your wallet and most importantly watch your hair. Choose products that are kind to both.

Jenny Andrews is a hair expert, and the author of an incredible free minicourse, that explains how to find your unique style, how long or short you should have your hair, how to find the right hair color for you, how to find the right salon, and a lot more. Go to HairStyleVillage.com now and get this amazing hair minicourse – absolutely free.

Over the last 4 years a new type of hair straightening has crept into the USA. Called Japanese hair straightening it also falls under other names including; Thermal Reconditioning, Magic Straight, Bio Ionic Straightening, Yuko System (named after the Japanese stylist who is meant to have popularised the treatment), Liscio, and Rebonding. The Liscio process is the original and the one you are most likely to see in salons.

As the name suggests it originated in Japan and the process will give you permanently straight hair as opposed to the temporary straight hair provided by in-home straighteners like the excellent Sedu flat iron. In reality it lasts about 6 months when your hair will need re-touching because of the hair growth.

This form of treatment is not recommended for:

• more delicate African hair
• hair that has been heavily treated or damaged
• hair that is quickly thinning and falling out

The treatment is very expensive, $300-$800 in top salons and depending on which process you opt for can take between 4-6 hours to complete. This is a far cry from using your own hair straightener at home for a fraction of the cost and only taking a matter of minutes. Given the cost you should expect a free consultation on how well (or if) the treatment will work on your hair.

As the treatment is very expensive you should do your homework. Here are a few tips:

• Visit the websites of salons close to you for more details about which Japanese hair straightening treatment they use.
• Visit the salon and speak with their straightening specialist about the process
• Make sure the specialist has sufficient experience in the process. Don’t forget you are paying lots of money so you don’t want to end up with damaged hair because of an inexperienced stylist.
• Ask for some “before and after” pictures of previous customers results.
• If possible ask to speak with a previous customer to get some detailed insight into how long it took and to find out if there are any things they didn’t like about the process.

If you do decide to go ahead with the treatment then here is a summary of the whole process.

• A protein conditioner is applied to your hair.
• A cream based thio relaxor is then applied. This will soften your hair and disassociate the sulfur bonds inside the hair shaft.
• After a period of time the stylist will do a test to see if the hair has broken down to the right degree.
• Once the proper amount of Sulfur bonds have been disassociated the stylist will rinse your hair.
• Your hair is dried into the style you normally wear it in.
• The stylist will take small sections and apply some degree of tension to get your hair as straight as possible.
• Once the neutralizer has been on the hair for the proper amount of time it will be rinsed from the hair.
• After the hair is rinsed it will be dried again and ironed into the style you wish to wear.
• The neutralizing chemical only begins to re-associate the sulfur bonds. The hair still needs to absorb more oxygen and will do so naturally through the air.
• The hair designer will instruct you not to shampoo, wet or style your hair for 24-72 hours, this is to allow it to completely neutralize into the current shape.

The results from the process are amazing, considering your hair is subjected to nearly 6 hours of chemical and heat treatment. You will probably be advised to use special after care products. You should take the stylists advice but make sure and shop round for the products online, as they can be very expensive in salons.

However, all the time and effort is worth it, as your hair will not need to be treated for at least 6 months. So twice a year should be enough for curl-free hair all year.

Andrea Simpson is a self confessed hair straightener fan. She runs her own website devoted to Sedu Flat Irons and other hair straightening devices and processes: a1-hair-straighteners.com.