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Sadly, Summer has been and gone and as we welcome in these cosy jumper months one thought you’re left with is “well, at least I don’t need to worry about keeping myself hair free anymore.” …right? So this is the perfect time to begin your waxing journey, get into a routine of regular waxing treatments, and reap the rewards by the time next Spring rolls around!
Here we’re going to talk all about waxing, its benefits compared to other hair removal remedies, and all the tips and tricks, pre and post wax to get the best results. There are two types of wax And everyone will call them something slightly different!
What are the benefits of waxing? 1. Less regrowth Waxing can last between 4-6 weeks. Because the wax pulls the whole hair right from the root of the hair follicle. Whereas, shaving cuts the hair only at skin level which is why you’re already reaching for the razor again just a few days later. 2. Finer and softer regrowth Shaving cuts the hair in half and leaves them feeling sharp, resulting in the prickly regrowth. When you wax regularly, you will find the hairs become much finer and sparser, which will make waxes less painful, and you’ll gradually get even longer between appointments, eventually some hairs will even stop growing all together! 3. Less ingrown hairs Ingrown hairs are one of the worst aspects when it comes to hair removal treatments. This is when the hair curls back on itself into the follicle. They can be very painful and unsightly and potentially become infected. Shaving is the biggest culprit when it comes to ingrown hairs, as the hairs are sharper, so it is more likely to pierce the skin. With waxing the skin is being pulled tight and the whole hair shaft is being fully removed quickly and in the correct direction of growth from the root, preventing the hair from growing back against itself. 4. Kinder to the skin Shaving and hair removal creams can cause damage to the skin. Even the most skilled off us with a razor will get the odd nick, it’s inevitable! Removal creams must be used with the utmost caution as they can potentially burn the skin and are not suitable for anyone that is sensitive. They also cannot be used on intimate areas. Both shaving and removal creams leave the skin feeling dry and irritated. How to get the best waxing results Before your wax: Exfoliate the day before your appointment. Wax really sticks to dry skin. Exfoliating will remove any dry, dead skin making it less painful. We are proud retailers of Ruff Stuff body scrub, which has been made specifically to be used in conjunction with your waxing appointments. You can pick some up from our reception area. Do not exfoliate the day of your appointment, as it will make the skin sensitive. Pain Relief If you find waxing painful or have a low pain threshold, you could take some pain killers 30mins before your appointment to help with this. Timing Avoid booking your appointment the week before your menstrual cycle is due to start, as your body is extra sensitive at this time, and it can be more painful. You may also notice lack of sleep and high stress levels contribute to a lower pain threshold, too. Clothing Wear soft, loose-fitting clothing, made from cotton, not synthetic fibres. You want to avoid any friction on the skin, or anything that’s likely to make you feel too hot. For bikini or intimate waxing, plain cotton underwear is best. Waxing day is definitely a day to leave the lacy knickers at home! Length To get the best results hair need to be at least 1/2cm long (roughly the size of a grain of rice) if the hairs are too short then they may not get picked up by the wax. Longer hairs can be more painful for some people. After your wax: Avoid Avoid having a hot bath, sauna, going swimming or any exercise that causes excessive sweating for 24 hours. The hair follicles are open, and the skin is sensitive, and these will cause irritation. Also avoid any deodorant on waxed areas, and sun beds or sun bathing must also be avoided for 24 hours, too. Moisturise & Exfoliate Moisturise daily and exfoliate weekly, this helps keep the skin hydrated and soft and will help against ingrown hairs and any itching when the hairs start to grow. As well as Ruff Stuff body scrub, Spa Find have a wonderful body lotion which is easily absorbed, smells great, and is perfect to be used after your waxing sessions; available from reception. Do not exfoliate the same day as your appointment as this will irritate the skin. Continuity Keeping up your waxing is vital to getting great results. When you first start waxing it may take a couple of waxes before you get that smooth finish, this is because when you shave the hairs have been cut and are not at the same stage of the growth cycle. Hairs will also become finer and sparser if kept up regularly.
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Recently I treated myself to one of my favourite facials, and that’s a microdermabrasion. And it occurred to me, that not enough people know about this total gem of a treatment! It’s affordable, it has an instant result, and makes you feel like a shiny new penny. I mean, what’s not to love? My previous blog entry that was all about hot stones click here to check it out. I thought for my next edition I would post another informative 5 minutes, dipping into world of microdermabrasion. What is it.. Microdermabrasion is a deep exfoliation of skin. A big, long word for a process that sounds scary and invasive when really, it’s one of the few specialist skin treatments that’s quite relaxing to have done, who knew that was possible right! Microdermabrasion is a treatment that gently removes the most outer layer of dead skin revealing new, fresh skin that’s soft as silk and best of all you get an instant result! You can have it as a facial treatment, and you can also have it for other areas such as the back or chest to treat acne scarring and also to treat stretch marks. Why have it? Microdermabrasion can help with a multitude of skin problems.
Another reason, which is what I personally have this treatment for, is to banish those devilish under the skin spots. Those ones that no amount of steaming and squeezing is ever going to shift. The deep exfoliation basically uncovers them. So yes, you can get a bit of a breakout afterwards but that’s a good thing, because its deep cleaning the skin, better out than in! There are two style of Microdermabrasion Crystal Crystal Microdermabrasion is a handheld device that simultaneously blasts out aluminium oxide crystals onto the skin that break down the dead skin cells and then vacuums up dirt, dead skin cells, and the used crystals. The vacuum element also drains the face and removes any blackheads. Diamond The diamond microdermabrasion is a handheld device that has a rough rotating diamond tip, when it spins over the skin it removes the dead skin cells. Some diamond machines also have a suction element to pick up the dead skin cells, drain the face and remove any blackheads. What’s the difference? Both styles of microdermabrasion are the same in the results they produce when used on the face. But the crystal microdermabrasion is the better choice if your wanting to treat stretch marks as it has an inbuilt suction function which will have a better effect compared to the diamond option. The crystal was the original microdermabrasion. The diamond is the newer application, as there’s no crystals flying about it’s easier on those harder to reach areas like around the eyes, nose and mouth. As the crystals are purely single use it can be the more expensive option, whereas the diamond heads can be sterilized and replaced making the treatment more affordable. When deciding which application to opt for think about this; Crystal microdermabrasion is great for treating scarring, pigmentation and even stretch marks. It can definitely be used for a facial treatment, but tends to feel more scratchy. Diamond microdermabrasion generally feels more comfortable and is great for a one off facial before a big event to leave your face feeling super smooth! Who is this suitable for? Microdermabrasion is suitable for any skin type, oily or dry! Even if you have sensitive skin as the treatment will be adapted to suit you. There a few skin conditions with which this treatment is not suitable for immediately,
A one off or a course? With microdermabrasion you do have an instant result with just one treatment, the skin will be softer, smoother, and brighter. So you can have it as a one off treat for the skin as a little pick me up, and for a general maintenance treatment we would recommend one every 4-6 weeks. If your planning on tackling any scarring or pigmentation you will need a course of treatments and depending on the severity will determine how many and how frequently they would need to be for the best results. An average course of treatment would be 6 sessions having one a week. Aftercare After any treatment aftercare is extremely important. It helps retain the effects of the treatment and avoids any unwanted side effects! After a microdermabrasion treatment the skin can be red, the more sensitive you are the more red you could be if you are very sensitive we adjust the treatment to be suitable for your skin type. Redness is perfectly normal, and any redness will go down within the day as you can see on myself in the before and after photos I had a tiny amount of redness and it was gone within an hour! Immediately after your treatment
For 7 days prior to the treatment
To book a Microdermabrasion treatment for yourself, simply click HERE!  BEFORE MICRODERMABRASION  IMMEDIATELY AFTER MICRODERMABRASION  THE DIAMOND HEAD ON THE LEFT HAS BEEN USED ON THE SKIN...LOOK AT THE DEAD SKIN IT HAS REMOVED! After working in a spa for the last 4 years, starting my new journey here at Kala Beauty has been a lovely refreshing change! But I’ll admit, there was one treatment I had been missing during my workdays and that’s a hot stones massage! A hot stone massage is such a gorgeous and hugely underestimated treatment with a lot of benefits, so let’s just say it did not take a lot of convincing Angela to agree to bring it as a new treatment to offer you lovely clients!
So I thought what better way to introduce this treatment then by giving you the low down on what its all about. The Beauty without the pain It’s a hard choice isn’t it? You want a good firm massage to help ease those sore muscles and tension areas, but at the same time you want to be sent off to dreamy dreamy land! So what do you pick?.. With a hot stone massage you really do get the best of both worlds! I always recommend a hot stone massage for anyone who has a lot of tension but doesn’t fancy being pummeled into the couch with a deep tissue massage! The heat from the stones warms up the deeper layers of the muscles so gently that you can get a deep massage that you could actually fall asleep having! What is a hot stone massage? Like any massage it can be a different experience wherever you go, and that’s really the beauty of our industry, the freedom you have as a therapist to tailor any treatment perfectly for your clients. What you traditionally see in photos of a hot stones massage is a lovely lady covered in these big black stones and you think ‘is that it?!’ Well, it most definitely is not! Yes, you can have what we call "placement stones", where the stones are placed around the body and they begin to heal the bodies energies (click here to see more about stone healing). But we also actually massage with them! There are many different sizes of the stones, bigger ones to give an all over warmth to the muscles and smaller ones we can use to target problem areas like the shoulders. And it’s not all just stones, if you have an area that has been causing you problems and it needs a bit of firm thumb kneading, we can do that! Every treatment is designed just for you. How hot is hot? To heat the stones, they are placed in a stone heater that’s filled with water, it looks basically like a great big slow cooker. It heats the water and the stones to between 45-50°C. The stones used are not just any old stones that we’ve gone with a bucket down to Worthing beach and picked up! These are Basalt stones, they are smooth volcanic stones that retain their heat. Yes, as they come out of the water they are rather hot but don’t worry we’re not just going to just chuck them on you! No, first your therapist will heat their hands with the stones gradually warming up your skin to adjust to the temperate before introducing the stones. They cool down the longer they are used on the skin and once they are fully cooled they’re switched up for new toasty ones! The summary With a hot stones massage you have all of the much needed massage benefits such as increasing circulation and the removal of toxins, softening tight muscles, helping with difficulty sleeping, de stressing and promoting relaxation and all of these points improve your mental health x10! I really could go on and on about the benefits of any style of massage and I can tell you how great a hot stone massage is (because it is!) but the best way to really know is to experience it for yourself! Get that ‘have a hot stones massage’ ticked off your ever growing bucket list and you’ll be asking yourself why have I not done this sooner?! - Hannah |
