Male waxing: Andy Rouillard shares six tricks for furless fingers
By Sophie Nutt | 19 July 2018 | Expert Advice, Feature
Whether you’re considering branching into male waxing or are a mobile tech with limited space varying from appointment to appointment, smaller services such as ear and nose waxing can be a good place to start.
Waxing expert and owner of Axiom Bodyworks, Andy Rouillard, explains, “For nail techs interested in adding manscaping to their menu but unsure where to begin, smaller services like nose and ear waxing, fingers, toes and mid-brows are all quick and easy options that are popular with the fellas and can easily be added to the end of other treatments.”
Here, Andy shares six tricks to effectively remove hair from the knuckles of male clients:
- “Cold hands and fingers can be a nightmare to de-fuzz, as chilly skin will cool your wax quicker, often resulting in it becoming stuck fast. I find it helps to work in smaller sections: apply your wax as thinly as possible and do the back of the hand separately to the fingers. This gives the sticky stuff less chance to cool down between each area. If you’re still struggling to get wax off, rub the strip briskly until you feel hear coming through the paper, which will warm up any colder blobs just enough to release from the skin. Using a clean section of strip will also help. True story: I have been known to ask clients to sit on the hand I’m not currently working on in order to warm it up before I slather on the wax!
- “Dry and tanned skins present a similar challenge. A drop of oil on the hands and fingers can help combat any dryness and will prevent wax from sticking in places you don’t want it.
- “Which wax works best? Over the years, I’ve found that strip waxes with an ‘oily’ consistency release better in these areas than honey-style or cream waxes. I’ve also learned the hard way: reelable waxes just don’t cut the mustard on fingers and toes. Unless you catch it at just the right moment, nine times out of 10 your strapless wax will simply set rock solid and then break like toffee on those pesky pinkies.
- “Keep that skin tight! I ask customers to make a fist when waxing the top of the hand, and will use my thumb and finger to pinch underneath their fingers when waxing the digits.
- “Ignore the direction of hair growth on fingers. Apply your wax towards the nails and remove in the opposite direction. You’ll save time, mess and sanity versus painting each finger in a multitude of tiny individual sections. Trust me, it works.
- “Think about your upsell. Finger waxing is a quick and comfortable way of introducing male clients to hair removal and can easily be added to the end of other salon services. For example, why not include a knuckle wax as part of your gents’ manicure (just before the final hand lotion goes on); feature it as part of a quick fix ‘anti-ageing’ combo that also includes a brow tidy, ear and nostril wax; add it to a wedding package to ensure those close-up photos of the rings look great; and for nail techs working alongside hairdressers, it’s a super addition to the end of a haircut or wet shade to complete the grooming experience, with the advantage of being easily performed in-chair (no need for a separate trip to the beauty couch.
“Fuzz-free fist pumps all round.”
