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If you’re anything like me, lying on your back naked, your knee clutched against your chest, whilst a stranger daubs hot wax across your inner buttock* and then rips it off again, is not something you’d voluntarily submit to without a great deal of prior thought, shower time and perhaps a double vodka.
Yet, glancing through beauty salon brochures offering an array of waxing opportunities, that is in many cases, behind the softly, softly language, exactly what’s being offered.
So, if you’ve never waxed at a salon before, and the idea fills you with dread (are there people for whom it doesn’t?) how do you know where to begin?
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1. Choosing a salon
The first, and most important part of the whole waxing experience, is choosing the right salon. Whilst you might be willing to glance through the yellow pages and randomly pick a business to clean your gutters, choosing someone to perform your Brazilian takes a little more care.
There are two things you want to hold uppermost in your mind when choosing where to get your Brazilian: technique and hygiene.
2. Techniques to trust
Technique is all in the waxing world, and is the difference between “one deep breath and it’s over” discomfort and “run from the room screaming”-type pain. If you’ve never experienced a bad wax you won’t know just how stomach-churningly painful it can be, but take it from a woman who has been through childbirth: a bad Brazilian is right up there with repeated toe stubbing in the pain stakes. So you need to choose the right waxer.
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TIP: The truth is that when it comes to waxing technique experience counts, so try and choose somewhere busy. Salons that specialise in waxing are a fairly safe bet, as are beauty salons that offer a wide range of waxing services.
Not sure where to start? Ask amongst your friends and peers for recommendations, or failing that, Google reviews and online forums offer a more anonymous way of getting the lowdown on your local waxing salons. Once you find a great waxer tip her generously and give her your number so that if she moves salons she can let you know where she goes.