In our not-so-distant past, the pursuit of smooth, hairless skin drove people to extreme measures. They would scrape their suffering skin with seashells, scour themselves raw with sand, even apply disgusting concoctions consisting of “resin, pitch, white vine or ivy gum extracts, ass’ fat, she-goat’s gall, bat’s blood, and powdered viper” in an effort to—WHAT? – gross their hair out of growing? Sounds painful, smelly, and frighteningly drastic, but it is a clear indication of how much value is placed on hair-free skin. What these women—and men—needed, however, was a calming, skilled someone to take their hairy hand and say, “Let’s work together on this and you’ll be smooth faster than you can say, ‘Tigris and Euphrates’.” You are that soothing to someone. You can help your clients view hair removal as a beautifying, pampering treatment—not a visit to a world of pain. And you can build your business around hair removal treatments by bundling them together with other services. Read on for some insight from industry professionals on the latest trends in taking it off and suggestions for growing your hair removal business. WAX BASICS If you are reading this, then you are most likely a working professional and you don’t need step-by-step instructions in how to perform a waxing service; you are already familiar with the procedure. You know that waxing doesn’t have to hurt, and that the right technique brings this treatment out of the dark ages. So does the right wax. There are a multitude of different formulas, strengths, and application methods to choose from when getting ready to wax. With cold wax, hot wax, microwaveable, sugar, strips, roll-on application, and formulas specific for certain skin types, you can experiment with many methods. As the Director of Public Relations and Advertising at American International, Anne Moratto represents the waxing brands GiGi, clean + easy, Surgi Care, MicroTweeze, No Tweeze, and L’Orbette. Every day is an opportunity to see new waxing products conceived, created, tested, and developed. Once wax wary, she is now a true waxing devotee. Moratto considers herself very privileged to be working with the best team of Brand Managers in the beauty business. Want to read more? Subscribe to one of our monthly plans to continue reading this article.