Professional body sugaring has definitely found its market niche over the last 15 years. The clients are the ones who created that niche by voicing their desire for a safer and gentler method of hair removal. Not only does professional sugaring provide a safe and gentle experience, sugaring also allows the clients to receive treatment when their hair is still very short, as short as 1/16^th of an inch. For some men and women, that is equal to two days growth after shaving and yet for others it could be as much as a week after the last shave. If only hair growth were created equal. Aestheticians could then reply to the one very common question, “How long will this treatment last?”

Tell it like it is…

Honesty is always the best policy. Don’t assume your client is not interested in “understanding” what the sugaring can and will do for their hair growth. Take time to teach and to educate them about hair growth stages so that, in turn, they may feel more confident in your ability to help reduce and eliminate their hair growth.

As easy as you’re a, b, c’s…

all hair is not in the same stage at the same time.

This is the reason why your client might experience early re-growth following the first three to five treatments, especially if they were shavers. It is impossible to determine what stages the hair is in just by looking at it. You might be capable of determining that factor when you begin to extract the hair simply by looking at or into the paste to observe the appearance of the hair root you just extracted.

The hair surrounded by large white inner root sheath with a lush black bulb (likely responsible for taking that white sheath out with it during the extraction flick) is definitely in the anagen stage…the golden stage of removal!

The hair with a fine point at the end of the root is a hair in the telegen stage and would have eventually shed itself. This particular follicle may already have a hair peeking through the skin or just about to peek through…causing early re-growth.

The hair that has a blunt appearance at the root section is a broken hair. No if, ands, or buts about it! Careful with this because broken hair is a major cause of ingrown hair. Also, broken hair is always a cause of early re-growth. Always extract hair in its natural direction of growth when sugaring. I can’t stress that enough.

being a regular sugaring client will ensure greater and faster results.

In order to achieve faster refinement and diminishment, the hair should be sugared when it is still in the early anagen stage. In my opinion, removing hair in the telegen stage is similar to a depilation service. Results are very similar in quality. The difference is that the client will experience days without having to deal with “full hair growth” as opposed to depilating creams or shaving.

Faster results in refinement and diminishment are achieved by interrupting the natural progression of the growth cycles. When you extract the hair as it is being fed by the blood supply through the dermal papilla, you initially cause the follicle to be empty and free of a hair for a longer period of time. This in turn, allows the follicle time to begin depleting in its circumference size. The next hair to begin its growth will have a smaller diameter in which to grow thus refining that particular hair. Consecutive treatments geared towards targeting anagen hair will lead to the eventual collapse of the hair follicles leaving the client with much desired results. Countless sugaring clients worldwide experience the results of permanent hair loss.

Usually what transpires if you remove a hair in the telegen stage is that the new hair formation took effect before the telegen hair shed itself or was removed. Nothing is truly gained.

continual extraction of hair in the early anagen stage forces closure of hair follicles.

To achieve the task of depleting the follicles, you must extract the hair only when it is in the early anagen stage, which can vary from every 10-14 days depending on the area being treated. If it is hormonal, such as facial hair, you can almost count of performing an extraction treatment every three to five days. Simply diagnose the client’s individual needs and set the treatments accordingly.

does this mean a client receiving treatment every six weeks is wasting their money?

No! Every time you extract hair in the telegen (dying) stage, you are extracting some in the anagen as well. The hair in the anagen stage and their respective follicles are where the results are being targeted. The client will still experience hair refinement, slower growth patterns, and eventual diminishment. It will just take longer.

effects of sugaring also generates silky soft skin…gently exfoliates.

Sugaring is a two-prong approach to skin care. Not only will regular sugaring treatments refine, reduce, and eliminate unwanted hair growth, it will also change the texture and tone of your skin from a sallow and dull looking skin to a brighter, healthier and very sexy skin texture. You can actually generate extra income by offering sugaring as a professional exfoliation service. Great for pre-tanning by spray tans. But, don’t try to sugar-exfoliate a client that is going to the tan booth or to the natural sun on the same day. That might leave them beyond sun-kissed! Ouch…

Offer exfoliation during winter months as well to help keep your clients’ skin in optimum condition. You can rejuvenate the skin whether or not your clients have hair. It’s easy and it’s very soothing…like a massage well performed!

forgo ingrown hairs.

Although sugaring is not a guarantee that your client will no longer develop ingrown hairs, sugaring extracts the hair only in its natural direction of growth. Removing hair against its natural direction is the prime cause of ingrown hairs. An exfoliating home regime also plays an important role in preventing ingrown hairs by ensuring that the mouth of the follicle is always clear of dead cells so that the new hairs can peek through the outer skin without interference.

getting to the root of things.

Removing a hair that is not in the anagen stage simulates depilating the hair. Sure the client may have skin that looks hair free for a very short period. However, unless you epilate the hair when it is actually attached to the dermal papilla (extract the root of the hair from the inner root sheath while it is being fed by the dermal papilla), the growth cycles will not engage in refinement and diminishment of its hair growth.

how many options does a client really have with sugaring?

The good news is you can really customize your client’s hair removal treatments according to their growth pattern, area(s) to be treated and budgetary concerns.

Examples of options:

Facial hair – chin and upper lip (hormonally induced)

No one wants to let the hair grow to unsightly lengths, especially on their face. No problem! The client can come for mini hair removal treatments any time a few hairs start to peek through. They don’t have to wait!

Package deals…Try offering a package deal that will include 10 or 20+ treatments

Charge by the minute… Sometimes they might have less than 10 hairs peeking through at any one time especially if the client comes for appointments when the hair is in the early anagen stage only.

Encourage them not to shave in secrecy, nor to use depilatory creams or bleach. The goal is to refine that coarse chin hair so that it does not appear like a 5 o’clock shadow, and then to start diminishing it. When the magic takes place depends on each individual’s hair growth causes and pattern.

Legs, bikini, underarms - where mesanagen is quite evident (more than one hair per follicle)

Offer your client a six-month/10 day interval. Package deals are the best solution to start refining and diminishing this particularly unsightly growth that can also cause discomfort. Again, our goal is to encourage the client to do what we know will truly provide them with results. When the six-month period is over, the hair will have become refined and there will be some diminishment. Your client can then decide if they wish to continue at the 10 day intervals to gain more diminishment or they can chose the option of four to six weeks if budget is a deterrent to them. In the latter choice, they will always gain advancement in diminishment because some of the hairs will always be in the anagen stage even at four to six week intervals.

Barter system – can be greatly appreciated when suitable to each party.

When you come across someone who can really use your services, yet you know there are little to no funds available to the client for treatments, encourage the individual to become your client in exchange for referrals. You can be as creative as you want to be or need to be! Win/win formulas always create magic.

i, j, k, l, m,

no hair anywhere bikini – that’s what we call the L.A. Bikini™

The L.A. Bikini™ gives true meaning to smooth as a baby’s bum! Not only can your remove every single hair from front to back on both men and women, you can do this without bruising, burning, or tearing the skin. The results of sugaring a bikini leave the skin looking like it never had hair. You don’t end up with shadow nor do you have to deal with itchy hair growth either.

Just try it! If you are already a professional sugaring practitioner, add the L.A. on you service menu and expand your local venue. Watch the word spread and your revenues climb.

L.A. Bikinis™ menu price can fluctuate from $75 to $200 depending on location. You may find that some clients prefer the partial L.A. Bikini™. This choice of bikini includes removing all of the hair except for a small patch at the frontal area only. You can even offer to shape a design or letters by sugaring with one finger. We suggest you trim the hair down to ¼” to help you determine the true thickness of the hair before you go forward with your design.

o, p, q, r, s,

take time to encourage your clients to new sugaring possibilities.

Maximize your profits as a sugaring practitioner by introducing your clients to a bigger world of sugaring potential. If they have never used it as an exfoliating service, let them try it even on one leg to demonstrate the difference.

If your client has never ventured to even a regular bikini, offer it for free during their regular sugaring appointment with you. Encourage them by sharing the benefits with them.

If your client is too shy to consider the L.A. Bikini™, encourage them by taking time to explain how you would proceed and the respectful steps in technique you would be performing. If you have a sound relationship with a client, you might even share some humorous anecdotes with them to help them relax through laughter… Bottom line is know thou client to better understand how to encourage them!

u, v, w, x… y, z?

Sometimes it’s not about Y Z… Look at it from the point of Y not Z?

Lina Kennedy, president of Alexandria Professional Body Sugaring headquartered in Welland, Ontario Canada. For more information, contact her at 800-957-8427, or via their website at www.alexandriasugaring.com.