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Welcome to the podcast everyone. I am so excited to introduce you to my friend, Zoey Jolley. Zoey and I met at a women’s retreat a little over a year ago, and she was the first one there and I was the second one and I introduced myself to her and told her what I do. And she was so excited and then she told me she’s an aesthetician. And her favorite thing to do is Brazilian waxing. And I knew we were going to be fast friends. 

Amanda: So welcome to the podcast Zoey. Why don’t you introduce yourself a little bit more to my guests. 

Zoey: Hello everyone. So I’m an esthetician. I’ve been in the spa industry since 2009. I absolutely love what I do. Love sharing self-care with women and skincare and also waxing. So I specialize in Brazilian waxing and love helping first-time clients as well.

Amanda: And you live in Southeast Idaho. I’m always so disappointed that she lives in Idaho and not by me or else I would go see her all the time. But she is going to talk a little bit about how you can find a good waxing and esthetician person in your area. 

Let’s talk about waxing. I get questions all the time about waxing. Clients and people are reaching out to me like, does it help with your sex life? Like, should I wax? Should I not? What is it like? And so that’s why we’re doing this podcast because I get questions all the time about waxing and I am not the expert. And Zoey is so why do people wax, Zoey? 

Zoey: You know, they waxed for a lot of different reasons, actually, Amanda. Number one: shaving a lot of people get skin irritation, bumps, and it’s really uncomfortable when the hair grows in because it is more itchy if you shave versus a waxing. 

They wax because they feel more hygienically clean, everything is hair-free down there. So they just felt more confident. A lot of women do. So a lot of women will wax not only for their partner, but for themselves to have more confidence and they just feel better about themselves.

Amanda: So you talked a little bit about waxing versus shaving. The itchiness is definitely a question that I get, or maybe like ingrown hairs and then why would you wax overused  some sort of cream or something like that. 

Zoey: These are questions I also get asked a lot. So, let’s start with shaving versus waxing and then we’ll go into the creams and then ingrowns.

So shaving. I always do a metaphor with the tree. Think of a tree. If you shave, you are chopping the base, the trunk of the tree and that part of the hair is going to go back through the skin. So it’s kind of thicker because it’s in the middle of the growing process. 

When you wax, it’s the very fine tip of the branches that are growing through the skin. So it’s a finer hair that comes through. So it really is pretty gentle, as far as that goes and very rarely do clients have itching or anything like that when the hair starts coming back through. 

Also with shaving, all of the hair will cycle through at the same time. So all of that is going on at the same time, which is irritating to the skin. Whereas waxing, depending on where the hair is in the growing cycle, you’ll have one hair here. Two days later, you’ll have another hair comes through. The finer hair and it’s random and sparse, and then it gets cycling through so you can be waxed again. 

So if you’ve ever tried a Nair or a cream, it is going to be a chemical that goes on the skin and helps kind of just release the hair so it comes out. 

Because it’s a chemical on the skin. I am not in love with that process. Some people might love it, but the. Brazilian area, the intimate area, not my favorite place to add a bunch of chemicals and kind of mess with all of that down there. So for me personally, I love waxing over any other options, like the creams or shaving. 

Amanda: Well, and I’m a big proponent of keeping that area as natural as possible. Like using really good lubes that are natural and not have harsh chemicals and toxins and stuff in them. I’m a big proponent of that. So I can see how the Nair or another cream putting chemicals on that area is probably not the greatest idea.

Zoey: Yeah. We don’t want to mess with the pH down there. Right? We want everything as natural as possible. 

Amanda: Yes. And do you feel like the wax does a good job? I mean, you’re putting it on, but you’re taking it immediately off, so you’re not introducing a lot of chemicals and stuff down there?

Zoey: Yeah, and most of the waxes are pretty good as far as there’s not a huge ingredient deck list in there. So there’s not a ton of things in waxes that are going to cause problems in general. 

Amanda: Okay. So what are some different options with waxing? Just like different things you can wax and different things like that.

Zoey: Yeah. As far as resilience. So, bikini waxing versus Brazilian waxing. A lot of times, this is a huge question that I get. What’s the difference? How far can we go in, things like that. In general, and you’ll have to ask your esthetician, your waxer, that you find that will help you but bikini is going to be everything outside of the panty line. So if you’re wearing a bikini, it’s going to be all the hair outside of that. 

Anytime that you wax on the labia, that is going to be considered a Brazilian. 

So from there, some people take everything off and that is the majority of my clients. Most of the hair comes off. Some people leave a landing strip (rectangle) which could be a little triangle, a rectangle or a postage stamp. Those are the most common shapes that are left below. 

Amanda: Why would people leave a landing strip versus not. 

Zoey: Sometimes people feel like their hair is more of a woman versus a girl. And so they like having just a little bit of hair. 

Amanda: I can see that. And then with the Brazilian you’re also waxing everything, down through the anus and everything. Right?

Zoey: Correct. Yes.

Amanda: I think that kind of surprises people a lot, at least I’ve heard that they don’t realize that you actually have hair all the way back. So, waxing takes care of it all the way back.

Zoey: Yes. 

Amanda: Okay. So I think the biggest question is how bad does it really hurt? 

Zoey: Well, if you ask Oprah, she’s going to tell you what’s an eight. But, you know, this is what I tell everybody. In our minds, we conjure up ideas because online you read everybody’s horror stories, right? We have this horror story already circulating in our minds, but 99% of the clients that I see say it was way better than they thought it would in the first place. And by the time you’re done, you’re already laughing, ready to reschedule your next appointment. 

So yes, we are ripping out hair. There’s not a way to make that completely painless and pain-free, but we try to minimize the pain and get you ready to reschedule. 

Amanda: So I have had a Brazilian I’ve just done it once.

Zoey: That was your first mistake. 

Amanda: Right. But, it was painful, but also tolerable. Of course you’re ripping out hair, so there is gonna be a bit of pain, but, and I would even say, it’s not even so much pain as it is just really uncomfortable. 

Zoey: Correct. 

Amanda: So the only reason I didn’t go back is I got it done right before I got married the second time. And we were just busy with life after that. So it wasn’t like I didn’t go back because I was afraid to go back or whatever. I would totally go back if I could find the right person. 

So if you lived here, I would totally come see you all the time.

Zoey: That would be awesome. 

So this is always my very first piece of advice for anybody contemplating wanting to get a Brazilian wax and wanting to try it. The best thing you can do is schedule your appointment four weeks after your first appointment, because it will be 50% less pain or less, if that makes sense.

Because the way the hair cycles, not all of the hair will cycle back through usually, but the hair will remember, oh, hey, we did this last time. So we’re not going to fight as hard. And the hair comes out a little easier. So I always tell my clients, no matter what, schedule your second appointment, come in for the second appointment and then decide from there.

Is this a special occasion thing that I just do for those special occasions? Is it something that I want to do on a regular basis or am I okay not coming back? 

Amanda: Yeah. That’s good advice. So what tips do you have for first timers? 

Zoey: So the hair needs to be about a fourth of an inch long, which is the length of a grain of rice. If you are a shaver, you want at least two weeks, but my recommendation is actually three weeks. It’s going to be a little less painful at three weeks than two weeks. So if you think of the hair, the length of the hair underneath the skin versus what is out of the skin. If the hair that’s out of the skin is shorter, there’s a little bit of a tug of war that happens. So it can be a little bit more painful if you’re a little bit shorter versus longer. 

For sure, the right length is super important. You’re going to want to exfoliate. Even just a warm washcloth in the shower day of your appointment will be perfect. 

Make sure you avoid stimulants. So no caffeine the day you come in. That will make you a little more sensitive. Alcohol does the same thing. Things like that will make you a little more sensitive when you are waxing. So those are a couple of my tips for first-time waxers. 

Amanda: Okay. And what should you wear to the appointment? 

Zoey: Loose clothing. Clean cotton underwear is perfect.

Amanda: Okay. And can you wax on your period? 

Zoey: Oh, absolutely. 

Amanda: You’re not totally grossed out by that? 

Zoey: No, no. We’re in the business of waxing. That happens a lot and a lot of women have irregular cycles and maybe don’t even know. Because it’s kind of a hit and miss thing for them. So just wear a tampon or a cup and come in. You may want to take a Tylenol too.

Amanda: Okay. If possible should we avoid periods? 

Zoey: I think people feel a little more self-conscious coming in on their periods, so if you have a really regular cycle, then yeah, schedule it around that.

Amanda: I think I heard somewhere that certain days were better. Like don’t schedule 2 days before or 3 days after. Something like that. If you can help it.

Zoey: Yep, and those are about the days that I recommend as well.

Amanda: So you said about four weeks. Is that about how long it lasts? First time, every time?

Zoey: So the first time wax, because most of that hair is going through a growing cycle, it’s actually a really, really good wax for you. The goal is always to get to two weeks of hair free, but then the hair does have to cycle back through in order to be able to rewax it. So, as the hair grows, and it’s kind of random which hairs are going to come out, you’re not going to be completely hair-free forever. Some people, even a couple days later, will have a hair pop-up, two days later have another hair pop-up because those hairs weren’t out so we could wax them at your appointments.

Amanda: Right. Okay. So that’s kind of the goal is to eventually get to about two weeks. 

Zoey: Yeah. And a lot of people think, man, that’s not very long and things like that, but the hair versus shaving, I promise you, it’s just so much more manageable when it comes in and sparse, because it’s not all growing through at the same time.

Amanda: Right? Like it’s not like you’re going from nothing to full bush. 

Zoey: Yes! Perfect!

Amanda: So just little hairs here and there. 

Anything we need to watch out for afterwards? 

Zoey: Yes. So you just want to keep that area really, really clean. The hair follicles open for about 24 hours. So my recommendations of what to avoid for 24 hours would be the three S’s.

Sunning, meaning tanning, saunas, hot tubs, anything super hot, not going to feel great for the first day. 

Number two is sweat. We don’t want anything getting in those open follicles, so if you can work your exercise schedule around that, that is really, really great. 

And number three would be sex. Again, heat, friction, all the things. My recommendation to avoid sex for 24 hours.

Amanda: Okay. And is there anyone who shouldn’t wax? 

Zoey: So if you were on medications that make you photosensitive or thin the skin, that is definitely a no-no. If you are not sure what your medications do, definitely do some research, ask your doctor. But in general, most people are able to wax just fine. 

Amanda: Okay. So where can someone find a great person that does this in their area?

Zoey: So depending on where you live in the country, people leave reviews either on Google or usually on Yelp. So in my area it’s Google. So you would just go and start looking for Brazilian wax near me and look for areas that way. Same thing with Yelp. Depending again, on what region you are in the US, or I guess internationally will depend on how people leave reviews and you want to find somebody like that, but also word of mouth. So if your girlfriends are getting waxed, definitely ask them. 

Amanda: Okay. That sounds good. And how can my listeners find you? Because Zoey has a great Instagram account and she’s always offering tons of information there. So if you’re interested in waxing or Brazilians or a lot of just general skincare, I definitely recommend following Zoey. So where can they find you? 

Zoey: Awesome. So on Instagram, I am under @zoeyjolley. Facebook is Essential Aesthetics by Zoey. And then my website is eebyzoey.com. 

Amanda: Awesome. And we will have those in our show notes. 

Thank you so much for being with me today, Zoey. That was so fun. And I’m sure my listeners are going to be so happy that they finally have a good resource to get some waxing done and all their questions asked.

Zoey: Yay! Thank you.