When to use the Restore vulva mask
Emilie Poulos from Little Wax Room in Hawksburn Village, Melbourne, is an expert when it comes to hair and skin down there. She has literally seen it all in her twenty years in the business! Emilie is a mother of two, she has George, who is five, and recently gave birth to ten-week-old daughter Ioulia. One day while heavily pregnant, Emilie found some me-time to trial the Restore Mask. Below she shares her firsthand account of the experience, as well as tips on when to use the mask. She also talks taboos and for all our friends stuck in iso, her tricks for a successful at-home wax and how to prevent ingrown hairs. Oh, and we also asked her to share current and past trends in lady garden waxing. Fess up if you ever went through a heart shape or tinting wax phase!
ON HER EXPERIENCE WEARING THE RESTORE MASK
“One afternoon when I was 38 weeks pregnant and feeling heavy and swollen, I lay down on the bed, made myself a tea and pulled the Restore mask from the fridge. Which was Lindy’s recommendation and I loved it. The mask was cooling, calming and just generally made that whole area more relaxed. I had never done anything like that before and I enjoyed the moment of peace. The product is beautiful. When you’re really big, your belly rubs on areas and I was having issues with ingrown hairs at the time. That was the reason why I wanted to try the mask. It actually worked to reduce the ingrown, I noticed a significant difference the next day.”
ON TALKING ABOUT TABOOS
“Generally, I think people might find it funny to talk about the mask at first, but my clients are very comfortable talking about the skin down there and any concerns they have when they are in my wax room. It’s interesting, as a society we don’t see each other’s private parts, but we sort of know about breasts and how they come in all shapes and sizes. Whereas we don’t know much about our vulvas. I’ve had so many women ask me if theirs looks normal. I think that’s sad that we don’t know what we’re meant to look like. It’s not the same for men, is it? They know what their penises are meant to look like. I really hope FIG will help women feel more comfortable about nurturing the skin down there. It goes through a lot! Apart from childbirth there’s tight exercise clothes, bike riding, spanx, waxing, laser, plucking – the skin is trapped and suffocating down there. Give it some love.”
ON OTHER TIMES WHEN YOU COULD USE THE MASK
POST-WAX, SHAVE OR LASER TREATMENT
“You should never use the mask on broken skin, and it’s recommended that you wait at least 24 hours post-treatment. This will allow the hair follicles to relax and close up. The mask is ultra-calming and really looks after that skin area so it’s ideal after a harsh treatment. It softens and hydrates skin which can prevent ingrown hairs from popping up.”
IF YOU HAVE DRY SKIN ISSUES
“Many customers complain about dry and inflamed vulva skin issues. It’s really common and like any other areas of skin on the body — it needs love and attention. Some women have terrible dryness concerns so it’s wonderful that we now have a product that we can offer customers. In the waxing room we’re all so open about these issues but in real life it’s a different story. We shouldn’t be afraid to try something new and I think personally, this mask helped me feel my best.”
POST-PREGNANCY
“The mask is safe to use post-birth as long as it isn’t placed on broken skin. Personally, I found that it can take a few weeks for the swelling to calm down, so I highly recommend storing this in the fridge again to help cool, reduce swelling and soothe any general skin discomfort. I myself experienced quite a bit of chafe so didn’t waste any of that luxurious serum left-over in the pack – I massaged it into my thigh and bum area. That felt so good.”
IN-GROWN HAIR TREATMENT
“I myself had an ingrown hair the time I used the mask while pregnant and noticed a big difference the next day. It had visibly shrunk, was less inflamed and angry. It totally worked. I have to say, in my twenty years as a waxer I have seen some horror ingrown hair situations. Never attack them, ladies! Let the pros or a product do the work for you.”
ON HER BEST TIPS FOR WAXING AT HOME (ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO)
“For those women unable to get to a salon I would recommend Waxaway kits from Priceline. They have the best range. I would avoid doing a full Brazilian at home, yikes! That could be disastrous because you’re pulling from the wrong direction and you’re likely to damage your follicles, and well, it’s just not very nice. I would recommend buying great hair clippers and doing a tidy trim and then using the Waxaway. Also, limit the hair removal to a regular or high bikini shape only. For that delicate area try a hot or hard wax only, never harsh strip wax.”
ON PREVENTING INGROWN HAIRS
1: “Make sure you leave at least four to six weeks between sessions if you can and always seeing a professional for waxing. I see too many women wanting to come and wax their vulva hair every two weeks. It’s not enough time for the follicle to grow and this just causes irritation.”
2: “Take care of the skin. So, use products such as the Restore mask to soften, hydrate and nourish the skin. Avoid anything with a fragrance and no nasty cheap moisturisers. An ingrown occurs when the hair cannot get through the layers of the skin, therefore you want to make sure the skin is soft and supply.”
3: “I recommend a light exfoliation with a mitt. You want to be very gentle. You definitely do not want to rub yourself raw as this will inflame and irritate the area.”
ON HAIR TRENDS FOR DOWN THERE
“When I first started out in 2000 it was all about the full Brazilian or landing strip. We can thank Sex and The City! To be honest, most clients now still request the Brazilian so that’s been the trend that’s really stuck. Around the year 2004 or 2005 it was all about shapes and initials. Clients would request a love heart or their partner’s initials. It was a nightmare. I was hopeless at it! Then tinting came into the picture. Again, nightmare! Then we saw people wanting to stick jewellery around their public hair. Did Paris Hilton start that? I hope I never see those trends again!”
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