As an esthetician, you help your clients treat and care for their skin. Perhaps one of the most important parts of your job is making sure that clients know how to safely care for their skin after a waxing appointment. While some of your loyal waxing clients may think they already know how to care for their skin, it’s never too late to remind them of certain aspects of skincare, like the importance of post-depilatory oil. And for clients who are new to waxing, the more detailed post-care instructions you provide, the better. If you want to make sure your clients are well informed, we’ve put together a guide on everything you should know about post-depilatory oil, so you can pass it on. Keep reading to see everything we’ve compiled.

What Is Post-Depilatory Oil?

Your use of this term may confuse new waxing clients and experienced waxing clients who are still learning how to care for their skin. Post-depilatory is really just a fancy term for post-waxing. There’s general post-depilatory care, which we’ll get to in a minute, but there are also specific post-depilatory products like oil.

The job of post-depilatory oil is to soothe, cleanse, and hydrate freshly waxed skin. If your client wonders why you use an oil on them instead of lotion, take the time to explain that oils do a better job of sealing moisture into skin, which is important post-waxing. They’ll appreciate the extra information, and it will help them better care for their skin in the following days.

How Does Post-Depilatory Oil Help Skin?

Waxing removes the top layer of your client’s skin, which leaves it vulnerable to dryness and infection. Sometimes wax residue is left behind too. Since waxing is already a painful experience, even for those who know what to expect, you want to eliminate the pain of dryness, infection, and other skin problems your client might experience from leftover wax. Post-depilatory oil helps hydrate skin, which prevents dryness and creates a protective barrier around freshly waxed skin. It also cleanses the skin of any wax residue.

You can explain how post-depilatory oil helps skin as you apply it, or earlier. Some clients will want a step-by-step guide of what happens during a waxing appointment and ask that you explain your process before you start, while others will simply trust your process. Regardless of what information a client asks for, telling them how post-depilatory oil helps their skin will help them better understand the full extent of the waxing and post-waxing process.

How Often Should You Apply Post-Depilatory Oil?

This part of the post-waxing skincare routine only needs to happen once. As the esthetician, you’ll apply it at the end of the waxing appointment before sending your client home with further care instructions. If a client were to forgo your post-depilatory oil in order to apply their own, they’d also only need to do it once. However, it’s best if it’s applied directly after the wax and not after a car ride home, so encourage your clients to stay for the oil treatment at the end of their appointment.

While keeping skin hydrated is important following a waxing appointment, you only need to apply the post-depilatory oil once. Encourage your clients to keep their skin hydrated with other safe oils and lotions, but make sure to explain how the post-depilatory oil helps cleanse their skin of wax residue, which they’ll only need at the end of the appointment.

What Is the Best Way To Apply Post-Depilatory Oil?

If you’re a new esthetician or treating someone with sensitive skin, how you apply this oil matters. Freshly waxed skin is already sensitive, so if you’re inexperienced or treating someone who has extra-sensitive skin, then you need to carefully apply this oil.

After you remove the last of the wax, you can pour the oil either into your hand or directly onto the skin. While pouring the oil directly onto the skin ensures better results, it’s also messier, so you can pour it into your hand if you want. Gently rub the oil into the waxed area. If the skin is especially dry or sensitive, you can use extra oil and let it absorb into the skin for several minutes before wiping any excess off with a warm, damp cloth.

Is Post-Depilatory Oil as Important as Pre-Depilatory Oil?

It’s important for your client to prepare their skin before their waxing treatment, and for you to help with this process with pre-depilatory oil right before you start waxing. Caring for skin after the waxing appointment is just as important as preparing it beforehand. You can’t say one is more important than the other, although your clients may ask.

If a client demands to know whether this follow-up oil is necessary or as important as the skin prep, explain the benefits that this oil brings to their skin. The cleansing, hydrating, and soothing aspects of the oil should win them over, even if they previously thought that the oil was unnecessary. Since the cost of the oil application was probably already included in the cost of the waxing appointment, convert unsure patrons with an assurance that the oil is free, or a special on-the-house treat.

How Else Can Clients Care for Their Skin?

Oiling skin properly after a waxing appointment is important, but it’s something that only you can do. While your clients will appreciate the information on this oil, they also need to know how they can care for their skin in the hours, days, and weeks following their appointment. Take the time to walk them through skincare procedures, especially if they have sensitive skin or are new to waxing. Caring for your clients is an important part of your job, and it’s not something you should skimp on.

Remind them not to touch the waxed area except with clean hands, since this helps cut down on infection risk. They can, however, apply a cool compress to the area, as long as the compress is clean. Hydration is an important part of post-wax care, and that starts with the post-depilatory oil and continues at home—although a natural, unscented oil is best. Oily and scented products can cause irritation, which they may not know, so make sure they have safe skin hydration before they leave. You may also have to remind your clients not to swim, shave, or engage in any activity that causes excess sweating, like exercise or a trip to the sauna.

While we can’t completely capture everything you should know about post-depilatory oil, this guide is a good start to questions to may have as a new esthetician or that your clients may have depending on their previous waxing experience. If you’re in need of post-depilatory oil for your salon, we can help. Our Pinky Winky Skin Oil is a rose mineral oil that your clients will love, so add it to your shelf today.