Legs and feet are often on show during the party season. Katy Harrington tracks down the latest at-home solutions and expert advice so that you can help your customers get pins to be proud of

Back to basics

Having a professional leg wax is great, but when it comes to convenience and cost, home hair removal beats salons, hands down.

Many women still opt for the simplicity (and budget-friendly option) of shaving. Cheap it may be, but even everyday razors have had a bit of a makeover of late, with brands such as Gillette and Wilkinson Sword offering options with more blades, better grip and built-in moisturising.

To get the best results, advise customers to exfoliate their skin gently with a mild scrub before shaving. This helps to get rid of the dead skin cells that stop razors doing their jobs and minimises the risk of cuts and razor burn. It’s also a good idea to shower first as the heat from the water will soften hairs and open the pores for an easier shave.

However, soap has a drying effect on the skin, so it’s best avoided. Instead, encourage customers to choose a moisturising shaving gel or cream. Legs should be shaved in light, upward strokes, with particular care taken around the ankles and knees.

For a nice post-shave treat, Tracy Horn, aromatherapy expert at Absolute Aromas, recommends blending 10ml of sweet almond oil, two drops of lavender and two drops of tea tree to reduce redness and put moisture back into the skin.

Smooth operator

With the Philips Lumea Precision Plus, customers can achieve silky smooth legs all year round. Lumea, the UK’s number one IPL hair removal system, offers IPL technology that’s been adapted for safe, effective and easy use at home.

With five adjustable light settings, Lumea ensures gentle but effective treatment across a variety of skin tones, hair types and colours. Gentle pulses of light applied regularly keep skin silky smooth by preventing regrowth.

The product’s unique tracking system means users can now slide the device across the surface of their skin, rather than following the previous ‘click and lift’ method. This new technology means a much faster treatment time, making it even faster and easier to be hair-free every day.

www.philips.co.uk

Wax on, wax off

There are no two ways about it – waxing hurts. But converts keep going back because it removes hair from the roots, so results last longer than with shaving or depilatory creams.

When recommending any new waxing product, always inform customers to do a patch test first, by trying the product on a small area of their skin. After 24 hours, if there is no reaction, they’re ready to roll. Another job for 24 hours in advance is exfoliating. This can really help to reduce ingrowing hairs.

Just before waxing, legs should be thoroughly washed and dried. And pack instructions should always be followed to the letter as each brand will differ slightly. After waxing, customers should avoid hot baths, saunas, sunbathing, fake tan and sunbeds. Also, the skin will need a chance to recover, so if your customers plan to wax their legs ahead of a big night out, recommend that they do it the day before to be safe.

 

A leg up

Tracy Horn, aromatherapy expert at Absolute Aromas, says: “After being covered up all winter, the legs lack lustre, appear dry and are in need of some nourishment. Feet will have been hidden in thick socks and shoes all year, leaving them in need of some extra attention.”

She suggests starting the pamper process with a Himalayan salt scrub in the shower or bath. The scrub should be massaged into damp skin and then rinsed off to remove dead skin cells and prep the skin for moisturiser. For a deep moisturising treatment, Horn advises: “Mix a nourishing carrier oil such as sweet almond, jojoba or evening primrose with a few drops of grapefruit essential oil for its wonderful uplifting aroma that cleanses, clarifies and refreshes.”

Skincare guru Nichola Joss is a fan of using a lymphatic drainage technique on the legs backstage at fashion shows. It sounds complicated, but isn’t. “You can do it on yourself on your legs, just by sitting down, supporting your back and then lifting your leg up and starting from the ankle and working down the leg towards the thigh,” says Joss. “You’re draining fluid. If you stimulate the knee area as well, that helps to stimulate the lymphs.”

For beautiful, catwalk-worthy legs, Joss is a fan of St Tropez’s Perfect Legs, a dual product with both a gradual and instant tan. As with any tanning product, she warns to watch out for knees, ankles and feet, which are often prone to dryness and roughness. Skin should be moisturised well in advance to ensure a sleeker, more even tan.

 

Neat feet

Unsightly feet and unpolished toes can have people running to the salon for a pricey pedicure, but you can give customers all the tools they need to get a salon-style pedi at home.

Expert Leighton Denny advises starting by clipping, filing and buffing the toenails (a three-in-one tool that buffs, smoothes and polishes is a good recommendation) and then removing any old polish with a conditioning, non-acetone polish remover. Nails should be filed in one direction, and the tops and sides buffed lightly with a nail buffer (rather than an emery board, which is too harsh) to create a smooth surface.

Next, cuticles should be pushed back gently with a cuticle stick, the skin on the feet should be exfoliated to get rid of dead skin, and finally, the feet should be moisturised. With all the prep done, a base coat should be applied to the nails. This is advisable because a base coat and top coat will prevent chipping and increase longevity.

A base coat will also prevent darker nail colours staining the nails. Also advise customers that it is better to apply a few light layers of colour than one thick coat. “Clean up mistakes or wobbly edges by wrapping a piece of cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover around the end of a cuticle pen and carefully going over the edges,” says Denny. Finish with a top coat, quick dry spray and a drop of cuticle oil on each nail. Et voila!

 

Clinically proven

Excilor Treatment for Fungal Nail Infection is designed to treat fungal nail infections safely and effectively. Its unique “TransActive” technology is clinically proven to penetrate the nail bed within minutes, using acetic acids that reduce the nail’s pH and change the environment so that it is hostile towards fungi.

Excilor is also enriched with nail lipids and biotine for supportive nail care, so that it helps to rebuild damaged nail structures and provides a long-lasting barrier against future fungal infections. Available in two easy-to-use applicators – a Pen and a Solution – Excilor takes just one minute to apply and requires no filing down of the nail. Results are visible as soon as the nail starts to grow back.

www.excilor.com