Wax pot cross infection question

[Kooky]

I have to say though Judith that if there were risk of cross contamination then where are all the clients who have caught the nasty diseases from these potentially lethal wax pots?

Is it not just better to be safe than sorry? If some people have been infected with yukky wax how many of them are going to think about that time a couple of months ago they got their bikini line waxed?

 

[weezie]

I think I'm becoming paranoid now Waxing for Hair Removal: Dipping Into Danger?

 

[gillian w]

I think I'm becoming paranoid now Waxing for Hair Removal: Dipping Into Danger?

surely they are talking about hot wax not strip wax, how could you give each client a fresh batch of wax...and of course the article is a sale pitch.

 

[weezie]

Oh yeah just saw the "hot wax" part, I was scare mongering myself!:lol:

 

[gillian w]

Oh yeah just saw the "hot wax" part, I was scare mongering myself!:lol:

:lol: can you imagine having a hundred pots of wax on the shelf with names on.

 

[Elaine143a]

We as people are exposed to surface bacteria from other peoples skin all day long if things were that easily tranfered or if there were that many people carrying all these terrible germs we would all be a right scabby lot.
Health and safety need to issue some proper sensible guidelines and concentrate on the hospitals.[/quote]



HEAR HEAR GILL!

As much as we have to be VERY aware of health and safety issues, this country has gone MAD with it all - except of course in the NHS where it really is a matter of life and death. Lets all get some perspective on this. As for gloves, I wear them for all waxing other than facial (which from tomorrow I will be doing by threading instead anyway!).

 

[bombini]

After reading this I am glad I use the tube system and don't have the hassle of it all !

To be honest I have never liked the pot system, I don't like the fact that anything floating around in the air can land in it or the fact that the same spatula is dipped back into wax after just being on the bikini/underarm area. Its just not for me and I have seen some absolutley vile wax pots in salons, hair stuck all round the rim and bits of wax strips, yuk

I have always worn gloves since college and I actually don't feel right if I don't wear them, although id rather have bare hands than use latex gloves, ugh i hate the feel of them !!

Im not saying I don't agree with the pot system I just prefer tubes.

 

[pazzy]

Just been thinking.

Someone needs to design a double wax pot with disposable pots (like pie cases but these need to be cheap).

1 side of the pot will heat up the wax (like a vat) and maintain the heat.

In the smaller wax pot - a disposable tin like pot could be put in then the wax(can be topped up when needed) can be dispensed into this, then when waxing is finished the tin could be disposed off and the scraper bar cleaned.
Would be a risk of wax wastage if too much is dispensed but with a clean spatula more can be scooped out when needed.

Pot & spatula can still be used without the risk of the rest of the wax been double dipped ( to adhere to to the habia rules)

Just me thinking out loud.

 

[Elaine143a]

Pazzy - what a brilliant idea! Will we be seeing you on dragon's den next year?

 

[gillian w]

Im in

 

[jenny mosley]

Hiya

The dispose spats are only around a £1 per box, the wooden lolly ones.

I use pHD, i find this give me and my clients the clean and safe system

You can use a normal wax pot and change spats everytime you need to dip, the return you get from wax is not worth cutting corners (in my opinion)

There have been test that show contaminates in the a wax pot, no cases of client infection etc YET

It depends on your salon, and how you work and like to promote your enviroment.

Good Luck opening

jenx
Advanced Beauty Clinic - Warwickshire

P.S// look up wax and pDH..there are lot's of threads aout this

 

[pazzy]

Duncan will just say 'Iv got one of these at home - Im out'

and Theo will just rip the smaller wax pot off and stare at me.

Debra will just say 'I just dont get it - I dont get my legs waxed so Im out' - she reckons she hasnt got colour on her hair!!!'

Dunno about the other 2.

 

[JudithW]

I have to say though Judith that if there were risk of cross contamination then where are all the clients who have caught the nasty diseases from these potentially lethal wax pots?

In a country where H&S has gone quite frankly way OTT I am sure that the practice of re dipping spatulas would have been a categoric no,no and we all would have heard about it by now be it from the victims of the wax pot lurgy or the governing bodies who decide the guidelines.JMHO:green:

My point, Babsann, isn´t that everyone using spatulas is infecting their clients with something nasty - it´s that redipping spatulas is a grey area as regards H&S. It costs next to nothing to err on the side of caution and the clients appreciate the extra hygiene measures.

In any case if a client picked something up from your wax pot, chances are you wouldn´t know, and they wouldn´t necessarily know where they´d got it from unless it was something very localised.

I agree that the UK has gone "H&S crazy" but it´s also gone sueing crazy as well and when totally implausible cases win lawsuits, why give yourself the risk. Mercifully, the compensation culture doesn´t exist here in Spain and they actually need to tighten up their H&S - there are still salons here that use the old fashioned hot wax pots where you put the used wax into a double heater thing and it filters out the hairs so you can reuse the wax - ewwww!!! :irked:

GILLIANW: You've got to be a pretty mucky therapist to have hairs and blood in your wax..

Yes, Gillian - there are mucky therapists and salons around - and they sure as hell aren´t here debating hygiene!!!

I worked in a salon 2 years ago that used PHD. We ran out of applicators and had a waxing client come in. The manager tried to get me to retrieve a used applicator from the bin and give it a clean to use on the client. I refused and dug out some spatulas. I had to drizzle the wax from the pHD tube onto to them and it took twice as long but there was no way i was reusing that applicator. This salon is well known in the area and has a good reputation - they even run training courses for therapists!!!

WEEZIE: .....hot wax it would be dangerous, is this what he is talking about when he says "if it is used again" it is not clear whether he means the wax or the spatula"

The article was mainly referring to spatulas so the inference is redipping the spatulas although yes, in some places hot wax is reused - I´d like to think that that practise went out with the ark in Britain though!

PAZZY - nice idea - but the tube and applicator is just easier LOL!

 

[KattyB]

Hi everyone..

I was the one who posted this thread and am sooooo pleased with the response that I have received.

I did some research this weekend into the methods suggested after always being an avid re-dipper!!

I waxed my friends leg and tried the drizzing idea...what a mare!! It was time consuming and the wax drizzled back into the pot off the spatula as i tried to put too much on...if i didn't put enough on then it was taking ages to do .

So I tried idea number 2 - don't redip and use a different spatula each time. This worked better and I used 14 spatulas for a half leg wax. The only downside to this is the amount of waste - you could end up using 100 spatulas or more a day and although the cost is not a huge problem I think the fact that the spatulas are wood is damaging to the environment.

I raised the same question with my friend who works in a salon. She always used a pot and spatula until her boss thought they should try PHD system. They bought it, all trained and now none of them use it. The clients complained saying it wasn't as effective and nipped the skin - especially in the bikini line area. She said it was expensive also. They have it in the salon still but the clients prefer the original method and so they continue to use pot and spatula and re-dip. They leave the phd system there to show the health and safety people so it looks like they are trying!!!!

My conclusion is that I will use a new spatula each time but I do think it will take some getting used to habits are hard to break.

 

[Pinkerpink]

Hi guys, I was taught to use a new spatula each time regardless of the area. I'm quite horrified at the thought of using one spatula for a whole leg! Imagine the dead skin cells, blood etc.. that will end up in your waxpot, yuck!

 

[lottie11]

Hello all, this is my first time on Salon Geek so I hope that I make sense.

In response to Katty B. I have just finished NVQ 2 Beauty Therapy and with regards to spatulas being dipped into the pot.

If you are working on the leg area then you can just use the one spatula as this area does not generally have any spotting. However, if your are waxing any other areas then you use the drizzle method. One clean spatula is placed in the pot this is used to drizzle wax onto a fresh spatula that is then in turn used to apply to the clients skin. The drizzle stick stays in the pot and the other stick is placed on the top of the pot and never in it, thus preventing cross infection and contamination.

Hi all,

I have just had a visit today from the health and safety officer to discuss my new salon (which is not yet open) and my requirements to meet legislation.

She asked me if I would be offering waxing treatments and which system I would be using. I replied that I would and intended on using a pot of wax and heater with disposable spatulas.

She said this would be fine but I need to use a new spatula everytime I need to put it back into the pot to get more wax!!:irked: I had planned on using a new spatula for each new client, or different area which they wanted treating but not everytime I needed more wax as could end up using about 30 spatulas for a leg wax!!! I have not trained in a roll on system and was taught like this at college where they never pointed out that it could spread infection.

I do understand her point of view however how practical is this? Does anybody out there use pots of wax and do this? I can see it is viable for a small area but what about a full leg wax? She also suggested using a new pot of wax per client...but that would not be cost effective!!

I'm not sure what to do as I have only ever used pot wax and always used a minimal amount (1-2) of spatulas per treatment but that was when I worked for someone else.

I am worried as don't want to be closed down!! Any advice on how you practice this would help me decide what to do or put my mind at rest...thanks.

 

[angel fingers]

Duncan will just say 'Iv got one of these at home - Im out'

and Theo will just rip the smaller wax pot off and stare at me.

Debra will just say 'I just dont get it - I dont get my legs waxed so Im out' - she reckons she hasnt got colour on her hair!!!'

Dunno about the other 2.

ha ha, you noticed that comment about her hair colour.
AS IF ! :lol:

 

[angel fingers]

Hi everyone..

I was the one who posted this thread and am sooooo pleased with the response that I have received.

I did some research this weekend into the methods suggested after always being an avid re-dipper!!

I waxed my friends leg and tried the drizzing idea...what a mare!! It was time consuming and the wax drizzled back into the pot off the spatula as i tried to put too much on...if i didn't put enough on then it was taking ages to do .

So I tried idea number 2 - don't redip and use a different spatula each time. This worked better and I used 14 spatulas for a half leg wax. The only downside to this is the amount of waste - you could end up using 100 spatulas or more a day and although the cost is not a huge problem I think the fact that the spatulas are wood is damaging to the environment.

I raised the same question with my friend who works in a salon. She always used a pot and spatula until her boss thought they should try PHD system. They bought it, all trained and now none of them use it. The clients complained saying it wasn't as effective and nipped the skin - especially in the bikini line area. She said it was expensive also. They have it in the salon still but the clients prefer the original method and so they continue to use pot and spatula and re-dip. They leave the phd system there to show the health and safety people so it looks like they are trying!!!!

My conclusion is that I will use a new spatula each time but I do think it will take some getting used to habits are hard to break.

it does seem a waste for all that wood to go in the bin doesnt it. hopefully the spatulas are from renewable resources.

i think its probably worse from an eco point of view to use the plastic applicators and throw them all in the bin.

 

[Axiom]

it does seem a waste for all that wood to go in the bin doesnt it. hopefully the spatulas are from renewable resources.

i think its probably worse from an eco point of view to use the plastic applicators and throw them all in the bin.

Just to throw a spanner in the works (and with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek)... technically speaking, anything contaminated with "human or animal tissue, blood or other body fluids" should be disposed of as clinical waste under the 1992 Controlled Waste Regulations. So I guess that includes everything from used wax strips to spatulas and disposable plastic applicator heads...

Just thought I'd throw that one out there. I'm going to be charging £60 a leg at this rate, lol :wink2:

 

[KattyB]

Just to throw a spanner in the works (and with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek)... technically speaking, anything contaminated with "human or animal tissue, blood or other body fluids" should be disposed of as clinical waste under the 1992 Controlled Waste Regulations. So I guess that includes everything from used wax strips to spatulas and disposable plastic applicator heads...

Just thought I'd throw that one out there. I'm going to be charging £60 a leg at this rate, lol :wink2:

I had this thought in the back of my mind also -- I know at college this was the case as a man used to come around and empty the yellow bins. Does anyone practice this in the salon with regards to waxing?