Running Head: Hair Removal Products 1 Hair Removal Products: Nad s Marsha Lackey University of Central Oklahoma
Hair Removal Products 2 Introduction The topic of hair removal is very popular in today s men and women. Personal hygiene is not just limited washing our bodies and our hair. While these certainly are necessary components of a personal hygiene regimen, there are other very important aspects that are considered to be important. Manicured fingernails, toenails, and even special skin cleansers are used to also create a clean and polished appearance. This paper will explore another aspect of hygiene that in today s society is also considered to be an important part of personal hygiene. Hair removal is a multi-million dollar industry that has both men and women going to salons to receive hair removal services such as eyebrow, mustache, upper and lower lip, bikini, Brazilian, and even full body waxing. Excess hair can be seen as unsightly and many simply do not care for hair to be anywhere but on their head. Women utilize hair removal products and services to create a clean appearance and also to create a sexy appearance. It is no secret that for many women, it would be impossible to wear a bikini without having hair removed from the pubic area because it would be rather unsightly. Many go a step further and receive Brazilian waxes (removal of all pubic hair in the pelvic area) because it makes them feel sexy and even more erotic. Many men and women fell that it enhances the intimacy in their relationships. Men choose to have hair removed because they may have an unsightly mono-brow or they may even be body builders and need it removed because it enhances their look for competitions. Men also get Brazilian waxes done for the same reason as women. There really is no limit to the many reasons that men and women may want to limit or eliminate unwanted hair. While there are other products that can help with hair removal, this paper will focus on waxing products and end with special focus on the Nad s line of waxing products designed for hair removal. This paper will discuss the positive and negative aspects of
Hair Removal Products 3 Nad s and end with recommendations for how to improve the product along with a recommendation for a new redesigned product within its line of hair removal products. HISTORY It is important to note that the idea of hair removal is not a new concept. People have been removing hair from their bodies going all the way back to the Roman Empire. It was considered a sign of the classes to have very little body hair. They used razors made from flint, tweezers and even stones to remove unwanted hair. Even pubic hair was removed during this time period and was evidenced by many famous statues of that time being depicted with pubic areas that were hairless. During the middle ages Queen Elizabeth also removed body hair from her facial area including the removal of her eyebrows at times. Women of this time period removed their eyebrows to make their foreheads appear larger believing that it enhanced their appearance. In 1760, the first straight razor was invented for men but used by both men and women. In 1880, King Camp Gillette created the first modern day razor for men and started a whole new revolution in hair removal. In 1915, Gillette created the first modern day razor specifically for women. During this time depilatory creams began to be marketed to the masses as well. In the 1940 s electric razors for men and women started to become popular as well. These became very popular for women because during wartime there was a shortage of nylon which meant women were forced to be bare legged more often. During the 1950 s, hair removal started to become more accepted and common place for women. Women were starting to utilize razors more and more for shaving their underarms and legs. They were also starting to use tweezers more to shape their eyebrows as well. The 1960 s ushered in the use of wax strips to remove unwanted hair. This time frame also saw the use of laser hair removal, but was not popular because of the tendency for damage to the skin. The 1970 s saw a surge of bikini hair
Hair Removal Products 4 removal due to women starting to wear bikinis more often. From the 1980 s to present, women have made hair removal products one of the most popular in the beauty industry. A large population of women choose to utilize some method of hair removal every day whether it is tweezing, shaving, depilatory products, or waxing products. NAD S WAXING PRODUCTS Nad s was founded and created in 1992 by Australian businesswoman Sue Ismiel. She originally created the very first Nad s gel in response to an embarrassing problem her daughter had with excessive underarm hair. The original product was a small tub of green gel made from honey, molasses, sugar, and lemon juice. The product worked well but was painful. Ismiel later refined the product into a better wax that was much less painful and introduced it to others by also waxing their eyebrows and lips. Ismiel started the business out of her garage but eventually the popularity of the product increased and the company grew to need a factory to produce the products. The success of the Nad s product commercially came from a television advertising campaign where a call center was created to take orders of the product. The rest is history so they say. The company claims that Nad s does not need to be heated. You just smooth on the gel and remove it with linen strips which are reusable. Because Nads Hair Removal Gel is made of all natural ingredients it's safe for use around the eye area and anywhere else on the body. There is no mess with Nad s because it is water soluble so cleanup is easy. Hair length needs to be between 1/8 and 1/4 inch long. The treatment needs to be repeated about every 3 to 6 weeks. The only discomfort that may be felt is a slight sting although the hair becomes softer with more treatments so even this sensation will reduce. Nad s Hair Removal Gel is made from natural ingredients that ensure the risk of skin irritation is minimal.
Hair Removal Products 5 There are many companies out there that compete in this market. Some of the major and more popular competitors in this niche are Sally Hansen, Veet, and Nair. Like Nad s, all of these companies produce many different varieties of do-it-yourself waxing products. There are varieties marketed towards men and women, for sensitive skin, and even those that claim to be pain free. The target market for these products is men and women that cannot afford to go to salon professionals and pay for hot wax treatments to be applied. It also appeals to a more modest market of individuals who may not want others to see that they have unwanted hair. People that buy these products want something that is easy, safe, and as pain free as possible. I chose Nad s Hair Removal Facial Wax Strips as the product that I wanted to focus on specifically. Nad s markets this product as a quick and easy way to remove unwanted facial hair from the upper lip, cheek, chin and side of the face. No heating required as these strips are ready when you are - just rub, peel and go! Made with beeswax, the facial wax strip is designed with a soft contour weave paper technology that is flexible and conforming to the curves of your face. So what is Nad s doing right with this product? The instructions are pretty easy to follow. It is very affordable compared to going to the salon and paying fifteen to thirty dollars to have a professional do the wax job for you. The product has a low almost undetectable odor. It is not a hot wax so there is no possibility of getting burned in the process. It only takes a few minutes to warm the wax strips in your hands before you apply them. The packaging of their products have clean looks and different colors that go with each variety making it easier for my husband to spot the right one when he does the shopping! I know that sounds funny, but it is important to create a product that is easily identifiable and I think they do a good job with this. What are some of the things that Nad s needs to improve about this product? Through my own personal use, here are the things that I think need to be improved with this kit. I know that
Hair Removal Products 6 not all people are created with the same hair. Some have tougher, more course facial hair than others. I believe I fall into this category. Either that, or my roots are deeper. I say this because while the strips do a pretty good job most of the time, it does not always remove all of the hair the first try like you see at the professional salons. Many times I have had to reapply an area even though it says not to do so. That leads to the second issue. When I have to reapply, naturally my skin in that area is left very irritated and sometimes a little sore. This is most likely because it is taking more than the remaining hair off the second time around. It is probably taking off the top layer of skin as well. These are my two biggest areas of contention with this product. After doing research, this is probably the biggest complaint I have seen from other consumers as well. When it comes to advertizing I think that Nad s has had success in the U.S. primarily because of its presence on major store shelves across the country. However, I think it could reach a larger audience by improving it s visibility through television ads and other mass mail marketing strategies. I also think that Nad s could improve its market share by employing a kit much the same way that Proactive does that includes solutions for skin irritation and maybe even a DVD instruction kit so that successful results would be enjoyed by more consumers the first time they try the product. The rationale behind this is because a lot of consumers will give up on a product not because it is a bad product, but because they are not professionally trained on how to achieve the best results like the pros at salons. The easier you can make it on a consumer to use, the more successful the product will be. NEW PRODUCT I believe that a new version of the product should be introduced to the market. This version would be marketed specifically towards hard to remove facial hair. First the wax strips will be redesigned by adding a hardening agent to the beeswax that will provide additional grip
Hair Removal Products 7 to the hairs. This agent will be researched and still hold to the all natural design of the product ensuring that it is safe. Only now, it will be safe and more effective than ever before. The packaging will be expanded to include a mild cleanser to remove wax residue and a lotion that will soothe the skin after application. The most important aspect of this kit will be a new instructional DVD that will show video examples of how this kit can be used for the most effective results. This kit will retail for anywhere between ten to fifteen dollars. This is more expensive than the original kit that retails between five to seven dollars, but the new kit will include two new skin care products and the DVD to help ensure success the first time it is used which will in turn create happier customers with more repeat buyers and loyalty to the brand. A new major television ad campaign will be utilized along with a new push towards kiosk and vending machine distribution. This will help boost sales and also reach out to a new target market of individuals. The television ads will help ensure that the public knows that this isn t the old do-it-yourself kits with just plain old instructions. Those are fine for people that have held on long enough to go through the trial and error of learning how to get best results. The television ad will sell the new reinvented skin care concept behind hair removal. Eventually this new marketing process will be included in all varieties of the Nad s products. This new way of packaging a hair removal system will beat competitors current products because it reinvents the way waxing will be done. Not only will it better educate the consumer on better hair removal through the use of multimedia to do so, but it will also create better care for your skin through the addition of the skin care products to enhance the packaging. There are other products out there that include the skin care products but they are selling at a much higher price point. We will still keep this product affordable for the original target market. We will bring new meaning to fast, easy, and effective even on the toughest hair!
Hair Removal Products 8 References Adhoute, H., Hamidou, Z., Humbert, P., Lyonnet, C., Peuchot, M., Reygagne, P.,... Toubel, G. (2010). Randomized study of tolerance and efficacy of a home-use intense pulsed light (IPL) source compared to the hot-wax method. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 9(4), 287-290. doi: 10.1111/j.1473-2165.2010.00523.x Chang, A. C., Watson, K. M., Aston, T. L., Wagstaff, M. J., & Greenwood, J. E. (2011). Depilatory Wax Burns: Experience and Investigation. EPlasty, 11, 228-236. Pressner, A. (n.d.). 7 Things You May Not Know about Hair Removal But Should.Shape Magazine. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/beautystyle/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-hair-removal-should Szuchman, P. (2004, Summer). The History of Bikini Waxing. Cosmopolitan, 237(2A). Retrieved February 9, 2014. Wax On, Wax Off. (2013, April). InStyle.