Necessity is the mother of invention. Necessity is what caused me to make so many choices when it came to my business. In fact, necessity is what pushed me to open Urban Waxx. I wanted to work in a salon that only waxed, with a fun upbeat atmosphere, that embodied accessible luxury, with a serious focus on customer service. It didn’t exist in Portland in 2007, so I opened one.

The same thing happened with the invention of Serious Serum. As an aside, I do not consider myself a creative person. I am so in awe of people who are constantly thinking of new and exciting concepts. That is not me. Instead, I usually get frustrated with something that I am dealing with and I finally think: “I can do this better.” And then, sometimes I do it.  Urban Waxx is an example of that. We aren’t the first salon to wax. We aren’t the first salon to only wax. But Urban Waxx is my idea of the BEST wax salon.

Case in point: Serious Serum. So, ingrown hair is the bane of every Waxxer’s existence. They are a real bummer. There is nothing worse than having a perfectly smooth Brazilian only to be plagued by pesky red bumps. I ALWAYS used to struggle with ingrown hairs after I waxed myself.  They drove me bananas! I tried everything that was available to treat them…everything that was on the market. Nothing worked! Some things worked a little…but nothing worked as well as they claimed. When I opened Urban Waxx, we carried a few ingrown hair serums. I had a real problem recommending them to guests because…well…they didn’t work very well.  SO frustrating! One day I was at my friend’s spa getting s facial. She was carrying this glycolic facial serum for $75. She told me to use it on my face and it would be amazing. So, I bought it. It was amazing for my face. I had a thought: Could this be amazing on my bikini area? And guess what…it was.  So then my next thought was: Why isn’t there a serum that can be this good for ingrown hair prevention? I think you see where this is going…

Necessity is the mother of invention. I needed a serum that worked. There wasn’t one available. I invented one.

I love Serious Serum. It is available in every Urban Waxx, online, and in so many spas and salons around the country. It works. It is formulated with AHAs and BHAs. The AHAs (lactic and glycolic acid) help to slough off rough, dead, dry skin cells on the surface of the skin. The BHA (willow bark- a natural salicylic acid) helps to dissolve the skin debris that clogs pores. Together, these exfoliating agents really do a number on so many skin troubles. Clearly, I developed it to help prevent ingrown hair. However, there are SO many other uses for Serious Serum. It is facial grade, so use it on your face for breakouts. Use it on your face for helping to soften fine lines and wrinkles. One of my favorite uses: It treats keratosis pilaris.  Do you know what that is?  It’s that rough, bumpy skin on the back of your arms and legs.  Yes, Serious Serum can really help with that.  At Urban Waxx we use Serious Serum post waxing because it is SO soothing that it helps with redness and irritation, and then the AHAs and BHAs kick in and they really help to eliminate post wax breakouts.

The other important piece for me: I wanted a serum that was very effective and would not cost a fortune.  Serious Serum is $25.

So, guess how Fresh wipes came about?  Yep, same way.  Owning wax salons, we try to think of everything that can make the guest experience perfect and comfortable.  We take into consideration that some of our guests will be coming for a wax after work…working out…running around all day…and may want the option of freshening up.

I thought: Wouldn’t it be a great idea to have individual wipes in the restrooms for guests to use before their wax?  And also available for guests to purchase so that they can freshen up, on the spot, anytime?

Enter Fresh wipes.  Lots of work with a chemist and my creative team and packaging companies and Fresh wipes arrived!  I LOVE Fresh wipes.  They are so cute, all natural, and they freshen all over.  I have Fresh wipes in my yoga bag, the car, my purse…you name it!  I have used them on long trips, camping, after workouts, and of course pre-wax.  Also, to wipe up my car and my kid’s faces and hands.  Basically, everything!

And…I wanted them to be SO CUTE and chic.  And they are.  I absolutely love the way they look and it always makes me smile to see one in my bag!

I love both of these products and I am passionate about the creation of them.  Like I said, I am not creative, just particular…and I am particular about everything that I do. Let me know what you think about Serious Serum and Fresh wipes! We love feedback!