Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with wax

Burning Wax Smell after Driving Car

millerizer — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 09:24:22 -0800

I have a 1997 Honda Civic that is running like a top. But the last couple of times I drove, there is a smell like burning wax. The car is not overheating or anything like that. Does anyone have any ideas?

Bum waxing advice?

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:16:08 -0800

Thinking about getting my bottom (including, er, interior parts) waxed and want to know what it's like before I take the plunge. Any tips or advice on what to expect or how to prepare? Also, any recommendations for places that perform this service in NYC? Thanks! Throwaway email: bumwaxingadvice@gmail.com

Scared of Losing my Hearing

Thanquol180 — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 17:17:01 -0800

I have been noticing recently that I have a hard time knowing what people are saying to me at work, so I usually just nod and laugh or something. my hearing feels a bit muffled and sometimes at night my ears ring for no real reason (tinnitus?). I also listen to music when I jog through ear buds. It doesn't feel like I'm playing the songs too loud, and I listen to my ipod about every other day for about an hour. I am gonna hold out on any more listening until i figure out what's going on. I recently went to my ear nose and throat doctor and had a hearing test. He said it came back next to perfect. This confused me. Should I consult an audiologist? I feel like I'm struggling to hear others, especially when there is background noise. If anyone can give me any feedback, I'd surely appreciate it. I am 30 btw.

Help me protect and preserve my brand new leather shoes

rbf1138 — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 10:51:39 -0800

I just bought a pair of these Grenson Stanley Wingtips. How do I care for them? I also bought a cedar shoe tree, Grenson Neutral-colored shoe cream and a Grenson brush. I also have a tub of Dr. Marten's Wonder Balsam. This article seems really helpful: http://www.whatmakesaman.net/wordpress/2008/09/21/10-classic-english-shoemakers-part-1-introduction/

However, I don't totally grasp some of the concepts...Polishing vs. buffing vs. brushing, wax vs. cream vs. polish, etc. Could you guys break down and perhaps clarify how to go about protecting my brand new shoes, as well as how to protect them over time? Any other advice or suggestions on products to use would be super helpful!

Arm wax of death?

manicure12 — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 12:53:06 -0800

Instead of tips on avoiding a sketchy salon experience, I need tips on what to do if I had one. I'll preface this with saying I should have spoken up the minute something felt off but I didn't. And now I'm here. So I just need advice on going forward, other than don't do this again :)

Today I was in desperate need of a salon day. I have a big meeting/dinner coming up and needed an arm wax and a professional polish color change. I went to a salon I had gotten so-so mani-pedi's at before because it was the only one with availability.

More than halfway through the arm wax I realized I wasn't keeping track of if she was double dipping, and I've read enough issues of Cosmo to know this is bad, even if I can't remember why. And yes, she was double dipping. I should have stopped and said something but the wax was 90% over and I need better confrontational skills/confidence.

I also had her begin a mani-pedi, taking off polish and I had my feet in the pedi tub, she also started in on cuticle pushing on my feet. At that point I explained I was uncomfortable and grossed out so I was leaving. (Yes I paid for the wax and yes the manager denied that they double dipped.) So what do I do now?
1) I've already freaked out and washed my arms, hands, feet, and ankles in anti-bacterial soap multiple times and did a soak in water with tea tree/peppermint and then moisturized. I have no idea of this was helpful but it made me feel better. I'm envisioning both the pot of wax and the foot tub to be cesspools.
2) However, what else do I need to do? I realize I'm in danger of an infection and everything I see online caters to (a) people talking about how they got an infection or (b) people telling you how to avoid salons that will give you one. But nobody seems to have answers for my situation. I assume drinking lots of water and keeping up my immune system with lotsa vitamin C and such should help in some way?
3) I also want to report them to....whoever I would report them to. Board of health? This is a large metropolitan city. I will also be writing reviews on crowdsourced sites so other people know this salon is shady.

I learned my lesson emotionally but can you help me not-have-to learn it physically? Anything (else) I can do to ward off bacteria? Thanks!!!

I'm going for "understated", at least in comparison to Dali.

vernondalhart — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 11:25:47 -0800

What is the best kind of moustache wax? I've decided to commit fully to growing a handlebar moustache. I've tried variants before, ending up with a dali-esque curled moustache a couple of years back when my attempt at a handlebar failed, so I'm trying again.

The problem is that I don't know what kind of wax works best. I have fairly bristle-y facial hair, which seems to require quite a lot of wax to tame (at least at its current length).

So far I have been using Clubman wax, which works reasonably well, though as I said, it takes quite a lot of wax to shape things properly.

Is there another kind of wax I should be aware of? Bonus points if it is easily available for purchase online, since I doubt that I'll be able to find it in stores around here.

Clean wax out of my carpet?

gnossos — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 19:24:21 -0800

How to get liquid car wax out of my carpet? I have spilled enough liquid carnuba car wax on my carpet to make a puddle.

The short nap of the carpet was completely saturated.

I did an initial mop-up with paper towels.

Then, I tried tide/water, Dawn/water, isopropyl alcohol, and ammonia/water, vacuuming each time with a wet/dry shop vac.

None of these mixtures is making much of a difference.

What can I do to get this stuff out of my carpet?

G

Looking for info on wax seals/stamps

dbirchum — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:32:46 -0800

Getting back into letter writing. Thinking about using wax seals, looking for some information. Recently I have decided to not only work on my handwriting (which has lost its lustre), but to get back into writing personal handwritten letters (on occasion) to relatives, friends, etc, a couple of times a year. With Christmas coming soon, I would like to add this personal touch.

I remember years ago, I received a letter in the mail from a distant relative and it had one of those old wax seals with red wax securing the envelope. I thought it was interesting and unique and would like to get into wax seals. I am trying to collect information on them, where to purchase them, the best types, how to go about collecting them, etc.

I don't have a big budget for this (and not interested in getting into something very expensive), so I am looking for more economical alternatives. Ultimately, I would like to have my own initials designed for a wax seal (and my own design), but many of the websites that I have Googled, are very expensive (certainly more than I am willing to pay). It might be fine for a business to pay this amount, but not an individual. I did find a seller on eBay that made custom ones for a very reasonable price ($30usd), but the seller is no longer active.

Anyway, ANY information (resources/guidance/suggestions, etc) on this topic or "hobby", would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

The negative of music

ricochet biscuit — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 07:51:11 -0800

What would you hear if you played the negative image of an LP? I was talking to a friend this weekend about the few LPs we both still have. He mentioned that he had learned a surprising trick: molten wax can be used to clean the dust and microgrit off of them by putting a generous layer on, letting it dry, then popping the wax off with all the scuzz embedded in it (if you're trying this at home, he mentions you need a lot: a thin layer just crumbles and you do more damage picking off the individual remnants).

He further mentioned that when he removes the sheet of wax, he is left with the negative image of the LP, and wondered what would happen if he tried to play that on a turntable. Notwithstanding the question of whether or not the needle would just dig into the wax instead of riding along it, what would he hear? I suspect it would just be white noise: the stylus would be riding in a groove which is the negative of the ridge separating the grooves on the LP. He wonders if you might get some weird, out of phase, backwards ghost of the music through the noise. What does the hive mind think?

Where can I buy emulsifying wax in Toronto?

The Card Cheat — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 07:15:28 -0800

My wife wants to make her own moisturizer, and we're wondering if there are there any retail stores in Toronto where one can buy emulsifying wax?

Where to find wax paper sleeves for baked goods?

chummie26 — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 19:39:00 -0800

I need wax paper sleeves to hold whoopie pies, but I don't know what they're called. I'm looking for wax paper sleeves to hold whoopie pies and big cookies that I'm planning to sell at a fundraiser. I don't want bags, I just want a sleeve - made like a normal bakery bag, but only enclosed on two sides instead of three, to form a corner into which the cookie/whoopie pie would be slid. It could be a triangular shape instead of a square.

I want them because whoopie pies are notoriously sticky and messy. I like the idea of people buying them and being able to walk around eating them while holding onto the sleeve, thus avoiding messy fingers. Shoving whoopie pies in bags causes them to stick to the bag going in and coming out, and chaos ensues.

I know such things exist, but I have no idea what they're called. I tried searching on "envelopes" and "sleeves" for baked goods without luck. I'm willing to order a commercial quantity. They need to be appropriate for food, preferably wax paper or something compostable. Anybody know where I can find them? I've checked the sites like Uline and Associated Bag and Papermart, but couldn't find what I'm describing.

Thanks.

ArtDisasterFilter: How do I get wax out of my paper-and-watercolor art project?

HenryGale — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 17:33:13 -0800

ArtDisasterFilter: How do I get wax out of my paper-and-watercolor art project? (Details inside) My wife is working on an ongoing project that involves covering many small pieces of paper pretty thoroughly with watercolor paint, setting the paper aside to dry, and then assembling into the finished product.

She's laid them out on paper toweling before and had problems with the towels sticking, so we had what we thought was a brain-wave. Wax paper! Ta-da!

Except, not so much. The sticking, still there. And this time, it's pulling a fine layer of wax off of the paper, which is now sticking to the watercolor and threatening to send the whole project to the garbage bin.

Help me save $50 and about six hours of my wife's work.. How do we get the wax off?

Tried so far:

Rewetting the paint and smooshing it around finger-pant style: Worked a little, but still too ugly to use.

Rewetting the paint and smooshing it around with the brush: Oddly, a little less effective than fingerpainting.

Painting over the wax: Nope, watercolor's too thin. Pretty much zero difference.

Ironing: This is of course the classic trick to getting rid of wax. We've sandwiched the painted paper pieces between paper towels and ironed, but the wax will not transfer to the paper towel. Ditto with brown paper.

What haven't we tried? Help make me a hero and save this project!

Thanks guys,
HG

Where can I get Red Sealing Wax FAST in Philadelphia and not spend a ton?

xdeliriumx — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:04:52 -0800

Where can I get Red Sealing Wax FAST in Philadelphia and not spend a ton? I am looking for red sealing wax for our wedding invitations as the company I ordered from never came through and I need it fast.

Ask Mefi please HELP!

Bonus points for NE Philly, Cheap, Glue Gun Style.

Wax on, wax off

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:00:48 -0800

Which is better to do in between brazilian waxes: shaving or depilatory creams such as Veet? Bonus question: can somebody please explain to me why it is recommended not to shave in between? I don't understand why it's such a horrible thing to shave a couple of times in between brazilian waxes.

2 weeks after a wax, a few stray hairs begin to come back - is it such a bad thing to shave them to prolong the smoothness? It's only a few hairs so I can't imagine making my next wax more painful by making the overall hair more coarse.

I have only had 2 brazilian waxes so far (I used to shave) and I love it. But in that final 1-2 weeks where I have to regrow... what am I supposed to do? What do most people do? I am thinking using birth control to time my period for that final regrowth week so I can just have a week without sex. Although I accept, love and appreciate pubic hair and natural bushes on others, I don't like to keep it that way myself and prefer to be smooth.

Is it really that bad to shave once or twice? I asked my waxer and she said "it's up to you - but it will make it more coarse and painful to remove". Is that all there is to it? Is that the only reason you shouldn't shave between waxes? Because I don't find it unbearably painful anyway.

Would using Veet be better than shaving, because it won't make my hair as coarse? OR, will it mess up the "regrowth cycle" by reaching as far down as some of the hair follicles rather than skimming the hair from above the skin surface? My waxer told me that if you epilate or pluck hairs in between waxes, you mess up the regrowth cycle and have heaps of short hairs that cannot be removed next time you have your brazilian. Would Veet or other depilatory creams have the same effect?

I'm so confused about this whole thing, as you can tell! Please tell me your habits ladies, and if you're too embarrassed to post here please email me at this throwaway email - dontunderstandwaxing@gmail.com

Can I use snowboard wax on nordic skiis?

kaudio — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:09:14 -0800

Nordic ski filter: I moved last year and now I can't find the hot wax I have for my nordic skiis, but I found the hot wax for my snowboard. Are there any huge differences in the two? Can I hot wax my skiis with snowboard wax? The snowboard wax I found is like this one. I have to go out and get new grip wax anyways, since that also got lost in the move... but I'd rather not have to pay $30-40 for a new set of hot wax if I don't have to.

Help me protect my new bamboo floors.

markblasco — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:29:13 -0800

Help me protect my new bamboo floors Just installed some engineered bamboo wood floors in the basement of our house. Installed with moisture barrier underneath, and the slab tested dry, so I am not worried about that. I would like to wax or somehow put some sort of additional layer of protection on the top, since we got a less expensive floor, which I know probably has a very thin finish layer. This is what we got:

http://www.lumberliquidators.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6550

I have heard that certain products do not work well with prefinished floors, so I don't want to get anything that will cause damage to the finish.

My wife is pregnant, and we have several cats that live in that area, so anything toxic is out (I won't be putting on a poly finish or anything like that), but I am wondering if there is some sort of floor wax that will work well, and won't cause finish problems. I can keep the cats at bay from walking in that area for an afternoon or overnight if needed, but can't remove them from the area entirely.

I don't mind a little "wax on, wax off" elbow grease, but I just don't want to put something down that will cause the floors to look hazey or that will chemically react with the finish.

Any suggestions?

Why so waxy?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:44:48 -0800

My right ear has been extra waxy for the past few years. Is there something wrong with it? How can I better clean it, since I know I'm not supposed to use Q-tips? I am a 27 year old caucasian woman. I used Q-tips every day of my life after showering and never had an ear wax problem until five years ago.

I woke up one morning with poor balance and some pain in my right ear. Several people at work had recently had ear infections, so I thought that was my problem. I went to the doctor, and my left ear looked fine, but he couldn't even see into my right ear to see if it was infected because it was plugged with wax. I used wax softening drops for a couple days at home, then went back to the doctor where he used a syringe of water to force out a cylinder of orange/brown wax about the size of a new pencil eraser. My ear felt awesome after that, and no, it was not infected.

The doctor recommended against using Q-tips at all, because he said they were forcing wax back into my ears, so I stopped using them for a few months. Eventually, my ear started feeling kind of sticky and waxy, so I started (and continue) to use them just a couple times a week.

Ever since that day, my right ear has produced much more, darker-colored wax than it ever had. Sometimes - but not every time - when I clean my right ear I'll pull out chunks of sticky, orange or brownish wax. I never experienced anything like this before my ear was "unplugged" five years ago. My left ear doesn’t produce this amount of wax.

Is this just a normal change in life that happened to coincide with my medical ear cleaning? Or was something done that day that's caused me to produce more wax ever since? Is there anything I can do to reduce the amount of wax my ears produce, or a better way to clean it out besides an occasional Q-tipping? (I've tried drops and a bulb of water, but haven't had good results.)

By the way, I've had doctors look in my ears since then, and nobody's commented on excessive wax or blockage.

Side note that is probably relevant: I vaguely remember my father, with whom I have no contact (and do not wish to), had ear wax issues as well. He was hard of hearing, due in part to a build-up of wax, and periodically went to the doctor to have his ears vacuumed with a small tube (I went with him once when I was very young). Is excessive ear wax hereditary?

I prefer to keep my leftovers in tupperware.

molecicco — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:58:38 -0800

Moustache care options? Moustachioed MeFites, answer me this: are there grooming tricks to keeping a bushy moustache out of the way of incoming food? Or rather, does being the owner of a big moustache require a careful eating style? Should I just relent, and accept that soup-straining is the inevitable consequence of the hirsute appendage?

Basically, I find shaving/beard maintenance a nuissance and would like to just let it keep growing. And I also like the idea of having a big bushy moustache. But every time I let my beard grow out I hit this natural length-barrier when its long enough to catch food. I find it totally disgusting, and that's when I start trimming the moustache.

So, I welcome your thoughts and anecdotes. For example, do you have experience with moustache wax? Is it suitable at this shorter length? Are there alternatives?

wax on wax off

janelikes — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:34:14 -0800

Help me remove my sticky, waxy mess PUH-LEAZE! I wax my own eyebrows. It's awesome. However, I store the wax and pot in a dresser in our bathroom and must have, somehow, put it in sideways? Who knows, but a couple of days ago I opened up the drawer to get it out and the wax has officially spewed out onto the bottom of the drawer in a sticky pool of doom. It is, in some places a half an inch thick. Did I mention its sticky?

How, beyond throwing out the entire dresser, does one clean this up? I haven't attempted anything because, frankly, as soon as I get near it my hands turn into velcro and I start spreading the wax around the house and sticking to everything.

Help me! Please!

Triple foam? Super Orange? Car wash nonsense?

abdulf — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:12:01 -0800

Automated conveyor-style car washes - what's triple foam? What's worth paying for and what isn't? This is where I get my car washed: Quick Quack Car Wash

There's the basic wash - which is supposed to just be soap and water. Then there's the next level wash that has "triple foam" which looks like a yellow, blue and red foam that just looks like colored soap. Then there's a wheel cleaner, wheel shine, undercarriage thing, super orange, rain-x...

Once I paid for the whole deal, and my car doesn't look different from the basic wash.

If the "super orange" and "triple foam" are waxes, does it make any difference if they're only applied for the 3-4 seconds that they're sprayed on and wiped off? And wouldn't Rain-X application be bad for clearcoat if it's sprayed on the entire car?

I'd like to get an unlimited wash package, so I can wash dust and bugs that accumulate around here.

Anyone worked at a car wash before? What chemicals are being sprayed on my car? What's worth having and what isn't?

And generally speaking, what should I do be doing to protect my cars paint job?

Am I supposed to just avoid the beach in between waxes? That doesn't seem right.

metamush — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:25:57 -0800

It takes weeks for bikini line hair to grow long enough to wax, so what do you do if you frequently are going to the beach or pool during the summer? What do you do between waxes? Also, how do you manage unsightly bumps? I refuse to go to the beach with a hairy bikini line. But I am also just as self conscious if I shave and bumps and ingrown hairs appear.

I see many women on the beach who appear to not deal with this problem. How? I truly wonder.

My family has a beach house, and I love the beach, and I want to go as often as possible during the summer.

If I wax, in about 1.5 weeks, the hair is beginning to grow back. But it will take another two weeks for the hair to be long enough to successfully wax. So what, do I just not go back to the beach for that time?

If I shave, that delays the ability to wax. It is a quick fix, but often results in unsightly bumps and razor irritation. Plus, it makes the hair very course and who wants stubble? I don't want my inner thighs to double as sandpaper.

I welcome any and all knowledge on this subject.

It takes weeks for bikini line hair to grow long enough to wax, so what do you do if you frequently are going to the beach or pool during the summer? What do you do between waxes? Also, how do you manage unsightly bumps?

Save my pants!

kmtiszen — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:04:35 -0800

StainFilter: So, I've seen plenty of questions about getting wax off clothing, but what about the dark stain it leaves behind? I recently had an incident involving candle wax and my favorite pair of khaki pants. I immediately threw the pants into the freezer and the wax came off easily, but I haven't been so lucky with the dark, blotchy stain – what I can only assume is residual from the dirty, oily wax.

I've washed the pants multiple times, pre-treating with Spray 'N' Wash and things like that. I'm wondering if there's any methods and/or chemical treatments I can use to get rid of the stain (or at least fade it slowly over multiple washes)?

Thanks in advance!

Repouring Seven-Day Candles

ottereroticist — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:53:43 -0800

What type of wax and wick should I use to refill empty glass seven-day candles? I have a whole bunch of empty glass seven-day candles (also called novena candles).

I'd like to repour them, ideally with soy-based wax, and I want to use the right combination of wax and wick so they will burn cleanly without cracking the glass.

If you have successfully repoured these candles, what combination of wax and wick did you use? Any other tips or information resources welcome.

Replacement for American Crew Classic Wax

sbutler — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:53:53 -0800

ARGG! American Crew has discontinued my favorite hair prod, their Classic Wax. Help me find a substitute. First, I have short, brown (little dry) hair. If I don't put something in it then it just sticks every which way. So I like to flatten it a bit forward.

Things I liked about Classic Wax:

- A little bit of it would go along way. Just getting a dab on a couple fingers was enough to do my whole head. Usually took me a couple months to go through a jar (or whatever you call the container).

- It didn't look to greasy/wet, IMHO. I used to use their Firm Hold styling gel, but was never really happy with it.

- My hair was just firm enough to hold it in place, but not firm enough to give me helmet head.

- Okay, I liked the smell too!

Not tied to American Crew products, so give me other suggestions if you know something that works as well. I'm a little pissed at them right now, actually.

Fire down below!

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:58:27 -0800

I am a girl with incredibly sensitive skin. Help me stay free of rashes AND hair "down there"... or convince me it's not worth it (men, please reply). I've tried waxing. I've tried shaving. Epilator? Check. It doesn't seem to matter what method I use, I ALWAYS get a rash.

Sure, it looks good for about a day, or even a week. But my skin is insanely sensitive, and I inevitably get a horrible, painful, scary-looking rash, especially along the edges where my groin and my legs meet. These rashes last 3-7 days.

I have had two long-term relationships where the guy didn't care down about having hair down there, so cool, I trimmed it. I'm single. Every time I am single, I feel OBLIGATED to be hair-free. So I try, but no method seems to work AND be non-irritating.

So far I have tried all of the following:

1. Using a new razor and sensitive skin foam after a bath
2. Professional waxing
3. Home waxing
4. Plucking all the hair with a rounded set of tweezers to avoid wax irritation
5. Nair (dear god never again lol)
6. Electric razor
7. Tend Skin and variations of that stuff
8. Clear deodorant
9. Only wearing skirts/dresses, no tight pants
10. Only shaving in the direction the hair grows
11. Epilator (yes really)
12. Exfoliating the area by every means possible

I feel like I want to have sex in the future, hence the grooming. But I can't always predict when sex will happen! So, guys... if you were going to have sex with a girl and there was some razor burn, primarily obviously on the... um... edges, how grossed out would you be? What if the girl had an STD test and showed you she was disease free, would that reassure you? Is a little hair better than no hair at all and a few red bumps? Ugh I feel so undignified even asking this. Help.

This is embarassing as hell. Throwaway account: embarassingashell at gmail.