HONOLULU -- Disease is spread every day in styling salons across the country. Mistakes made with eyebrow waxing could be costly.

For many women, getting their eyebrows waxed is a key step to a pulled-together look.

"Every month I usually get my hair, eyebrows, nails and feet, so it's just one more thing," customer Candice Earp said.

With a few rips, snips and plucks, unwanted hair is gone.

"It opens their eyes. They feel more beautiful. It's kind of an extra touchup, you don't feel as beautiful without the brows done, too," cosmetologist Tiffany Conner said.

But the quick fix can have negative consequences if it is not done right. Cosmetologists have heard horror stories from customers about other salons.

"Burning people, tearing skins, a lot of bruising we hear about," Conner said.

"I've heard of using bikini wax sticks for eyebrow waxing," customer Megan Wells said.

But that's not all.

"The biggest concern right now are the different diseases that are spread from re-dipping the stick, more specifically, the eye herpes," said Sherry Lewelling, a member of the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology.

Some states across the country are reporting an increase of eye herpes cases in surrounding states that were direct results of eyebrow waxing mishaps.

"Cold sore on the lip. They get a lip wax, the technician puts the stick back into the wax, then the wax is contaminated," Lewelling said.

The next customer is then susceptible to disease.

For businesses, prevention is about employees asking questions and thoroughly adhering to sanitary procedures.

Here are some factors to look for:

• Technicians should wash their hands before they begin.
• The temperature of the wax should be tested before it is used on the customer.
• Every time a stick is dipped into wax and then placed on skin it should be thrown away.
• Tables should be sanitized or newly covered before customers lie down on them.
• Technicians should be properly licensed for the procedures they are performing.

"I'd rather just pay more money and have them done right," Lewelling said.

The Hawaii State Health Department said it has received no complaints of illness or mishaps locally from waxing in the past three years.

Health officials said they generally don't hear of problems unless there's some sort of publicity, so KITV will update viewers if there's something to report.