Use a well ventilated work space--wax fumes should not be inhaled. Start by cleaning the base of your skis. You can either use a solvent cleaner to remove old wax or just rub them with a rag to get all the dirt or other debris that may be on your bases.

Choose a wax appropriate for the time of year or conditions that you are skiing. We recommend a high quality ski iron; you can easily ruin a pair of skis by using a standard iron. Set your iron to the right temperature for your wax and let you iron warm up for at least 30 minutes. A smoking iron is a sign that the temperature is too hot.

Rub your wax piece on the iron to melt it a little.  

'Crayon' the wax into the ski. The old way is to let the wax drip on your ski. This is usually fairly wasteful as you often get too much wax on the ski. This method allows you to cover the bases and efficiently use your wax.  

Take the iron and in one slow fluid movement, run the iron from tip to tail of your ski. This method allows the wax to fully penetrate the base of the ski and prevents the wax from 'streaking' and not fully absorbing into the base as when you move the iron quickly around your ski. You do not want to move so slow that your bases get too much heat from the iron and bubble.

Allow your skis to cool completely (30 minutes).
Sharpen your scraper! A sharp scraper is an important tool. Rub the edges against a coarse grade sandpaper to get the edges nice and sharp, or invest in a Toko or Swix scraper sharpener.

Scrape the cooled wax from the bases. You essentially want to get as much wax off as you can by scraping. Most shops will consistently work from tip to tail creating a 'flow' in the bases. Make a few passes with your scraper getting until you aren't taking any more wax off.

Use a coarse and fine brush to go over the bases. Again, work from tip to tail always brushing in the same direction. Brush until you aren't getting any more fine particles coming off the bases.

Make a final pass with a Scotch Pad. This is the final buff to get a nice smooth finish on the base of your skis.  

Go Skiing! Pass all your friends, cruise on the cat tracks, be the first to the pitch, and laugh your way down the mountain.