Best Tips and Tricks for Waxing at Home
Oh no! It's almost that dreaded bathing suit season and I'm still 40 lbs over weight and more hairy than I'd like to be. Ugh. Now, in the next month there's not a ton I can do about my excess weight but at least there is something I can do about my excess hair ... WAX!
You may be thinking, "Why don't you just shave like a sane person?" Well I do, for about half the year. During the spring and summer - when it's just too hot in Florida to wear anything longer than Bermudas - I wax about every three weeks or so. The reason I wax instead of doing the arguably more convenient option of hair removal (shaving) is because of sunless tanner! You see, I am ghostly pale, there's not a tan line on my body, which is honestly a preference, but I hate feeling like I stand out in summer when nearly everyone else around me is beautifully bronzed (welcome to Florida). However, having gone through cosmetology school, I have an in depth knowledge of exactly how damaging the sun can be for skin (dude, cancer aside, sun exposure causes 90% of pre-mature skin aging #NoThankYou) so my body safe alternative is sunless tanner, which I don't get professionally sprayed on because I'm ... frugal.
Anyway, if you know anything about sunless tanner, then you'd know one of the things that can really lighten your tan up quickly is a good session with a razor. Wicked inconvenient. *Enter* Waxing! Why waxing and sunless tanning aren't naturally paired together like peanut butter and jelly, I don't know because it's the perfect combination to achieve long-lasting smooth sun-kissed skin. That, right there, is worth any pain of waxing, and truthfully, it's not that bad. Nevertheless, I do acknowledge the time it takes to achieve this ideal summer look is quite a commitment to keep up year round which is why I default to shaving in the fall and winter.
Now with that said, I must reiterate that I'm frugal, which is a more indiscriminate way of saying, "No way in hell am I going to spend more money to get something done that I can do myself for nearly a quarter of the price." Additionally, the price isn't the only benefit to be reaped from waxing at home. It's more comfortable to do it at home, on your own time. Not to mention, more private, if you think about it from the perspective of a Brazilian, so I really advocate for at home waxing and every potential "risk" it entails. As a matter of fact, these so-called risks are easily preventable if you follow my best tips and tricks for waxing at home!
First things first, there are some catches that may prevent you from having the option to wax at home, like if you have active eczema, psoriasis, or warts. Also, if you're taking antibiotics or medical skin treatments such as Accutane, Retinol, Retin-A, Renova, hold off until they're out of your system. Additionally, avoid waxing while on your period (assuming you're a female) as your skin, especially your girl bits, are more sensitive. In fact, about three days after your period is the perfect time to wax as your pain tolerance is higher after your period, and the extra sensitive period has passed (pun intended!!!). Furthermore, you have to keep in mind that the skin needs to be free of cuts, inflamed pimples, and sunburn and the hair itself needs to be at least 1/4-1/2 of an inch long (around the length of a grain of rice or so).
If you meet all these requirements, and you decide you want to subject yourself to probably one of the most uncomfortable scenarios many women willingly choose too, then you should begin by prepping the skin. You should be exfoliating regularly (2-3 times per week), but definitely 24 hrs before you wax. Exfoliating helps soften the hair and open hair follicles. This will make waxing less painful and help prevent ingrown hairs. Also, as I said, the hair length matters, it should be in the realm of 1/4 inch to about 1/2 an inch long. Too short, you'll have trouble removing the hair because there is nothing for the wax to adhere too, and if the hair is too long, it'll hurt more than it needs too, so don't be afraid to pull out a trimmer if necessary.
After you've prepped your body, you need to prepare your arsenal!
There are wax strips. Strips that come with the perfect amount of wax already adhered to it. You simply rub it between your hands to warm, then apply.
There's soft wax, which is wax that's applied with a wooden stick in a moderate layer to the skin and then a strip is applied to that manually.
There's hard wax. This wax is ideal for people with sensitive skin or to especially sensitive areas, like under arms or intimate regions.
After you've decided on your wax, you should ALWAYS read all the instructions and do a patch test 24 hours in advance to ensure you won't have any adverse reactions to the wax you picked.
If everything went well, proceed with gathering the rest of your supplies.
If you're worried about pain:
A light unscented lotion OR aloe (I use aloe)
Towels ×2-3 (I use 3, one on the floor, one over my sink, and one for after the shower )
A hand mirror (this is optional, but useful)
Loose fitting clothing (for after)
After you've armed yourself with your wax kit, it's time to hit the showers!
You'll want to lay your towels out, and take your ibuprofen if that's what you decide. Then take a warm shower to open pores and relax follicles, and the warm shower will also serve to slightly heat the bathroom up too, to help maintain the opened and relaxed-ness during the procedure.
After your shower, thoroughly dry off with one of your towels (Yay! Preparation). Moving on, once you're dry, you may choose to apply your numbing cream. I must point out these creams aren't magic; it's still going to hurt a bit. Numbing creams typically don't work that well because the nerve endings are below the skin, so when you're pulling out the hair it's still going to be uncomfortable as you just applied the cream to the surface of the skin. And to even use the cream, you should check with a dermatologist first. Consequently, I find it's just easier to skip the cream all together.
Whether you applied the cream or not the next thing you should do is dust the area with a bit of talcum powder. This will absorb any excess oils and moisture and help wax to stick better.
If you're using a wax that you have to heat, for the love of sweet baby Jesus (or whoever you pray too, we're not here to judge or alienate!) test the temperature before you slap a big ole glob onto your skin! Trust me, you'd rather burn a small circle on your wrist than basically your whole armpit, or god forbid any part of your junk. I know this sounds extremely obvious, definitely a "duh" thing, but it's one of the most common motifs in waxing-gone-wrong stories, so please test the temperature of your wax every time you wax. The wax should ultimately be a comfortably warm temperature. If it's too cold, it won't spread, too hot and you risk serious burns.
If you're in no danger of severe burns, you can begin applying the wax. Apply the direction the hair grows in small sections (no bigger than 2 in x 3 in). Applying with the grain ensures every hair will get a coating of wax. Now it's the moment we've all been dreading: removing the strip! A few things to remember: first, you must absolutely remove against the growth of hair, so the opposite way you applied. Second, under NO circumstances should you pull the strip out away from the skin. Let me explain, you should be lifting the strip and peeling it back along the skin, against the grain of hair growth, but in a rapid motion. Not removing parallel to the skin will hurt more and can actually cause bruising and irritation. Finally, do NOT tense up, be relaxed as possible. It helps me to take three deep breaths and rip on the third exhale. If you're tensed, it'll hurt more, it's just a fact, do whatever it takes to counteract that.
After you've ripped the strip, immediately apply some pressure to the area. This will help with pain too. If you notice not every bit of hair was removed and you think your skin can take it, you may repeat doing that area one more time. If there is still hair there after your second go, tweeze the rest or let it go. I do not recommend a third go, you're heading towards some serious discomfort and irritation if you do. Continue this process until you've hit all the areas you'd like to wax. Don't rush though, take your time and be thorough for best results.
When you've finished, you'll likely still have a bit of residue on you. You can jump back in the shower, but use lukewarm water. If the water is too warm it can cause irritation. As an alternative to showering, you can simply apply a light unscented lotion or aloe vera gel to loosen remaining wax residue and wipe away. This doubles as a moisturizer too. Try not to touch the skin after this for a solid few hours though, as to avoid breakouts. And for a full 24 hours, try to avoid applying deodorant or antiperspirant if you waxed your underarms. To prevent irritation, you should avoid strenuous activity and wear loose clothing for 24 hours also, you don't really want a lot of sweating or rubbing going on. If you do experience irritation, you can apply ice or aloe to help soothe. After 24 hours, you're ready to go back to exfoliating and moisturizing on a regular basis to prevent ingrown hairs and keep you prepped while you wait 3-4 weeks before repeating the full procedure again! Though, when successful waxing removes hair at the root and can last up to 6 weeks.
Those were pretty universal tips for majority of your waxing endeavors, however I've compled a secondary list of tips and tricks specifically for bikini waxes and Brazilians for brave souls that want to do this in the privacy of your own home.
Most of the prep is similar, but as far as the exfoliation goes, I recommend a 48 hour waiting period before going ahead with the wax.
It should also be noted that while you can wax your nethers any time of the month, including on your period, I still recommend waiting until about three days after Aunt Flo's visit when pain tolerance is high and extra sensitivity is low.
In addition, to help extra sensitivity stay low, you'll want to skip the caffeine until after your wax, because caffeine is a stimulant, and this will often time cause more pain because your skin is more sensitive.
Numbing cream is permitted, but don't try to ice the area beforehand thinking it'll help with pain. It'll shrink pores, you'll end up missing hair unnecessarily, and it'll still hurt.
Put pressure after you pull the strip! This still applies, this is not the time to be shy.
Always, always, always take your time. Wear loose clothes after. Also, avoid anything ... rough after for at least a day. And remember to keep up on exfoliation and moisturizing too!
By day two after your wax, I promise you'll feel amazing! Like a whole new person! There's a reason many women willingly put themselves through this. Feminists, calm down, I'm not implying waxing is the only way to look and feel beautiful, however if you're personally not a fan of body hair, waxing at home using these best tips and tricks will give you unbeatable smoothness, and as an added benefit, it lasts for weeks.
Now if you don't mind, I'm going to have to excuse myself because I've got to go start my prep work for bathing suit season before it's too late!
Feel free to comment any thoughts, feelings, or questions you many have. You can also find me on Twitter @JaylaReeves1 and on Facebook and Tumblr as Jayla Reeves. The links to my socials are in the header! Also, if you like this post and want to support my work you can head over to my Patreon page (also linked in the header) .
