Wax On, Wax Off

I think my biggest pet peeve by far is excessive body hair, especially on myself. Don’t ask me why, I really don’t know just something about it urks me! The only hair I can stand on me is my head hair, my eyelashes and my eye brows (neatly groomed of course) everything else must go. As the warmer months approach I realize how much more anal about it I become. But thanks to my esthetic background (I graduated from one of the Esthetic programs in Canada) I know how to properly wax away said hair. A lot of people have a misconception about waxing due in part to the myths associated with it, but as a former esthetician and an avid waxer I know for a fact most aren’t true or are only half true:

Myth 1 – Waxing hurts: This is a half truth. For those who have never waxed before in their life it may be unpleasant at first, having it performed properly will significantly reduce the pain and over time one does become use to it. Imagine a band aid being pulled from a hairy area.

Myth 2 – Waxing makes your hair grow back thick and coarse: this isn’t true at all, in fact its the complete opposite. Waxing will actually make the hair a finer consistency and less dense except for the bikini area, that hair usually does remain coarse but after regular waxing does thin out.

Myth 3 – Waxing makes the hair come in darker: when the hair grows back it may appear darker but this has nothing to do with waxing. What most people don’t realize is that the sun naturally bleaches our hair, when we you wax your hair will grow in its natural hair color.

Myth 4 – Waxing rips your skin: technically this is true but not in the way most people would think. There are actually several layers to our skin, the one we see and feel is actually nothing more than dead skin cells. Waxing removes just the right amount of dead skin cells leaving the skin soft and smooth, its really exfoliating your skin the way a body scrub would. The changes of non dead skin being removed are very low if performed properly.

The truth is waxing isn’t any more dangerous or painful to us than anything else out there. Besides electrolysis its one of the best methods for hair removal, done properly that is. Proper technique is the KEY to waxing! Using improper technique is the cause of most problems in waxing.  Whether you are using a home kit and doing it yourself or going to a salon and having it professionally done, there are some things to remember:

1. Hair length should be  from 1/8 – 1/4 inches long, if hair is too long it can pull so trim it back to 1/4. Use caution when doing this so not to hurt yourself and don’t use clippers as it can trim the hair too short

2. Cleanse the area to be waxed or dry with powder, wet or oily skin can cause the wax to not stick properly

3. Spread the wax evenly over the skin surface, following the same direction as the hair growth. In some areas of the body hair will grow in  different directions, in this case each area is waxed separately and the wax is removed in the opposite direction of hair growth.

4. Place the muslin strips over the wax and smoothed with the hand in the direction of the hair growth. Leave enough free edge on the strip (approx. 1 inch) so that you can grasp it with your hands

5. Place your hand on the skin to hold it firmly(holding the skin taut prevents over stimulation of the nerve endings and lessens discomfort, prevents stimulating the oil gland and prevents bruising). Pull the strip back in the opposite direction of the hair growth, it is important that the hand remains as close to the skin as possible. This forces the follicle to open and allows the hair bulb or root to be removed more easily. Improper pulling can cause the skin to rip and a lot discomfort.

6. When all the unwanted hair has been removed, apply a smooth antiseptic lotion to the area. One with aloe Vera to help calm the skin

If you are waxing yourself at home follow these instructions to the T to ensure best results with minimal pain. If you prefer to have it done at the salon, watch to make sure your Esthetitian follows these steps, if she doesn’t this could be a sign if improper training and its best you find  someone else. Now that you know how to properly wax, you can do it at home and save some time and money. Of course there are some body parts that really should be left to the professionals such as eye brows, upper lip and Brazilian. Everything else can be done at home, though a helpful suggestion when it comes to doing your arms is have your friend help you with your dominate arm. This is a really tricky area and doing it alone can cause you to run into problems as I learned the hard way.

And there you have it waxing made easy! Now we can all enjoy a hairless summer, which in my opinion is the best kind 😛