Hair Removal With Wax
How do you wax?
There's the hot wax and there's the warm wax. The hot wax is the hard wax that you have to melt, and you apply it to your skin and you let it sit. You have to know exactly how long to leave it on your skin because if you leave it on for too long, you won't be able to remove it; if you don't leave it on long enough, it's not going to work. That's one type of wax. You flick it off and you remove and it comes off with all the unwanted hair. The other type of wax is the warm wax, and it is applied warm to your skin, in a very thin layer. You apply the paper strip or the cloth strip and you pull it off, and again, the hair comes out with the roots.
What body parts are commonly waxed?
People wax all parts of their bodies: their legs, arms, under-arms, eyebrows, bikini line and facial hair. The only part I wouldn't recommend you wax is the hair on your head. Anywhere else you can go ahead and wax.
What are the benefits of waxing?
When you wax, you are actually removing the hair at the roots, so it takes a lot longer for the hair to grow back. In fact, it takes between three to six weeks for you to actually wax again. When you're shaving, it's a daily routine, and sometimes you have to do it every day.
What is the wax made of?
Some waxes are made of beeswax. Some of them are made of candle wax. I believe there's artificial colouring in them because you see blue waxes and green waxes. Some of them contain chemicals as well.
What is the best way to apply hot wax?
When you're applying hot wax, make sure you apply it at the right temperature because you don't want to burn yourself with it. Test the wax on a small part of your body first before you apply it to a large area. Apply it thinly, depending on what type of hot waxing you are using. If it's the one that sets, allow it to set and then pull it off. But if it is the other method, which is the strip wax, then pull it off after applying the strip to it.
Is waxing painful?
When you are removing hair from the flesh, you obviously are going to feel it, depending on how sensitive you are. I personally don't believe that waxing is painful. I don't even feel it anymore. But if it is the first time for you, you are obviously going to experience some discomfort. However, if waxing is what you call pain, it is going to become less and less with experience and the more you use waxing.
How long must my hair be before I can remove it with wax?
You have to have a sufficient hair growth before you can do waxing yourself or you remove your own hair. The reason for that is that the wax or the gel or whatever form of waxing you're using needs to adhere to the hair, so that it can grip to it and it can be pulled out with the roots. I recommend 3-5 centimetres before you can actually get perfect results.
How long does waxing last?
A re-growth after waxing is between three to six weeks, depending on your own individual hair growth.
What are the risks of waxing?
With a natural gel, there's just no chance of taking your skin off. However, with the hot wax, and if you leave it on for too long, you might damage your skin with it. Make sure that the amount of time that the wax stays on your skin is the right amount.
Should I wax if I have sensitive skin?
You need to test the waxing product on a small part of your skin before you apply, to say your eyebrows or your upper lip or you bikini line, to understand what your skin can take and cannot take.
Does repeated waxing stretch your skin?
In my opinion, when you apply hot wax, to say, your eyebrows, the most sensitive part of your face, what the hot wax does it actually clings to the hair as well as to the skin. By removing it, it is doing something to the skin. It is pulling the skin with it, and if you continue pulling the skin with it, then it may cause some defect to your skin. However, if you use the gel, or a warm wax rather than a hot wax, the risks are lower.
