Waxing Body Hair

What is waxing?

Waxing has been used as a hair removal method for a very long time. There are two main types of waxing. One is hot wax, which is usually only used in a salon. The wax is applied fairly thickly. It sets, grips the hair as it dries, and then is pulled off as quickly as possible. That pulls the hair out by the root. The hair will grow again but it will have a soft, fine tip to it because the hair has been yanked out of the skin. The most common method of waxing is strip wax. That has been around since the early 70s and uses a thinner product, usually an organic type of product, which has a certain amount of resin in it. This is then applied to the surface of the skin and is not quite so hot, and then a strip of either paper-like material or a calico-like cotton fabric material is pressed firmly onto the wax. That is then pulled off, taking with it the wax and the hair. Again, the hair is pulled out of the hair follicle by the root, and when it re-grows it has a fine tapering tip to it. The hair is removed with wax, whether it's strip wax or hot wax, and the skin feels soft and smooth for as long as it takes for the re-growth to appear.

What are the advantages of waxing?

The huge advantage of waxing is that it lasts quite a long time, usually a month to six weeks. Hair grows slightly faster in the summer than the winter, therefore it may be a little more frequently needed in the summer; maybe five weeks in the summer, and six to eight weeks in the winter. Waxing is not too expensive. It's a little bit painful, but it's not seriously painful. Waxing leaves the skin very soft and smooth. It's effective, doesn't take long to do and it's very hygienic. There are not usually any problems with waxing at all.

What are the disadvantages of waxing?

Waxing has one or two disadvantages. It can make the hair grow deeper and coarser, particularly on the face. If someone has soft, fine down on the face, that is not good to wax because it will almost certainly grow a little bit deeper. As the hair is pulled out, a tiny amount of the base of the follicle is pulled out and the next hair grows a bit deeper so it'll be a bit stronger. Waxing is a little bit painful for some people; the first time they have it they really don't like it at all. It's kind of worse than ripping off a plaster, but it's not too bad and people do get used to it. Waxing is not suitable to use on someone who has particularly bad capillaries or even varicose veins on the legs. It shouldn't be used where there is any kind of blood supply problem, of any kind at all or at any time. It should never be used if someone has any skin infection. It shouldn't be used on anyone who is an epileptic. Waxing should be in the hands of a professional and carried out under hygienic conditions, and certainly you can't go sunbathing immediately after and you shouldn't go swimming or go to a sauna or steam bath. You have to think about when you have the waxing treatment and take care of it for the next twenty-four hours at least.

Does waxing reduce the amount of hair growing back?

Waxing doesn't actually always reduce the hair re-growth, but it can. If waxing is used on fine, soft, downy hair, the hair will almost certainly grow a little bit deeper and a bit stronger after a few waxing treatments. Conversely, over a long period of time, if someone has an area of courser hair waxed, it's almost as if the hair simply gives up growing and only a few hairs remain. For instance, if a woman waxes her underarms over a period of maybe twenty years, practically all the hair will stop growing. Waxing can't be quoted as always making the hair growth worse or always reducing it. It depends on the type of hair in the first place and it depends on how often the waxing treatment is performed. Someone who has their legs waxed over a long term, over many years, will find that the hair growth is reduced considerably.