health topics > hair care >>  Topics >>> WAXING : Razor-free Hair Removal

Being completely honest, women get the short end of the stick when it comes to the conventions of beauty. Not only are they expected to have expertly coiffed hair and perfectly applied make-up, but they're also expected to be virtually hairless. Well, maybe not completely hairless, but they are expected to have carefully groomed bodies. Meanwhile, men are generally expected to have body hair (though attitudes are changing, requiring men to put in more effort to control and groom their body hair as well).

While some women are content to spend extra time in the bath and shower shaving their legs and underarms, and carefully trimming the bikini area, many women opt to remove the hair without shaving, either through waxing or sugaring (a process similar to waxing but using a sticky substance instead of melted wax). Waxing has the benefit of (generally) causing fewer ingrown hairs, and being better for skin types susceptible to razor burn. On the downside, some women (and men) find the process uncomfortable (or downright painful).

Waxing is excellent for removing hair from large areas of the body, and done properly, can be used for precision hair removal as well. For those who tolerate the process well, waxing is the preferred option for removing unwanted hair.
 

Waxing Terms:

Waxing as a hair removal process has become so commonly used, that specialized terms have come into use for waxing of specific areas of the body. Generally, these terms are used euphemistically to denote areas considered impolite to discuss openly. Two such terms (which may be confused by some people) are bikini waxing, and Brazilian waxing.

Bikini waxing is simply the removal of excess hair at or around the area normally covered by a bikini bottom - namely, the pubic area and inner thighs. This is the more common of the two terms and is a process most women have done, particularly during the summer months when bathing suits are worn.

Brazilian waxing is a much more intimate process. It involves removing the hair from the areas surrounding the genitalia, the perineum, and in the cleft of the buttocks (around the anus). The term comes from Brazil, the South American country where high-rise thong bathing suits and g-string bottoms are common attire on the beaches and the women tend to be more hirsute, thus necessitating a more thorough hair removal procedure.
 

Waxing Tips:

The process of hair removal by waxing (and sugaring) is fairly simple. Apply the wax/sugaring product, place a fabric/paper strip over the wax, rub it a few times to smooth it out and press it to the hairs, and pull it off (along with the unwanted hair). But here are a few tips for getting the best results from your waxing process, as well as some advice for avoiding injury:

Always check the temperature of your wax before applying it to the skin. Some heating methods have variable temperatures and some waxes require more heat than others. Always make sure to double and triple check the temperature of the wax before you apply it to the skin, particularly in more sensitive areas like the underarm and bikini area. A heating pot that is accidentally turned up can lead to a nasty burn, and since the product involved is designed to adhere to the skin, it is doubly important to be careful.

Wash the area you will be waxing thoroughly before waxing. Make sure to wash the area where you will apply the wax thoroughly with soap and water before you apply wax. The reason for this is two-fold. One, the wax will adhere better to clean, dry skin, and two, dirt, and dead skin cells can sometimes lead to blemishes if the wax should get into the pores and trap them there.
 

Use an astringent on the area to be waxed before applying the wax. The body's natural oils serve the purpose of lubricating skin and keeping the body hair healthy. However, oil trapped in body hair can mean that the wax cannot adequately hold onto the hair for removal. Using an astringent (alcohol works well) to remove the oil and dry out the hair will make waxing more productive.

Use Talc on Sensitive Skin areas. When waxing sensitive areas (specifically bikini, perineum, and anal regions) here's a good tip to make things less painful. After cleaning the area, and using an astringent to remove any residual oils from the hair/skin, use a light dusting of talcum powder on those tender areas to keep the wax from sticking too firmly to the skin. Apply the powder with a puff to make sure you avoid over-powdering.

Don't Try to Do Too Much at Once. One mistake some people make is trying to do large areas at once. The idea that motivates this action is that the fewer passes you have to make the less often you have to feel the pain. However, it is often impossible to remove long strips of fabric with the quick, even motion you need. The end result of trying to wax too large an area is often that you end up with more pain, and have to repeat the process because you fail to remove the hair.

Trim overly long hair before waxing. If the hair to be removed is too long, it can cause uneven results in the waxing process because the hairs become matted and are not evenly covered by the wax. This can also make the process more painful as the tension applied to the hairs is not uniform. Trim any hairs that are more than ½ inch in length (particularly in the pubic area) prior to waxing to ensure even coverage and tension.

To get a clean line, comb hair away from the line. In some areas the intention is to clean up the "line" around the area (i.e. in the pubic area). By combing the hair away from the edges before applying the wax you can ensure a more precise application of the wax and a clean, even line when you're finished.

Remember to hold the skin taut when removing the wax strip. In order to make the waxing process less painful, it is important that you have even tension when removing the waxed strip. Hold the skin taut when you remove the strip to avoid a "rippling" effect in the skin and uneven pulling of the hairs.

Pull the fabric strip against the direction of hair growth. The way waxing works is that it removes the hair by pulling it out by its roots. When you remove a waxed strip, always pull in the direction opposite of the hair's growth to make sure that the hairs are pulled evenly. Removing the strip in the direction the hair grows makes it likely that the hair will slip free of the wax as it is pulled along the hair shaft.
Pull the fabric strip from the skin quickly. The fabric strip used in wax hair removal should be pulled with quick, even strokes. This is not a situation where you want to go slowly.
 

By using the above tips, you will see better results from your waxing endeavors. You will also find that the experience is less painful. Remember, a sure and steady hand will hurt much less, so take the time to prepare and plan your actions.

 

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