Waxing at Home – Ace This Art like a Pro

Waxing is an art. It has become a necessity for many. Hair removal comes with a lot of options and techniques. Waxing is still the most common go-to option. It is hands down the best approach to a hair-free, soft, and smooth skin. The best bit about waxing is that you have the option of waxing at home yourself or home waxing with help or simply waxing in a beauty salon. Those beauty salon trips can be inconvenient at times, and it’s always good to have a backup in case of emergencies. Waxing at home with a “Do it yourself” kit can be quite the lifesaver. It’s also not that messy or tiresome once you get the hang of it. This article will help breeze through home waxing like a pro with heels.

Waxing Described

Waxing in plain layman terms is the process of hair removal that removes the hair by the follicle, in other words, from its roots. It involves applying a sticky substance like Wax on the skin surface and then peeling it off with a waxing strip or cloth. This Wax adheres to the hair on the surface, and both the Wax and hair are peeled off together, resulting in smooth hairless skin.

The How’s and what’s of Waxing At Home

A lot of people think that home waxing is a troublesome chore. That it has a lot of difficulties and cannot be done efficiently. You cannot be more wrong in your thinking. With all the various DIY kits at your fingertips, the trick to waxing at home is nothing more than a trial and error process. It might take you one to two sessions to cross the learning curve, but beyond that, the freedom it provides is exhilarating.

The process is simple, really. The following step by step guide will help you become a pro in no time at all:

• Choosing the Wax or making your Wax at home
• Check your hair length. Trim it if it is over 3/4^th of an inch long. If it’s shorter than 1/4^th of an inch, then you should wait for it to grow a little bit more.
• Preparing the strips. This will be included in the DIY kit, or you could just make them from cloth
• Apply powder on the skin surface to be waxed
• Apply the Wax after checking the temperature carefully to avoid burns
• Press the strips on the Wax
• Pull in the opposite direction from the hair growth
• Repeat on the other parts
• Apply mild after wax gel on the areas waxed

The Alternative and Its Charm

The substitute for waxing at home is:

• Salon-style waxing
• Waxing at home with the help of a professional

Getting professional help is always good. With waxing getting that attention and pampering from an aesthetician will be a feel-good factor. Coupled with the fact that waxing at certain places like the underarms and bikini lines can become difficult, getting it done by someone is a very viable and attractive option.

Sifting Through the Advantages and Disadvantages

The basic rationale for waxing is that it will pull your hair from its roots. This process leaves the follicles open and damaged, which on the bright side, reduces the hair growth, but on the flip side is also a cause for irritation and sometimes even infection. When deciding if waxing is the go-to solution for you to get rid of those unwanted body hairs, you should carefully evaluate both the plus and minuses of the process. The advantages of waxing at home are numerous. The following list will clarify them for you readily:

• It makes hair finer and sparser. Continued use results in a very slow hair re-growth
• The hair tip does not become blunt like in shaving
• Waxing does not cause itchiness. It might cause redness, but that’s temporary
• Less expensive than the other hair removal techniques
• It can be used in large areas as well as small areas without any problem. So surface area to target is not an issue
• Skin gets a gentle exfoliation since waxing removes dead surface cells
• Waxing has reduced risk of nicks and cuts

After enumerating the advantages, you should also look at some of the disadvantages:

• The procedure does involve a certain pain. Those with sensitive skin will experience more pain than others.
• Waxing can get expensive depending on the expertise of the beautician; Wax used and the area to be waxed
• It leaves the follicles open to infection
• Maintaining a consistent waxing routine can get difficult and tiresome

Things to Keep in Mind “Before” Waxing

So you have decided to take the plunge. Both waxing at home and the beauty salon waxing require prepping of the skin which you want to wax and even yourself. Remember, it’s not an absolute necessity, but given that waxing is stressful for the skin, you might want to take the prepping seriously. Few pointers from the American Academy of Dermatologists to pamper and love your skin through this experience are:

• Optimal Hair Length: Before going for waxing, take care that your hair growth is at least one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch long. Any smaller and the Wax will not be able to stick to the hair, and you will not have the best result. Also, it’s advised that for longer hair, you first trim it to keep the waxing less painful and messy.
• Improve The Comfort Quotient: Since waxing is a painful and stressful experience, you might consider taking an over the counter pain medicine like ibuprofen to ease the resulting discomfort. You should take the medication about 30 minutes before the procedure.
• Shun The Retinoid Creams: Be very careful to avoid any creams with retinoid or retinol as an ingredient at least 3 to 5 days before undergoing waxing since they might cause your skin to be removed along with the hair.
• Wash And Dry The Area: It’s a good idea to wash and thoroughly dry the area where you want to be waxed. This will remove the dead skin cells and any cream or moisture on the skin surface and help the Wax to stick properly.
• Don’t Exfoliate: It’s not the best thought to exfoliate right before waxing. This will cause your skin to become sensitive, making it more susceptible to allergies and irritations. However, you can exfoliate a couple of days prior without having any aggravated waxing side effects.
• Ensure Proper Hygiene: The more that’s said on this issue is less. Hygiene is very important. Make sure that the waxing tools are properly sanitized and use appropriate gloves at all times. This is so because waxing leaves the hair follicles open and also causes nicks and burns. This gives an open invitation for infection to set in. Hence caution is advised.
• Avoid The Menstrual Period: There is no medical reasoning behind this. It’s just that your body is already under pain and discomfort, so why to subject yourself to more stress? Therefore it makes more sense that you keep painful procedures like waxing couple of days after your menstrual cycle

Things to Keep in Mind “While” Waxing

The most important factor while waxing is the wax temperature. Make sure that the temperature is not too hot, which will cause blistering and skin burns or too cool, which will restrict the Wax from sticking to the body hair.

The After Care Routine

This essentially involves soothing the irritated skin. After all, the main reason you have for waxing is to get rid of unwanted hair and have that beautiful, soft, and smooth skin. This kind of falls flat on your face if the waxing results in irritated skin with blisters and red bumps. To avoid the above scenario, you should be prepared to pamper and indulge your skin. Some pointers to get you started on this are:

• Cold pack application on painful areas
• Wearing loose clothes to help the irritated skin to settle
• Avoiding hot baths or showers
• Using cooling moisturizers and gels with Aloe Vera to help soothe the irritated skin.
• Avoid using scrubs and exfoliation right after
• Keep out of the harsh sunlight for at least 24 hours

The Existing Types of Wax

The best bit about waxing is all the different variety of waxes at your disposal. Some of the popular choices are:

• Hard Wax
• Soft Wax
• Fruit Wax
• Chocolate Wax
• Sugar Wax

The most common of these is the chocolate wax.

The DIY Kits Available in India

To help make the waxing at the home process as simple as possible, you could think about getting a complete DIY kit. The popular ones are:

• Veet Ready To Use Wax Strips
• Sally Hansen Hair Removal Wax Strip Kit
• Nad’s Natural Hair Removal Gel Kit
• Parissa Strip Free Hot Wax Kit
• Moom Organic Hair Removal Kit

Waxing Queries Answered

After reading through the information on home waxing and understanding the basics of it certain common queries in your mind will be:

Is It Safe To Wax At Home?

Yes, waxing at home is a completely safe process as long as you take appropriate care and follow some basic hygiene factors like using gloves and clean equipment.

What Is Better Shaving Or Waxing?

Waxing is better than shaving since it gives a longer period result of smoother skin. Shaving, on the other hand, will cause the prickliness to appear just days after. Further waxing is also a healthier option since it removes the dead surface skin cells is a physical exfoliation for the skin.

Does Hair Become Thicker After Waxing?

It’s the complete opposite. Repeated waxing will make your hair grow back finer, lighter, and even sparser in some cases. This is because waxing pulls the hair from its follicles resulting in follicle damage that hinders hair growth.

How To Prepare For Home Waxing?

You can prepare by trimming excessive growth, ensuring proper hygiene, and keeping the skin dry and clean. The temperature should be maintained to make sure you do not sweat since that will make the Wax harder to stick on your surface skin.

There are various hair removal options waxing being the most prominent of them. Waxing from the comfort of your home is an option that should not be passed upon. In your hectic schedule, the freedom that home waxing affords is too good to be true.