Waxing Week Day 1

If you haven't noticed yet, Jenn has been absent for a little while. She is still on vacation which means that for now I'm in charge around here. And since Lonni asked for more information on waxing (you don't have to ask me twice) I decided we would dedicate this whole week to my favorite method of hair removal. Today I will go over the different types of waxes and just some general information. Wednesday I will get into the actual how-to and I think Friday will be dedicated completely to eyebrows. Feel free to ask any questions along the way though and I will answer them in the next post.

OK, so Waxing is actually really easy but can be super intimidating. I was never brave enough to try it until I was forced to in cosmetology school and even then it scared me. Once I did it a few times though I was totally hooked. And no, you don't have to spend a ton of money. My first waxing kit was this microwave one from Sally's beauty supply. I still use this brand but now that I wax more than myself I have a large warmer.


These little microwave kits are great if you only plan on doing small areas like your upper lip, chin, or eyebrows, because they last forever. The one thing you do need to be careful of though is that you don't overheat them. I know a few people who can give you their personal experiences in that area. If you follow the directions carefully though and heat and stir a little at a time, you should be fine.

If you do go in search of one of these kits, you will find yourself faced with a couple different options. Honey waxes like the one in the picture are pretty much your all purpose wax. It is generally the cheapest, and is water soluble, which makes clean up nice. For most people this wax works just fine and is the one I use most often.

Another option is creme wax. This type of wax is best for people with sensitive skin and/or thick stubborn hairs. I really like this wax because it adheres to the hairs the best. The major downfall of creme wax however is that it is not water soluble. Most kits come with wax remover, which will clean up the wax but it takes a little bit of work. I once dripped a glob of this on my kitchen table and it took a few days for me to get it all up.

You may also notice waxes labeled as "sugar" or "hemp" unfortunately I don't have any experience with either of these. If anyone has used either of these two I would love to know what your experience was.

I do need to mention that there is a type of wax called hard wax, but I would not recommend it, especially for your first time. I knew a few people in school who liked it, but in order to get it off, you have to slowly pull up a small corner with your fingers and then pull it off the rest of the way. There is just something about holding a chunk of hairy wax in my hands that weirds me out. At least with the strips there is something to hold onto other than the wax or hair.

OK, moving on. The biggest thing people want to know about waxing is how long will it last. Once you pull out a hair it can take anywhere from one week to several weeks to grow back. Where people get confused though is that they wax or shave and then the next day they may feel a few little hairs again. Those hairs were not the ones you just waxed! All the hairs on your body go through cycles. Growing, resting, and falling out. So, even if you grow out your leg hairs for two weeks and then wax them, you may have a few hairs that were just below the surface and then popped up the next day. The good news is though that you probably won't notice those few little hairs unless you are really looking. Also, if you do wax frequently, you may notice your hairs eventually thinning out and taking longer to grow back.

That brings me to the next question. How long do I need to grow out my hair before I wax? I always tell people a week minimum but two is better. Mostly because if the hairs aren't long enough than the wax won't stick to them, but also because the longer you wait the more hairs you will have to pull out.

Don't wax right before or after prolonged sun exposure. Especially tanning in a salon. Along with removing hair it also removes some of those outer skin cells which will leave you more prone to burning.

As far as exfoliating goes, you do not need to right before you wax, (waxing will do that for you) just make sure your skin is clean and dry. I do recommend exfoliating regularly though in between waxing to help prevent in grown hairs.

OK, I think that's everything for now. Go get yourself a little wax kit and on Wednesday we will start getting rid of that unwanted hair.