Nothing beats the silky smooth, hair free results that waxing can give you! And while pulling the hair out from the roots will never be completely pain free, there are a number of things that you can do to greatly minimize your discomfort and make your waxing service a much more pleasurable experience!
So here it is without further adieu…I give you my Top 10 Tips For Less Painful Waxing
1. Exfoliate: Use a face or body scrub to exfoliate the area 24 hours before your appointment. This will help remove dead skin cells and will allow your esthetician to grip shorter hairs with fewer pulls, less pain and smoother results.
2. ¼ inch in Length: Make sure the hair is about ¼ inches in length (about the length of a long grain of rice). This is the ideal length for waxing. Much shorter, and we will likely end up breaking the hair off instead of pulling it out by the root, leading to less than optimal results. This usually means skipping a shave for about two weeks. Anything longer and you should trim the hair with scissors or ask the esthetician to do it. (there may be a surcharge).
3. Timing: plan to wax the week after your period as your pain threshold will be higher. Premenstrual? Wait as our skin and bodies in general are more sensitive.
4. Low Pain Tolerance: Some clients like to take an over the counter pain reliever like Tylenol or Advil 30-60 minutes before their appointment.
5. Get on a Waxing Schedule: When virgin hair is waxed, the hair follicles are all on a different growth cycle. So, you may not get the super long lasting results that you desire on your first wax however, the more regularly you wax, the better your results will be and the longer you will be able to go between appointments. Every time you wax, you are damaging the hair follicle a little so the hair will be sparser and finer when it does grow back oh and BONUS the skin also gets tougher with every wax, so the pain lessens each time!
6. Do NOT Shave: Let me say it again do not shave! No matter how tempted you are to pick up a razor between waxing appointments, do not shave. Shaving disturbs the hair growth cycle and makes it much harder to get the hair follicles to be on the same growth cycle.
7. Skip the Java: and any other caffeinated beverages or supplements. Caffeine lowers your pain threshold, making skin much more sensitive. Who knew?
8. No Lotions or Potions: On the day that you have a waxing appointment shower and clean the area to be waxed but skip the body lotion. Squeaky, clean, dry skin is necessary for the wax to completely adhere to the hair. Sweat and the oils in body lotion will prevent the wax from adhering properly, leading to less that optimal results and more pain. BTW if you are waxing the underarm, skip the deodorant! If that makes you feel a little self-conscious, try using baby powder or talc to absorb wetness and odor.
9. Turn Your Head and Cough: This little trick helps to distract you from the pain. All you do is inhale when the esthetician applies the wax and turn your head and cough as she pulls the hair out. Sounds really strange but many clients swear by it!
10. After Care: Minutes after your waxing service you may experience some mild discomfort, redness and swelling. This is normal and temporary. To help your skin recover more quickly. avoid all sources of heat. Stay out of hot baths and showers, don’t go tanning and skip the sweaty workout after your waxing service. If your skin is feeling sensitive, a nice cold compress should help soothe the area.