How Does Body Hair Waxing Work? Here's What You Need to Know
If you've never gotten a wax done, but are interested in the process, check out this article. We'll tell you everything you need to know about body hair waxing.
Keyword(s): body hair waxing
Did you know that on average, human hair grows about 15 centimeters a year?
Of course, this depends on gender and race, with female Asians having the fastest growth rate (15 cm). Female Caucasians, on the other hand, average at 13cm a year.
This, plus the fact we've about 5 million hair follicles throughout our body, means dealing with a lot of hair in our lifetimes!
Although most of us would like to keep our crown lush and healthy, body hair waxing has become a necessity for many. After all, there are parts of our body where we don't want all those strands. Like the armpits and legs, for instance.
The question is, what does the process entail? Why should you switch to waxing from shaving?
Don't worry. We'll go over all these and more in this post.
So, keep reading to learn all about the process!
Body Hair Waxing Defined in 40 Words
This hair removal technique involves the use of a resin-based wax. It gets rid of the entire strand, from the follicle to the tip.
Done right, you can expect results to last for up to six weeks.
How It Works
There's a little more that goes into the process than that 40-word description above though. Let's start with the two main types of wax to choose from: The soft wax and the hard wax.
With soft wax (also known as "strip wax"), you'll either have cold or warm wax spread over the area you want to remove hair from. The technique involves placing wax in a direction mimicking the hair's growth pattern. You then place a piece of paper or strip of cloth on top.
From here, you pull the paper or cloth off your skin, towards the hair growth's opposite direction. So, if your hair grows downward and a little to the left, then you'd want to pull off upwards and a little to the right.
When you use hard wax (also known as the stripless wax), you don't need paper or cloth to remove it (and the strands). That's because once the wax cools down, it solidifies and becomes strip-like.
Hard wax follows the same removal process (lifting the wax in the opposite direction).
So long as you did the waxing right, you should see the entire strand, including the follicle, on the wax strip.
Why Make the Switch to Waxing?
For starters, because it's quick (especially compared to tweezing). You can remove large amounts of hair all at the same time.
A hair body waxing pro will take even less time! An expert can complete the job of removing hair from both your entire legs in as little as one hour.
Okay, so compared to shaving, it takes longer. But shaving results in prickly, hard strands that grow as soon as the next day!
There's also the potential of having a permanent hair-free life! At first, you'll enjoy temporary results (still longer than shaving or tweezing). But the more you wax, the more likely your hair follicles will sustain damages, which then causes the hair to stop growing.
So, if you want to get rid of all those unwanted strands for a longer period of time, consider waxing.
Waxing Lets You Enjoy Smooth Skin without Nicks
Think of all those times you've used a razor to rid your armpits, legs, or pubic area of hair. Does this bring back painful memories of nicks and cuts? It most likely does!
All those accidents for only a day of becoming hair-free. That's because shaving only cuts off the area growing outside the skin. Yes, you're smooth, but in most cases, you'll feel prickly the next day.
This means you'd have to keep shaving (like every day) to keep those areas smooth. It may not take a lot of time, but the more you shave, the greater your odds of nicking (and damaging) your skin.
Body waxing, especially done by a professional, gives you longer-lasting effects. That's because you pull out the entire strand, including the follicle responsible for the hair's growth.
With an expert body wax service, you can free your skin of shaving nicks while feeling smoother and more glorious for weeks! The best part is, you can have almost any part of your body treated. That includes the upper lip and eyebrows, even the bikini area.
How Much Hair Removal through Waxing Costs
With all these pros to waxing, it should no longer come as a surprise you'll spend more than what you do with shaving and tweezing.
So... How much can you expect to shell out when you opt for wax?
This depends on many factors, including the following:
- The area you want to rid hair of
- How big the treatment area is
- The qualifications of the esthetician
The good news is, professional waxing remains affordable. For instance, if you want to have your underarms waxed, you can expect to pay only around $25. For a full-leg wax, it'll cost about $70.
As you can see, waxing costs more than shaving or tweezing. But since it's less risky and brings longer-lasting results, it's a safer, much better approach to hair removal.
Preparing for Your First Waxing Experience
To get the most out of your first body wax experience, make sure you exfoliate before your appointment. Doing so aids in lifting ingrown hair. Also, it makes the strands come out easier when waxed off, so that means reduced discomfort.
Make sure you keep yourself well-hydrated too! Increase your water intake a bit more a few days before your schedule. Hydration helps minimize discomfort since it aids in faster and easier removal of the hair strands.
It's also important to grow your hair enough that they're about 1/2 inch. You need enough external hair so that they stick to the wax without problems.
Last but not the least, females: Set up an appointment on a day far from your period. The closer you are on your monthly Aunt Flow visit, the higher your odds of discomfort from waxing.
Enjoy a Hair-Free Life Now
Imagine how less stressful you'd feel every morning when you don't have to shave or tweeze. That means more time to relax when you wake up and enjoy your bath or shower.
That's what body hair waxing can let you experience.
So, why not start living a hair-free life as soon as possible? Give us a call now and we'll help you take the first step towards this!