Imagine enjoying the feel of hairless skin only to end up getting gooey wax on your fingers.
Getting that baby smooth skin after waxing is one of the best feelings. Still, we have to admit that the stickiness of leftover wax kills the mood.
This leftover wax can never put us off waxing. So, how do we tackle the situation then? The best solution to the dilemma is to figure out a way to clean it off.
You are reading this article, which means you are looking for tips on how to get rid of wax on skin.
We welcome you wholeheartedly and urge you to continue reading to learn all the techniques we have uncovered after several waxing sessions.
Why Is Wax Sticking to My Skin?
The best way to find a solution to any problem is to first understand why it happens to begin with. Dryness is a major reason wax sticks to the skin.
If your skin or specific patches on it tend to be dry, the wax is likely to get stuck to it even after you pull the strip away.
The body seeks moisture and lack of it makes it cling to any source that carries it, including wax.
It is either this or you need to adjust your technique to prevent this problem. Whichever of the two it is, there are ways to solve the problem.
We will walk you through the problem, the solutions, and prevention techniques to help you get non-sticky skin after your next session!
How to Get Rid of Wax on Skin
Let’s get down to the main topic at hand and begin our guide on how to get rid of wax on skin after a hair removal session.
1. Use Oil
First up is oil, the most commonly used ingredient for clearing away excess wax from skin. The reason oil works well is simple.
Wax usually sticks to the drier parts of skin. The oil moisturizes the skin, making it release its hold on the wax and enabling the wax to come off easily.
You can use a variety of oils for the purpose but the following are some common examples:
- Baby Oil
- Olive Oil
- Massage Oil
- Melted Coconut Oil
You can apply the oil directly and gently rub it to get the wax to come off or you can dab the oil on cotton and press it on the affected area for half a minute and then wipe the wax off.
Removing with cotton is generally easier because it prevents things from becoming a mess, and you can easily use the same piece of cotton to wipe off the wax from your skin
2. Try Hot Water Compress
Next on the list is the hot water compress method. The theory behind it is simple. Take a small washcloth, and soak it for some time in hot water.
Once it is hot enough, take it out, drain it, and put the washcloth over the part where the wax is.
The heat from the washcloth will make the wax melt, and you can take this opportunity to wipe away the wax on the washcloth.
3. Dab Some Alcohol
Using alcohol to get rid of wax is an excellent idea because it efficiently dissolves the wax or leaves it in a way that is easier to peel off.
You can simply add it to a piece of cotton and rub the cotton in circular motions over the wax.
Just make sure that you keep a moisturizing oil or lotion close when using alcohol since it dries off the skin drastically and causes it to become irritated.
4. Apply Petroleum Jelly
Just like oil, Petroleum jelly has excellent moisturizing capabilities. If you are struggling with wax residue after a session but want an easy way out, apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly to the area you want to clean.
Let it rest like that for a few minutes while you go around the house doing what you need to.
After about 5 minutes, take a piece of cotton and remove the layer. The wax will come off with petroleum jelly, leaving behind moisturized and soft skin.
5. Ice it Off
Don’t have oil or petroleum jelly in the house and skin too sensitive for a hot washcloth? There is no need to worry.
Simply grab an ice cube from the freezer and apply it to the wax for about 30 seconds. The cold hardens the wax and makes it brittle and flakey.
However, you need to be slightly careful with the ice method. If the wax becomes brittle but not flakey, do not try to scratch it off or it may damage the skin. In this case, get either oil or a warm washcloth to get it off your skin.
This list covers our basic guidelines on how to get rid of wax on the skin. However, we have a lot more tips to share so keep reading on.
Additional Details You need to Remember
Aside from knowing how to get rid of wax on skin, you also need to keep a few additional details in mind when waking.
1. Treat the Sensitive Areas More Carefully
Sensitive areas like the underarms and bikini area are easily prone to injury. Hence, you need to be careful both while waxing them or when removing oil from them.
Avoid using alcohol or ice application on those areas as they might react more sensitively compared to others.
2. Avoid Waxing Sunburnt Skin
Do NOT wax sunburnt skin. Sunburnt skin hurts and is supposed to be left on its own to heal. Trying to wax the area will only damage it further and cause extensive pain.
3. Preferably Use Oil or Petroleum Jelly on Hotter Days
The last thing you want on a hot summer day is wax sticking to your skin or getting bumps because you tried using heat to remove it.
Make your life easy by simply using oil or petroleum jelly for the removal to keep your skin from becoming irritated.
How to Prevent Wax from Sticking to Your Skin
We have covered ways you can remove sticky wax from your skin. However, let’s also consider some techniques that will help you reduce the amount of stickiness you have to experience.
1. Thoroughly Moisturize Regularly
Wax tends to stick more onto dry skin than it does on soft and moisturized skin. Therefore, make sure your skin is properly before a waxing session to prevent oil from sticking on in the first place.
As a result, you will be left with healthy and smooth skin until the next time you need hair removal.
2. Trim your Hair before Waxing
Although wax can help take out the most stubborn hair, it is far easier to do it if they are of a more reasonable length.
The longer they are, the more likely it is for the wax to get stuck and not get fully removed.
Therefore, if their length has become longer, trim them a little before waxing to reduce the chances of getting waxy residue on skin.
3. Apply a Light Layer of Powder
If you sweat more easily, you may have noticed wax getting stuck on your skin more often than not despite your attempts to prevent it from happening.
The easiest way to get around this problem is to apply a very light layer of powder to your skin before waxing.
The powder keeps the wax from reaching the skin while capturing the hair you need to remove. It’s a win-win situation, and you’ll only need to wash off your skin and moisturize it to keep it soft.
4. Opt for Hot Wax
Between hot and cold wax, cold wax has a higher chance of getting stuck than hot wax. If your skin is not sensitive and can tolerate hot wax, we would recommend you opt for it for hair removal.
As long as you are applying thin layers of wax to your skin, the chances of it getting stuck are fairly low.
While you may still need to clean some small patches, you will need to make far less effort to get it done.
5. Tighten your Skin before Pulling the Strip
If you started your waxing journey at a salon, you are probably familiar with this instruction.
Professionals always request that we keep our skin taut and even pull to tighten it before they pull the strip away. The looser our skin, the more elasticity the wax strip gets when being pulled away.
This arrangement both hurts and increases the likelihood of wax remaining stuck to the skin.
When you are waxing your skin, make sure you position your body to keep the skin as taut as possible and use one hand to pull the skin up straight while the other pulls the strip away.
It is an overall effective strategy to reduce stickiness.
6. Pull the Strip Away Quickly
Lastly, always make sure you pull the wax strip away in a quick motion. Pulling it away slowly makes the wax separate from the strip and stick to the skin. The more quickly you pull it away, the less likely it is for that to happen.
Following these prevention techniques will make your life easier and reduce the effort you have to put in to make the hair removal process as smooth and seamless as possible. As long as you follow these, you should not have any problems.
Also don’t forget to checkout how to use wax beans?
Some Basic Dos and Don’ts of Waxing
Before we finally wrap up the discussion on the topic, we wanted to briefly touch upon some dos and don’ts of waxing to give some additional tips.
1. Don’t try to clear one side of the bikini area in a single pull
The bikini area is extremely sensitive and needs to be treated with care. When waxing, do not try to clear it in a single go in a misguided attempt to only suffer through the pain once. Cover smaller patches instead to avoid pulling excessively.
Not only will it help you clean it more effectively, but covering smaller patches in a single go will also be far less painful than trying to cover the entire area at once.
2. Do moisturize your skin after waxing
Moisturizing your skin before and after a waxing session is a must. While moisturizing before helps increase the success of hair removal, post-waxing moisturizing takes can of your skin by replenishing it with the necessary oils waxing pulls away along with dead skin and hair.
The only thing you need to take care of is to avoid using products with too many chemicals as they may react poorly with the open pores.
Use baby oil, oil-based lotions, petroleum jelly, etc. to add the necessary moisture back to your skin and help it stay fresh and soft.
3. Don’t wear fitted clothes immediately after waxing
Waxing pulls the hair out from its roots, causing the pores where the hair follicles were stored to be left open.
Although they close up and heal within two days, you will need to take care of this period to avoid bad skin reactions.
Avoid wearing fitted clothes and stick to light and airy materials to allow your skin to breathe.
If it is summer, you can easily wear skirts and avoid the issue altogether, but even during cooler weather, try to be careful.
4. Do exfoliate your skin up to 3 days in advance
Exfoliating your skin before hair removal is important but so is the ‘when.’ Make sure you exfoliate three days before waxing to give your skin time to stabilize.
Exfoliating closer to the waxing day will mean your skin will get pulled at while it is still sensitive, making it highly likely to break out in rashes.
Wrap Up
That covers all there is to mention about how to get rid of wax stuck on the skin. We hope you enjoyed reading through and found our article informative.
If you want to learn more about waxing, do check out our other blog posts as well.