What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says ‘waxing?’ Irritated skin? Soreness? Burned bikini line? Painful strips?
The list might continue without a break if we start jotting down things that can go wrong during or after your waxing appointment.
While we all desire smooth and stubble-free skin, especially during summers, the pain typically associated with waxing compels many individuals to forgo this beauty regimen altogether.
However, whether you head to the spa to get your unwanted body hair waxed or opt to do it yourself at home, you can make the experience significantly less painful for yourself with a few tips.
So, if you’re open to the idea of discarding shaving once and for all and looking to know how to make waxing painless, we have you covered in this article.
Before we start, let’s understand why so many estheticians discourage their clients from shaving their body hair these days, motivating them to wax every time instead despite the pain!
8 Reasons Why It’s Better to Wax Than Shave
1- Results from Waxing Last Much Longer
The greatest disadvantage of shaving is that it takes only a couple of days for your hair to start growing back once the deed is done.
Even if your hair growth rate is excruciatingly slow, the result from shaving will last for no more than seven days.
On the contrary, waxing gives you much better and longer results, lasting between three to five weeks.
That’s because the body hair is pulled right off from the root in this practice, and it takes time for your body hair to regrow after that. Shaving, on the other hand, only cuts the hair from the baseline.
2- The Hair Grows Back Thinner
During shaving, you break the hair from the thickest part of the follicle, which causes it to grow back even thicker than usual the next time.
Contrarily, individuals getting regular waxing, either at a spa or home, report their hair getting thinner with time with much less growth due to the constant breakage of hair from the root.
3- No Chance of Messy Cuts
When it comes to shaving intimate areas, most people accidentally cut themselves in the process despite taking caution.
Not only is it painful and messy to snick sensitive skin, but there’s a good chance it might get infected, especially if you were reusing the metal blade that cut you.
4- Waxing Saves Time
While a waxing session itself takes more time than shaving, it still saves you a lot of time and effort in the long run.
Considering that you have to shave at least ten times during the time it takes your hair to grow back after waxing once, you can realize how shaving might not be as quick an alternative as you initially thought it to be.
5- Fewer Chances of Ingrown Hair
Ingrown hair is a common complaint among people who choose to shave unwanted body hair.
While individuals being waxed can also come across this problem, the chances of this happening are significantly less likely than the prior method.
6- Leaves a Smoother Finish
Waxing also leaves your skin feeling smoother than before due to fewer chances of ingrown hair that leaves your skin prickly.
Plus, the hair growth rate is also effectively slow and thinner, which promises you close to no irritation post-waxing.
7- Waxing Exfoliates Skin
While shaving, the hair is cut from the follicle. On the contrary, waxing strips away the dead skin cells, working as an exfoliator. When the dirt and oils are removed from the clogged pores, it leaves your skin healthier and prevents skin conditions.
8- Best for Sensitive Skin
Lastly, suppose your skin is sensitive to metal blades, and dragging a razor across your epidermis leads to red rashes and irritation.
If that’s the case, waxing can be the ideal option to lean toward for achieving the best results.
Furthermore, if you ask anyone who has been waxing their body hair for a long time now, they’ll verify that waxing doesn’t hurt all that much after the first time.
Moreover, if you take adequate precautions, you might not even have to deal with a lot of pain even on your first try.
12 Ways to Make Waxing Painless
Now that you realize the limitations of shaving, it’s time to reveal how to make waxing painless, or at least considerately less painful, so you can conveniently switch your beauty regimen without a hassle:
1- Exfoliate with an Organic Scrub a Few Days Earlier
The first thing you should do is to exfoliate your skin at least a week before waxing your body hair, especially around sensitive areas like your bikini line. You can use an organic scrub to make sure there’s no irritation afterward.
The primary purpose of this is to eliminate the dead skin cells that might be trapping ingrown hair, making it painful for you to pull them off from the root during waxing.
2- Take an Over-the-Counter Pain Reliever in Advance
Taking over-the-counter pain medication, such as ibuprofen and Advil, half an hour before your waxing appointment also helps minimize the pain to a significant extent.
3- Let Your Hair Grow Exactly a Quarter-Inch Before Waxing
Hair that’s any shorter than a quarter inch is too small to be pulled out from the root painlessly.
Contrarily, wax pulls the hair off the skin without extracting it from the root when it is any longer.
That’s why it’s best to wait until your hair is a quarter-inch before you wax. If it’s longer, you can always trim them at home or ask your esthetician to do so beforehand.
4- Plan to Wax After Your Period Ends
While everyone has a different pain threshold, waxing can be even more excruciating when you plan it before or during your period.
The best time to wax is a couple of days after your period ends since your skin isn’t sensitive anymore at the time and your pain tolerance level is already high from your menstrual cycle.
5- Never Skimp on Costs
One of the best pieces of advice you can get on making waxing less painful is to choose your wax right. When you skimp on costs and stray toward DIYs and cheap waxes, it enters you into a world of pain during the process.
Not to mention, you should never head to a beauty salon that you know uses cheap products for less service cost. Waxing is a sensitive matter, and you should deal with it accordingly.
6- Use Hard Wax for Sensitive Areas
Hard wax is comparatively less harsh on the skin than soft wax, even if it takes more time to use it. The same goes for synthetic waxes.
That’s why it’s better to use hard or all-natural wax, especially when removing hair from sensitive areas.
7- Practice Your Strokes or Take Spa Services
Even if you use quality products, it’s best to practice your technique first on other objects rather than allowing your skin to be used as a guinea pig. It takes sophistication to master the art of safe wax etiquettes.
If you don’t think you have the necessary skill set to do it even after practicing, we suggest heading to an expert esthetician to get your body hair waxed.
8- Take it One Strip at a Time
However, suppose you don’t want to head a saloon every month or so for a full-body wax.
If that’s the case, we would suggest applying wax to small portions rather than covering your entire leg at once just because it sounds more convenient to you.
That’s because when you take small patches for waxing, you can easily remove the wax afterward.
On the contrary, when you leave the wax applied for more than a few seconds, it dries, making it severely tricky and more painful for you to get rid of the wax and residue.
9- Relax Your Body
It might not feel like that much of a tip to make waxing painless, but relaxing your body can do wonders to make your experience the least painful.
Tight muscles and tense nerves make it impossible to tolerate the slightest pain, making everything hurt more than it should. A pro tip to avoid this situation is to find a distraction.
For example, if jazz soothes you, that’s what you should play in the background. If Netflix is your dose of serenity, you should keep yourself busy watching your favorite shows while your esthetician does the job for you.
10- Mark Your Eyebrows with a Liner Before Waxing
Waxing your eyebrows is no easy feat. However, you can make it more comfortable for yourself by using hard wax and marking the lines that need to be waxed with bright-color eyeliner.
11- Let the Wax Cool Down Before Applying in Sensitive Areas
When it comes to waxing sensitive areas, you have to be extra careful despite the painkiller you took beforehand.
Our tried and tested tip is to let the wax cool down for a bit before you apply it on the bikini lines, even if you’ve already tested the temperature on your hand first.
Applying wax that’s even a little too hot can burn your sensitive skin or even scrape the uppermost skin later at times.
12- Use Both Your Hands, Especially When Doing a Brazilian
This tip is especially useful for people daring enough to do Brazilian wax at your home. However, you can use the same concept when doing full body wax as well.
To make waxing painless, you should use one hand to hold the skin taut, pulling opposite to the direction of your hair growth, while you apply and remove the wax from your other hand.
7 Ways to Calm Your Skin Immediately After Waxing
Even though now you know how to make waxing painless to a significant extent, it’s still essential to indulge in the proper post-waxing routine to make sure your skin doesn’t get irritated. Here’s what you can do:
1- Put a Soothing Lotion in the Fridge the Night Before
Putting a lightweight, soothing lotion in the fridge the night before can do you huge favors since applying the cold liquid onto the freshly waxed skin will instantly relieve you of any pain whatsoever.
2- Do Cold Compression
Whether it’s your first time or not, a cold compression after your waxing session will always help you feel better.
3- Avoid Sweating for 8 Hours Post-Wax
Sweating after getting waxed can irritate the skin, causing rashes and irritation afterward.
That’s why it is recommended not to take part in any physically strenuous activity that would only add to your discomfort post-wax.
4- Steer Clear of Steam Bath and Hot Showers for 24 Hours
Similarly, while a steamy shower after wax might feel good to your ears, your freshly waxed skin wouldn’t be sharing this sentiment after a steam bath or a hot shower.
It is advised to avoid heat for the next twenty-four hours after getting waxed since it can cause soreness and irritate your skin.
5- Avoid Topical Treatment with Fragrances
Fragranced beauty products contain alcohol which can dry out and peel your waxed skin when it isn’t given the time to recover adequately.
That’s why you should steer clear of topical treatment products with fragrances until your skin feels sensitive.
6- Avoid Tight Clothing
Wearing tight clothes after waxing doesn’t allow your skin room to breathe and recover from the mildly harsh treatment.
Instead, it would help if you opted to wear loose clothes for at least a day or until your skin isn’t sensitive to touch anymore.
7- Stop Shaving
Lastly, it would be best to stop shaving once you get into the practice of waxing your unwanted body hair. Combining both beauty regimens messes up your hair growth and even subjects you to unnecessary dryness and irritation.
By following the practices mentioned in this article, you can make waxing comparatively less painful for yourself. However, it is still advisable to consult with your dermatologist immediately if there’s any sign of rash, soreness, or irritation post-waxing!