The advantages of waxing and different kinds of wax
The summer is here and you may be thinking about how to remove unwanted hair from your legs. While some women have been using the same method of hair removal for years, others may still be looking for the best way to remove hair.
If during your search you accidently come across waxing and think about a try, this article perhaps will be useful for you.
During my life, I’ve already tried shaving, different creams for depilations and an epilator. But for the last 10-years, I’ve been using wax. Moreover, I do it at home. So, I can talk to you about its advantages and secrets, but also how to do it on your own.
Let’s begin with its advantages. They’re very clear: it’s quite safe and effective and suitable for every hair type.
Why have I chosen to wax?
Laser and photo epilations procedures aren’t for everyone and the most unpleasant thing is if the beautician isn’t a very experienced one, you can get serious burns. Don’t suggest I simply need to find a good specialist because it’s not that simple. I’ve never seen people walking around with a sign reading “I’m inexperienced.” Electrolysis hair removal is too painful and troublesome, and I can only stand to have it done on my face where the small area is treated.
What about epilators? They remove hair just as well as wax, but they pull out the hairs one by one and it can be quite uncomfortable. Removing hair with waxing can be painful, but only for few seconds, while using an epilator hurts your skin again and again.
Using depilation creams are great, except for the fact that the hair grows back too fast, as they aren’t removed by the roots and it grows back thinner so it is tougher to get rid of them with cream again.
The disadvantages of shaving are known to everybody: coarse hair, skin irritation especially on delicate areas and, of course, the short period of time when your skin is smooth.
And what can I say about waxing? After waxing, the skin stays smooth for a longer period of time. Then the first hair begins to appear here and there. Besides, hair isn’t coarse, but small and thin. As hair isn’t cut in the middle and it is removed with its root.
In three weeks, after the epilation single hairs becomes noticeable if you look hard. And one more week later you need to do waxing again. Waxing once a month suits me perfectly. So, my choice is quite understandable.
When girls learn that I do wax at home, the first question they usually ask is if it’s awfully painful. I can’t say if it’s awful or not. You can’t measure pain, but to stand it for a few seconds isn’t too difficult. We, women, have to stand more painful and longer things. And here pain lasts for only a moment.
If you decide to do waxing in a beauty salon, I can only wish you luck on finding a professional specialist. But if you want to try it at home, here are some useful pieces of advice for you.
Different kinds of waxing
What should you begin with? First of all, choose a suitable kind of wax. There’re three main types of wax: cold, medium and hot. Unfortunately, not everyone knows what the differences are, so, I will fill you in on the information you need to know.
Cold wax strips
You can often find cold wax in the usual cosmetic shops. It’s sold in strips with a viscid substance which will remind you of honey. This substance is spread between two plates of the strip that is made of thick cellophane. Before applying you need to warm it up in your hands and then divide the strip into two parts. Every part of it will have some wax spread on it. Then you should put them onto your skin and pull it up together with your hair.
Wax in cartridges
This kind of wax usually melts at a lower temperature and is sold in special cartridges with an applicator (I should note that a special tip for the applicator can be replaceable). But you can also buy this type of wax in a jar. It has a consistency of toffee. But when you warm it up, it becomes liquid and begins to flow out through the applicator, which allows you to apply it onto your skin in the proper way. Then you need to put a special strip made of nonwoven fiber over the wax. It sticks to wax tightly. So, when you take it by its tip and pull it up, you remove it together with your hair.
Hot wax
You can be surprised, but hot wax is usually sold in a cold state. It’s absolutely hard and solid and is produced in various shapes: discs, cubes, granules or just bars. Its shape doesn’t mean anything except the fact that small granules melt faster than big bars. Such molten wax should be soft and viscous so that you can apply it onto your skin with the help of a special spatula, then pick it up with your fingers by one of its tips and tear it off quickly.
What kind of wax is better?
There’s no one definite answer. It depends on your experience, clumsiness (all beginners make mistakes, but some of these mistakes can turn out to be an absolutely epic fail) and your skin sensitivity, especially when used on treated areas.
Cold wax is the most comfortable and easiest to use. You don’t have to warm it up for a long time or use additional instruments and equipment. However, it can have a strong negative effect on your skin; it can cause skin irritation and in-grown hair on such soft areas as under your arms and on your bikini zone. It doesn’t take coarse and short hair and this is one more reason not to use it on these areas. I prefer using it on my legs. It helps me to do depilation quickly and effectively as hair on my legs is quite soft, the skin is thick and this wax doesn’t cause skin irritation there.
Wax in cartridges is more comfortable for your skin and easier to use at home than hot wax. And I want to note again that there’s an applicator which can help you correct your mistakes. But personally I don’t like it. Unlike hot wax it doesn’t harden. So, it can get everywhere and be difficult to clean up. Besides, I always get through all the nonwoven strips before the wax is finished and you can’t use anything else to remove the wax from your skin. It means that you have to purchase some additional strips. I also had skin irritation after this wax but not so bad as after cold wax. However, wax in cartridges removes hair better than cold wax. You also have to clean the applicator. Otherwise it’ll get dirty very quickly and won’t work. So, you can clearly see why I don’t like it. But, perhaps, I haven’t found the right way to work with it.
Hot wax is usually used in most beauty salons and it means that it’s quite a good quality. Despite the fact that you have to buy some additional equipment for it (of course, you can do without it, but it will be less comfortable and you’ll get a worse result), it’s the best kind of wax I’ve ever tried. When you gain some experience, you can depilate the softest areas of your body without skin irritation and in-grown hair and with all the advantages I’ve already told about.
If you care for your skin, I advise you to buy some additional instruments, equipment and beauty products for any type of depilation and the skin treatment after it. I’ll tell you everything about them next time, as this article is too long already.
What kind of depilation do you prefer?
What do you make of waxing?
