Maybe you’re packing for a trip to the Maldives, and you need to get a bikini wax in for the beach snaps you’re gonna take, or maybe you’re just looking to pop your waxing cherry but you’re apprehensive about the pain.
So, let’s cut to the chase, and get into the ugly truth: there is no waxing solution that is completely pain-free. You’re pulling hair out of follicles, so a certain level of discomfort should be anticipated.
The good news to redeem it all? There are ways of going about it to achieve the least amount of discomfort and pain.
Call me an intrepid journalist, but I’ve done the legwork for you. Over years of consulting with my waxing therapists and testing out these solutions, here are some of the top tips that I’ve found works my low tolerance of pain, to achieve the lowest amount of pain.
In the days leading up to your waxing appointment, remember to use a gentle body exfoliator. This helps to scrub away the layer of dead skin that may end up trapping hair in their follicles. Doing so allows the wax to grip the hair strands better, and makes for a cleaner wax.
About 30-60 minutes before your waxing appointment, exfoliate once more using lukewarm water. Avoid water temperature that’s too hot, as it strips your hair strands of oil and creates drier body hair that breaks easily when pulled.
Moisturising in the week leading up to your session also helps to reduce the dryness around the areas you plan to wax. Find a non-comodogenic body lotion that won’t clog your pores.
Post-waxing, moisturising can help reduce any discomfort or itching, and alleviate dryness.
Look out for anything that has an astringent or pore-tightening effect, as it causes the pores to close up around the hair strand and makes the waxing process far more painful than it should be.
When inquiring about your appointment, make sure to ask if they use hard wax.
This is because hard wax tends to be gentler on your skin, and they are specially created to grip the hairs without sticking to the skin for a less painful pull.
The idea is pretty straightforward here: applying a topical numbing cream on the areas you want to wax about 30 minutes before can help dull the sensation of pain and discomfort.
Truth be told, this one’s a little bit controversial. One therapist I spoke with said that the application of numbing cream has caused issues with the wax, as the hairs are coated with said cream and makes it harder for the wax to grip the strands properly.
Another therapist has said that as long as it’s applied about an hour in advance, and the cream is thoroughly wiped off and allowed to dry prior to applying the wax, you should have no issues.
You can also try a pain relief tablet to see if it might feel better.
One thing’s for sure: do not use ice to numb your skin. In theory, it sounds like it should work, but ice also causes the pores to contract and leads to pain.
It sounds like such an easy thing, but you’d be surprised at how easy it is to forget how important breathing through discomfort can be.
A good tip to remember is to avoid breathing with your mouth. Nasal breathing can help lull you into a better state of relaxation and keeps your heart rate as well as your pulse going at your body’s natural pace.
After you’ve done your first wax session, it’s tempting to try waxing yourself at home. Our recommendation: don’t do it.
Contrary to what is promised on the side of that box of wax strips, you’re paying the waxing therapist for their set of skills and maneuvers to make the entire process less painful.
Skimping on costs when booking a therapist can also result in post-waxing discomfort like redness or ingrown hairs, so it doesn’t always pay to go for the cheaper option.
And if you’re booking a follow-up session for regular maintenance, make sure you wait at least 4 weeks or till your hair grows to about 2cm in length.
Spacing out your sessions ensures that your hair is long enough for the wax to grip, so you get a cleaner finish. If the hairs are too short, the wax strips may not be able to grip it, so your therapist will have to spend more time tweezing the hairs out individually. This also leads us to…
This is a very common mistake, and one that’s usually done out of embarrassment of having what you might deem as “too long” hairs. Fight the urge to trim at home prior to your session. Doing so only prolongs the pain because the therapist will have to use their tweezers to finish the job. More tweezing = more pain.
Most therapists are used to overgrown hairs and will trim it to a suitable length prior to waxing. So you have nothing to worry about!