Hair Waxing – What you Need to Know

Jen Hopkins — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:09:40 +0000

There are many waxing methods available today, however, waxing hair removal still stands as the most popular. The reasons for this?

1. It’s not expensive

2. It’s convenient

3. It lasts for as long as two months

If your mind is not made up yet, there are some frequently asked questions that come up before their final decisions are made. Read through and consider before you decide.

How is waxing hair removal done?

Waxing is done with the use of an amount of wax and some cloth strips. A thing amount of wax is placed on the area you wish to wax. When this is done, apply a cloth strip down on the applied area. With a quick and sudden movement, rip the strip off the skin. The hair, along with some dead skin cells are pulled along with the strip, leaving the skin smooth and hairless.

What’s the difference between hot waxes and cold waxes?

Hot waxes melt just above body temperature. This makes it easy to spread it thinly over the skin. When the strip of cloth is placed, it hardens and at the same time, traps the hair so it is removed from the roots when the wax is ripped off.

Cold wax on the other hand come in pre-coated strips. This is more of an instant type of wax that can be directly pressed on the skin. The coated strip immediately sticks to the hair, and then pulled back in a quick manner. This is also called as Persian wax.

What effect does waxing hair removal have on the skin?

A great bonus when waxing is the removal of dead skin cells. The hair waxing action causes not only hair to stick to the wax, but also the dead skin cell. This will make the skin feel smooth afterwards. The hair waxing action may cause a sting the waxed skin, and may require a soothing skin cream to lessen it. There are also some people whose skin reacts through redness and bumps which often disappear after a few hours.

Are there any health precautions to keep in mind with waxing hair removal?

There are a few special precautions for hair wax removal. Physicians discourage patients with diabetes, varicose veins, or poor blood circulations from undergoing this procedure because they are easily susceptible to infections.

People who use Retin-A, Differin, Renova or Accutane are also discouraged from waxing their face. These types of medications weakens the skin. In worse conditions, waxing may result to the tearing of the skin when the wax is removed.

There should also be no hair waxing done on areas with pimples, moles, warts, rashes or any irritation. Skin with sunburn, or is chapped should also not be waxed.

On what body areas wax be used?

Specially when not sure of the possible skin reaction, waxing should first be done on a small area of the skin. The exceptions to waxing are the eyelashes, male genitals and nipples, the insides of the ears and nose.

How long before hair reappears?

The general time is around 3 weeks to two months. But after which, less or finer hair regrows until eventually, majority of the hair never regrows.

How can the pain or discomfort be minimized?

Discomfort is easily minimized by pressing on the skin hard right after waxing. Do this immediately, using fingers, or palms if the area is much larger. Simply press down for a few seconds.

Another way to minimize the possibility of swelling or skin irritation is to rub an ice cube over the area. There are also some soothing gels specifically designed to lessen risk of infection and at the same time, alleviate any stings felt after waxing.

Jen Hopkins has worked in the skin care industry for years. She maintains websites about men’s waxing, and hair removal wax. If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.

- Jen Hopkins

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Hair Waxing – What you Need to Know