Waxing vs. sugaring: My hair-removal experience
Written by Natalie Resendez
From shaving to laser, hair removal options grow and grow each day. Out of all the hair removal methods, waxing and sugaring seem to always be grouped together.
Why is that?
Both methods lift the hair follicles out from the root — a contrast to shaving, which removes hair from the surface of the skin. The waxing methods also allow you about four weeks before you need to go back in for another session.
Here’s what I learned while getting each one done:
Traditional waxing
The wax in the traditional method is generally applied in the direction of hair growth and removed against it. The wax generally comes in beads and needs to be heated in order to melt into the right consistency for the hair removal.
When applied, the wax can feel warm on your body, but not enough to burn you. Each time a wax strip is applied, a new applicator is used to ensure there is no double dipping in the wax pot for sanitary reasons.
Angela Ruiz, a solo esthetician in Springfield, Oregon and a member of the Association of Skincare Professionals, shared some pros and cons.
She stated that some pros of this method are that there is less hair regrowth, and when the hair does grow back, it tends to be finer than before.
“Consecutive waxing damages the hair follicle and shaft in many cases, completely detaching it from the blood supply and therefore the nutrient supply,” Ruiz said. “In place of thick, fast-growing hair, more fine, weak and sparse hair is grown.”
I personally found this to be true for myself. Traditional waxing allowed me to not worry about removing hair as it only needed to be tended to every four weeks. After a few waxing sessions, I also noticed significantly less hair growing in comparison to when I started waxing.
Traditional waxing also serves as a form of exfoliation, and in comparison to shaving, there are less ingrown hairs.
Ruiz shared that the pain that comes with traditional waxing is one of the downsides, based on a person’s pain tolerance.
“Everyone has different pain thresholds and hair types,” she said. “Lifestyle, genetics and varied levels of at-home maintenance can affect both how painful the waxing experience is, and how the hair grows back. Caffeine and alcohol consumption, menstruation, pregnancy and not exfoliating or moisturizing properly are examples of things that may affect your waxing experience and hair regrowth.”
I personally prepared myself for tears and gripping the wax table but found that while it did hurt, the pain was manageable.
An additional con is that if you do not do the proper aftercare, ingrown hairs can prove to be a problem.
Luckily, Ruiz has tips for first-time waxers.
“Make sure your hair is 1/4 inch before coming in and exfoliate 48 hours before waxing,” she said. “Don’t forget to hydrate, and take ibuprofen 30 minutes before your session if you are worried about pain. Communicate with your waxer if you are nervous or have questions and make sure you go to a reputable business and check reviews.”
Sugar waxing
If you’re looking for an all-natural method of hair removal, this is the one for you; the sugar paste in this method is made of water, lemon juice and sugar.
“Unlike waxing, sugaring is applied against the hair growth and removed in the direction of hair growth,” said Ruiz.
The sugar paste comes in a blob that is applied to skin generally at room temperature and can be reused over and over again, unlike wax. After your session, the esthetician throws away the sugar blob used on you to ensure sanitation.
One pro to sugaring is that the sugar is water-soluble meaning residue cleanup is easier. It also doesn’t stick to the top layer of the skin like waxing does, which can reduce the irritation and sensitivity.
While some may state that sugaring is less painful than waxing, I had the opposite experience. Because the sugar only clings onto the hair follicles, I could feel each and every hair being tugged as the sugar blob was smoothed onto my skin.
I personally found that waxing is more manageable because all the hairs were ripped off at once instead of being slightly tugged at before the ripping off.
Like waxing, the hairs tend to grow back finer and in less quantity. I found this to be true for my experience as well.
The only cons I found to sugaring were comparable to waxing; the pain tolerance is different for everyone, and if you don’t exfoliate properly it can lead to ingrown hairs.
While these were just my experiences with both methods of hair removal, make sure you do some research within your local salons for more information on each method.
Header image by (Sora Shimazaki / Pexels)
