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Wax / June 2, 2019

paissa.jpgI would enjoy some bikini wax advice. I mean really detailed info. How long does the hair need to be before it can be waxed? How long are you hair-free before it starts growing back? How flexible do you need to be to get waxed? Anything you can do to make it less painful? Will I have red, irritated skin after? And how long will it stay red? Any bumpies?

I am obviously a wax virgin but I am going to Hawaii with my boyfriend for a week in May and I’d like to be able to skip bikini line shaving while there. ~ R

We aim to please here at the Advice Smackdown, so not only will I tell you everything I know about waxing, I recruited (which means = she sent email offering help, I accepted) Isabel of Hola, Isabel, one of my favorite people and AlphaFoxyMamas. We’ll get to her portion of the class in a minute. (She’s also got stuff to say about laser hair removal, so please don’t let your eyeballs roll back in your head during my blathering and miss out.)
First: I haven’t gotten a bikini wax in a couple years, but for awhile there (before Noah, back when I lived ONE BLOCK AWAY from a lovely spa and salon and had a pool to go to every weekend) I got waxed pretty regularly. And yes, I did the whole enchilada.
Now I’m lazy. And kind of too cheap to keep it up, even though I imagine it’s an expense Jason would gladly pony up for. Last summer I started using Parissa Quick & Easy Wax Strips and I think they do a smashingly good job for a home waxing kit. (I also used that Nad’s stuff ages and ages ago, and while it works GREAT when you first buy it, the product loses effectiveness very quickly and you end up with a big tub of useless goop.) The Parissa strips are just for your outtermost bikini line, though. If you want serious hair removal, you should — nay, you MUST — get a professional wax.

A couple lessons I learned, in easy listy form:

1) For a regular vanilla bikini wax, some spas will let you keep your underwear on (particularly if they’re teeny). Some spas will offer disposable panties. Some spas ask you to strip completely. The key is to LEAVE YOUR UNDERWEAR ON UNTIL THEY TELL YOU TO TAKE THEM OFF. They will tell you what to do, don’t worry.

nair.jpg2) Some spas consider a Brazilian to be completely bald, but some call this an “American” wax (also known as the Celebutard Limo-Exiting Special). The spa I went to would leave a small “landing strip” of hair with a Brazilian, so just tell your waxer what you expect before they start.

3) Yeah. It hurts the first time. And it will hurt everytime if you let your hair grow too long in between appointments. If you want to get waxed for a special occasion or vacation, I strongly advise that you DO NOT get waxed for the very first time the day before. You’ll be red. Some people even bruise. Go once a few weeks before, and then do a second maintenance appointment closer to your trip. After about my third wax, I barely felt anything.

4) How long a wax last is really different for everybody, since hair grows at different rates. I had to go about once a month to avoid irritation and ingrown hairs. There are a lot of products out there for post-waxing care — No Bumps and Tend Skin or Azulene Oil or even just a gentle diaper rash cream. Your waxer will most likely recommend her personal favorite.

5) Speaking of that: your waxer is a professional. She doesn’t care. She’s seen it all, and will try to put you at ease. She’ll talk to you like you’re just getting a haircut, but if she senses you’d rather just close your eyes and zone out, she’ll let you. It’s okay.

One last caveat before we get to Isabel’s advice — I know the idea of bikini waxing (particularly full-on Brazilians) skeeves some women out. I know some women are disturbed by the idea that their husband/boyfriend/whatever likes the bald thing, since doesn’t that make us look like a child? Well, not really — a sexually mature woman’s pubic area looks VERY different than a child’s, with or without hair. Really!

So there’s no need to scour his computers hard drive or call the FBI because he’s expressed a preference. Waxing leaves your skin soft and smooth and the whole area is just…clean. It’s comfortable. It smells nice. Even though I don’t have the patience for waxing anymore, I remember the appeal very clearly, and it goes waaay beyond anything sexual.
And now read on as Isabel attempts to fully convert you to the hairless side. Heh.

ISABEL’S COMPLETE GUIDE TO WAXING
The mantra for the world should be “hair free is the way to be.”

After years of failed attempts at drug store brand hair removal products (depilatories, I’m talking to you) I was excited to finally find a product that worked (Nair at home wax, I’m talking to you). I admit the first time I used it I thought I was going to die. I screamed. It hurt. I ended up bruised. I also ended up with less hair down there. And I liked it. The end result was worth the pain. Completely. Each time after that hurt less and less. I swear.

Source: alphamom.com