The other day, at the ripe age of 22, I finally went for my first brazilian wax. I made a spur of the moment appointment a few days before leaving to visit my long distance boyfriend and had been thinking about how much I was dreading shaving. We’d been long distance for the past month and a half, so (naturally?) I hadn’t shaved since he left. I read up on a few articles before the appointment; I wasn’t nervous, but I definitely wanted to know what I was getting into. I asked a few friends about their experiences, but other than that didn’t think too much about it. While I felt fairly prepared going into the appointment, I definitely left wishing I had known a few surprises beforehand.
1. Wax doesn’t care about your high pain tolerance
I grew up playing contact sports; I’ve torn, cracked and bruised pretty much every part of my body (but no, obviously not my vagina). I’ve been told by multiple professionals whom I trust that I have a high pain tolerance, so I always went with that. But man. Brazilian’s hurt. There was a moment when we were about half way done when I asked my esthetician if anyone had ever left part way through a wax because it hurt so bad. “Nope,” she replied immediately. “Never.” Never? I wanted to leave so bad. I started flinching every time she put anything on my skin- even when it was just a paper towel to wipe away blood (yes, blood. That’s my next point). But I wasn’t about to be the first person to ever leave part way through. As I write this now I realize she might have lied to try and keep me there so I wasn’t walking around with half a brazilian, but it worked. Anyways, next time a friend tells you they got a brazillian, give them a hug.
2. You might bleed
If it’s your first time getting a wax, the roots of your hairs will be a lot stronger and thicker. Because of this they don’t want to come out easily, so yes, this may cause bleeding. It’s normal, and will happen less and less each time you get waxed because it thins out the hair follicle. It’s not a big deal, any esthetician will be used to it, but it’s good to know so you don’t get freaked out (or wear white pants).
3. They should offer you baby wipes
I mention this because I made my appointment after a seven hour shift at work, and ended up buying a pack of my own to bring with me because I felt bad I wouldn’t be showering immediately before my appointment. And while I’m sure that’s still the prefered thing to do, the esthetician offered baby wipes if I felt like I needed one. I can’t promise they’ll do this at every salon, but a quick google search and a few experienced friends say that it is the norm. Plus, your esthetician should be very professional and has probably seen worse. In the end, I was more self conscious of my feet smelling after a long day than my vagina.
4. You might sweat… a lot
I’m not a particularly sweaty person, so I didn’t even consider this when I showed up to my appointment in a tight turtleneck sweater. But yes, after 25 minutes of being in constant pain, you’re probably going to sweat a bit. My esthetician even gave me a towel to hold on to. It was bad, and I felt very gross afterwards. I’d recommend a loose workout tank.
5. It’s really not that weird
Everyone’s experience is different, but by the end of the appointment I didn’t even feel like I was lying pantless in a room with a stranger. My esthetician was very professional, and very normal. That seems obvious, and I don’t know what I was expecting, but it surprised me when she started apologizing after ripping each wax strip off. She didn’t enjoy hurting me, and hopefully your esthetician won’t either.
So I can’t tell you if you should get a brazilian wax, because I haven’t quite decided if I can make myself do it again. But if you do decide to give it a try, hopefully you have a better idea of what to expect. Happy hair removal!