You may be reading the title and thinking that despite there being pros to waxing, it is something you’re not interested in. Most people do not like waxing because they associate it with pain and shame of having hair. As someone who only waxes, I wanted to write this article to convince you that waxing is the best form of hair removal, no matter who you are.
To give you an idea, I am Macedonian. I am pretty pale, but have very thick, coarse hair. This includes the hair on my body, which I have a lot of. Typically, the more sensitive your skin is and the thicker and darker your hair, the more waxing will hurt. Even though I have what is to be considered the worst type of body hair for waxing (in terms that it should cause me the most pain), I will never, ever, EVER go back to shaving.
I love waxing because since starting, I have not had ingrown hairs. If anyone has had ingrown hairs, you’d know it’s the ugliest and most uncomfortable feeling ever. I used to get them under my armpits, my arms, my legs, intimate zones, and on the corners of my lip (where I typically remove hair). Shaving would do this to me every single time. I couldn’t even wear pants in my grade nine year due having so many ingrown hairs on my legs. Since waxing, I do not have this problem because the hair is removed from the root. Ingrown hairs are much more painful and last a lot longer than the pain from waxing. What would you rather have; very visible ingrown hairs that hurt and last for weeks, or endure five seconds of pain for a great result?
Another reason I love waxing is because you are able to remove a lot of hair at one time. I have a lot of hair, so when I would shave, I would honestly have to go through a few razors at a time because they would become so dull. With waxing, it is never an issue; the strip of wax covers a whole section of the body and can be lifted immediately. It honestly takes much less time to wax than it does to shave, because the hair is guaranteed to be removed.
A lot of girls feel ashamed to go get professionally waxed, but I highly encourage every girl tries it, especially if they have a bit more body hair, or if that body hair is coarse. There should be no shame about exposing yourself to someone. They have seen it all, and they have done it all. Whenever I do get waxed, the girls don’t pay attention to the way my body looks. To them, it’s like a game; removing the most hair in the most effective way. All they see is the hair; they don’t notice anything else. And don’t feel self conscious that you may have hair where you do not want it to grow. We are all human and all grow hair in the same spots. It is normal and natural, and if you want it removed, there is no shame in that. It always seems like women are supposed to be hairless, so when we reach out saying we do have hair in a spot we “aren’t supposed to”, as deemed by society, it becomes embarrassing even though it shouldn’t be. Go to someone you trust, and do your research. For myself, I go to Estetica and see a woman there who is Macedonian because she knows what it is like to be hairy. She makes me feel very comfortable.
Waxing lasts a lot longer than shaving. If you are anything like me, your hair would probably grow back a day after shaving. With waxing, I have had my hair grow back 12 weeks later. I was smooth for that long until I had to go back. Typically, waxing can last anywhere from 6-12 weeks, depending on how much you’ve waxed or your hair type. For me now, since I wax religiously, I have parts of my body that do not grow hair as fast anymore, or at all. I have patches on my legs that just haven’t grown hair since August because waxing removed the entire root of hair. It saves a lot of stress and there is no worrying about having hair when you know the results last so long.
Some people say waxing is expensive, and I suppose it is, but for me, I have actually been saving money because of waxing. I no longer have to buy shaving lotions or razors, which really were pricey for a hairy girl like myself. I pay a big price but only every so often to get the hair off of my body professionally.
My biggest piece of advice would be to do research in your area before you go get waxed. I only stick to my salon and the lady I go to because I had to go to another salon one time, where I was burnt and did not even have my hair removed. If the wax is too hot, make sure you rebook or wait until the wax is cooled. If they wax is too hot, it will burn off your hair but leave a stubbly root sticking out, which will be too short to actually pull. Make sure you shower before you go get waxed, but do not exfoliate until 48-72 hours later. Stay hydrated. Expect pain on the areas where you are the most bony; for example, people assume a Brazilian wax is the most painful, when in all seriousness, getting your knees, elbows, and around your ankles waxed is much worse, because the skin is so thin around those places.
Those are just a few of the many reasons why I enjoy waxing!