Hair removal can be painful, tedious and downright annoying! In my case, I’ve struggled with finding the right hair removal method since the fifth grade. I’ve tried everything, from traditional shaving to waxing strips to at-home laser hair removal, and nothing was working. For years, I figured shaving was my only option, so that’s what I stuck to. I went through high school, shaving my legs every two days to avoid the embarrassment of my dark brown hair against my very fair skin.
Shaving my legs so often was painful and irritating; I quickly discovered that sensitive skin was a whole new beast for me to tackle. I noticed that every time I shaved, I would get horrendous ingrown hairs, which would lead me to scratch my legs until I started bleeding. After a few months of dealing with this frustration, I decided to go to Sally Beauty and give waxing strips a try.
The first time I waxed my legs was horrifying, to say the least. I got through half of one leg and gave up; the pain was unbearable. Not until I did further research did I realize that store brought waxing strips are riddled with chemicals and can rip off the skin. Feeling defeated, I looked for other alternatives and that is when I discovered sugaring — my new holy grail.
Sugaring is a natural alternative to waxing; it is less painful, in my opinion, and the mixture stays good for up to a month. I’ve used sugaring to remove hair from my legs, lip, eyebrows and bikini line. Sugaring is simple, quick, cheap and all-natural! It only takes three ingredients and about 20 minutes of your time to make. Here’s the sugaring recipe I used:
Ingredients
- 2 cups of raw cane sugar (regular granulated sugar works as well, but I like to keep the product organic)
- ¼ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup of water
Wax Making Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil slowly. After it begins to boil, simmer the mixture on medium-low heat and stir frequently. When the mixture becomes golden brown with a consistency comparable to honey, remove from heat. Pour the mixture into a nonstick glass jar. Make sure to warm up the glass with water first, so the glass does not crack. Let cool.
Waxing Instructions
There are two ways you are able to remove hair using sugar wax. Before either method, you will want to exfoliate the desired area the day before.
The popular way to wax using sugaring is to spoon some of the mixture into your hand and roll it around until it becomes a ball. Once the mixture becomes a ball, you’ll want to spread a thick layer across the skin (against the grain of the hair), and then pull the wax off quickly (with the grain of the hair). This method allows the sugaring mixture to enter the follicle, wrap around the hair and be removed with the grain, causing less pain than traditional waxing.
The second method is similar to the first but mirrors traditional waxing more. In this method, you will need waxing cloth and popsicle sticks. You will want to use the mixture while it is still warm and melted. Dip the popsicle stick in the mixture and spread it on the desired area, against the grain of hair growth. Then, apply the cotton wax strip to the top of the mixture and press. Once the cotton strip is stuck to the mixture, pull off the cotton strip with the grain of the hair.
After hair removal is complete, moisturize your skin and watch it glow! If you’ve struggled with hair removal, or if you’re just looking to switch things up, sugaring is a great option. My experience has been wonderful; my skin was smooth, exfoliated and hairless for three weeks!