It’s summertime, which means it’s time to ready your summer body! Prepping for the bikini season calls for some hair removal procedures.
But what are your options?
Sugaring and waxing are two hair removal procedures that have been around since ancient times. The two are similar and often grouped together. But sugaring and waxing are two different procedures.
Before you book your next salon trip, take note of these sugaring vs waxing benefits. This article will list down the key differences between the two. Then, you can decide which procedure is right for you!
What Is Waxing?
Waxing is a hair removal procedure that makes use of rosin and by-products from trees. People know waxing as the go-to procedure for smooth finishes. The technique allows you to pull hairs from the roots, making it last longer.
You can wax any part of your body. This includes your arms, legs, eyebrow, abdomen, face, feet, and also your bikini area.
What’s the Mixture?
The primary ingredients in wax are rosin and beeswax. Some waxes include therapeutic oils and vitamins. Some mixtures come in beautiful colors and attractive fragrances.
What’s the Process?
There are two types of waxes that you can get: Hard wax and soft wax. The first type is the hard wax, which is a little thicker than soft wax. The mixture is warm and your stylist will apply it with a spatula.
When the wax hardens, you will remove it without a strip. When removing unwanted facial hair, people turn to hard wax. It’s best to use hard wax on small and sensitive areas on the body, like the bikini area.
People primarily use soft wax for larger areas of the body. Soft wax clings to hair follicles, making it the perfect choice for large coverage areas. Your stylist will apply soft wax with a spatula, and remove it using a muslin strip.
Does It Hurt?
Yes, waxing does hurt! The process involves pulling the wax in the opposite direction of hair growth. Coupled with that, wax pulls hair from the roots.
Hard wax is less painful than soft wax due to the heat from the wax that helps loosen your pores. Waxing also serves as a mild exfoliant, taking care of dead skin. If you’re new to this hair removal procedure, you might want to book short appointments instead of having it all in one go.
Risks or Side Effects?
Almost everyone will experience some redness after a waxing session. Depending on your sensitivity or tolerance, it could last between a few hours and a few days. Inflammation may also occur after a waxing appointment.
This side effect happens due to the tugging and pulling involved with wax. The swelling is temporary and will go down after a few days.
You may also experience ingrown hairs after a waxing session. Sometimes, the hair follicle isn’t properly pulled from the root. The wax may end up breaking the hair instead.
Bruising may also happen after a waxing session. This happens when an inexperienced esthetician uses the wrong technique.
If you’re new to wax, you may experience an allergic reaction. Allergic reactions are a rare side effect, but it can happen. Always do a test patch before applying for a waxing appointment.
What Is Sugaring?
Sugaring is an organic hair removal procedure. Body sugaring dates back all the way to ancient Egypt, and has been around since! Sugaring resembles waxing but is gentler than the latter procedure.
What’s the Mixture?
Sugar paste comprises of only three ingredients! These are sugar, lemon, and water. Sugaring doesn’t have any additives or cloth strips, making it more environmentally conscious.
Estheticians make sugar pastes by boiling the three ingredients at low to medium heat. It will resemble a candy mix when it’s done. When cooled, you can use the sugar paste like you would with wax.
What’s the Process?
Contrary to waxing, estheticians apply sugar pastes against the direction of hair growth. Then, they remove it following the direction of hair growth. Sugar pastes exfoliate only the surface of the skin, so you can sugar the same area more than once.
Like waxing, sugaring removes hair follicles directly from the roots.
Estheticians use the same sugar paste ball throughout the entire procedure. Sugaring is gentle enough to use on any body part. Common areas include legs, arms, underarms, and bikini line.
Does It Hurt?
Does sugaring hurt? While sugaring is gentler than waxing, it can still hurt. It pulls out hair from the root, but it doesn’t stick to your skin as waxes do.
But when booking a sugaring appointment, perform the necessary preparations before heading out. While less painful, the process of sugaring can still hurt.
Risks or Side Effects?
Sugaring produces fewer side effects than waxing. With both procedures, you may experience some redness or irritation. Redness may occur especially if your skin is very sensitive.
But some of the benefits of sugaring is that includes natural ingredients. You’re less likely to get an allergic reaction from a sugaring session. Estheticians warm sugar pastes only to body temperature, so you don’t have to worry about getting burnt.
Sugar pastes are also much easier to clean up than waxes. Wax can leave a sticky residue on your skin. But sugar pastes dissolve immediately when washed with water.
People also know sugaring to reduce hair regrowth. Multiple treatments over time allow the bulb of the hair follicle to experience atrophy. Some people see reduced hair growth after 3 or 4 treatments.
Which Is Better?
When choosing between sugaring or waxing, it’s important to do your research. Sugaring vs waxing involves two different procedures. But both are effective, lasting over 3-4 weeks before hair starts to grow back.
It comes down to your pain tolerance and how esthetician’s experience. Know your skin and hair type. Sugaring works best for fine hair while waxing for thicker hairs.
Not sure where to start? You can check out these great offers.
Sugaring vs Waxing
Now you know the difference between sugaring vs waxing. Always choose a trusted salon. Perform the necessary preparations and aftercare.
Taking care of your looks and feeling beautiful doesn’t end here! For more guides, please consider reading more of our guides! We have tons of great content for you to discover.
