The Sweet Art of Hair Removal | SUGARING

After several years of hair removal experiments and managing a wax salon for a year I learnt that I have sensitive skin, hurray!...one more thing to add to the list!

What does that mean when it comes to the age old field of getting rid of what comes naturally? Well for me it means any type of wax that needs fabric to remove it hurts more than usual and leaves my skin irritated, redder for longer, and more susceptible to ingrown hairs and bumps. The only wax that doesn't irritate much is hard wax, a strip-less wax that doesn't pull your skin. It's  amazing for sensitive skin but a bit hard to work with at home since it solidifies quickly when not maintained at optimal temperature.

Why not just use razors? When you trim any hair it grows back thicker and faster. Shaving is essentially trimming unwanted hair and as a result you end up having to shave frequently since you stimulate the hair growth, silky smooth skin lasts merely hours.

Ball of sugar paste.

I heard about sugaring a few years ago but never got the chance to get a treatment done and I honestly forgot all about it and stuck to my tricky to use hard wax and skin tingling nair hair remover. Depending on which history doc you look through, sugaring is either an age old Persian or Egyptian depilation technique. 'Cause I'm partial I'm going to go with the Egyptian origin. They used a honey/sugar paste to extract the unwanted hair by the root, several millennia later and the process hasn't changed. Hey you know what they say if it isn't broken don't fix it. This week sugaring popped into my head and just wouldn't leave so I decided I'd go for it and not in a salon, at home by myself.

Finished product ready for some epilation.

I didn't really read the instructions beyond the recipe and so didn't realize I could use the same piece over and over unlike hard wax which you could technically reuse but would have to remelt first. Once I realized that important fact things went faster. For my first time I think it was very successful, messy but successful.

Ingredients I used:

• 2 cups sugar

• 1/4 cup lime juice(original says lemon juice)

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/2 tbsp honey (not necessary)

Directions:

In a large/deep pot stir the ingredients and bring to a boil on high for about 4 minutes or until it becomes a clear sauce. Pour into a deep bowl preferably metal and let it cool to a warm temperature where you can stretch the paste like taffy and it doesn't burn your skin. You can test the temperature on the back of your hand.

It foams a lot that is why you need the deep/big pot. I didn't follow those instructions so had to be very vigilant stirring and constantly lifting the pot so it didn't overflow so don't make the same mistake I did. Also instead of pouring it into a bowl to cool faster I poured it directly into a mason jar so I'd be able to store it immediately and have less to clean up but it took longer to cool.

Translucent sugaring paste cooling in a mason jar.

Now for the hair removal:

Before you start, make sure the area you are removing is clean and dry for best results. Putting some powder first is suggested. If your hair is longer than ~1/2 an inch it is good to trim it a little.

Pull in opposite direction of hair growth.

Spread the paste in the opposite direction of the hair growth and pull the paste in the direction of the hair growth. The application and removal technique is different from waxing which is done in the opposite manner so make sure you apply it right. You can use the same ball of paste over and over. I rolled it into a ball before reusing it each time.

My leg with sugar paste on it.[/caption]

I'd suggest using gloves but it washes off quite easily with water since it's just sugar. Because I have experience with hard wax I used a spatula to spread a thin layer of the paste on my leg then used my bare hands for the rest of the process. I also did a much larger area than it suggest you do.

When pulling off the paste make sure you pull downwards towards the skin with a flick of the wrist instead of up and away from the skin. This technique reduces the amount of broken hairs. I used two balls of paste on both lower legs, armpits and bikini line. I probably could've used just one now that I'm more knowledgeable. We will see in a few days.

Hair is supposed to take about a week to grow back and when you do this regularly your hair takes much longer to grow in and becomes thinner and sparse. Your skin also becomes softer.

It is day three after my trial and my legs still feel silky smooth. Now my legs are summer ready. Booty shorts, here I come!

Results of sugaring test.[/caption]

Sugaring is definitely worth the try; it's cheap, all natural(you can eat it), smooths the skin, decreases ingrown hairs and it minimizes hair growth. It almost sounds too good to be true but it's legit. Sugaring is a great hair removal method for both men and women. Great for combating ingrown facial hair.

Let me know if you've tried it before and what you thought.