Bikini waxing – nothing inspires more fear within the female population than those two little words. Even saying them aloud conjures up feelings of pain, agony and absolute terror.
Whether you’re a veteran or a complete beginner, the anticipation of a bikini wax is always the worst. Fact. It doesn’t matter if you’re getting a simple wax or going for something a little more, ahem, exotic (Brazilian? Hollywood? Vajazzle? Pick your poison!).
Unfortunately, for most of us, the dreaded bikini wax is a part of life. Many women choose to get a monthly bikini wax for a number of reasons and many are happy with the results, eh…once they get over the pain factor.
If you’ve been contemplating joining the ranks of the bikini wax devotees, here are a few tips and tricks to ensure that the experience isn’t as painful or as terrifying as you were expecting.
1. Make sure you check your calendar: When you’re ringing up to make your appointment, it is essential that you consult your calendar. Why? Well ladies, directly before our period is due, our skin tends to get extra tender and sensitive.
Therefore, unless you are an absolute masochist, we highly recommend booking your wax for directly AFTER your period. That way your skin sensitivity will be back to normal and you’ll have at least three long weeks to enjoy your new wax before Mother Nature strikes again.
2. Have a warm shower: Before you toddle off to your waxing appointment, make sure you have a nice, warm shower. This will help you to relax and it’ll also open up your pores, making it easier for your beautician to whip those unwanted hairs out.
3. Avoid moisturiser: Post-calming-warm-shower do not put on your usual slather of body moisturiser. Just dry off your skin and get dressed. If you add a moisturiser to your skin, this will stop the wax from properly gripping any stray hairs or cause the hairs to break at weird angles.
Remember, the whole point of a bikini wax is to be smooth, so ditch the moisturiser and hopefully you’ll avoid any unsightly stubble.
4. Pop a pill: About ten minutes before your appointment, pop a pill. You’ll be mid-wax by the time it kicks in, so it’ll help to lessen any pain you may feel. Try to go for something that contains ibuprofen. Not only will this stop any pain, it’ll also stop any post-wax swelling.
5. Stretch the skin: During your wax, your beautician will ask you to hold certain parts of your body and to stretch the skin. When you’re stretching, don’t do it half-heartedly. Stretch it as taunt as you can, this will lessen the impact on the skin when your beautician whips off the wax.
6. Deep breaths: If you’re really in agony, ask your beautician to give you a countdown before she whips off the next strip of wax. Get her to countdown from three to one. Once she reaches the number one, exhale sharply through your mouth.
You’ll be so focussed on your breath that you will barely feel a thing. It sounds weird, but trust us, this works.
7. Power-through: No matter how painful you find your first wax, it is essential that you power-through afterwards. The first wax is always the worst, mainly because you have a build-up of hair. But the next wax won’t hurt nearly as bad. Promise.
Each wax gets less painful, so it’s important that you keep up your waxing regime. If you miss a month or go a few weeks longer, you WILL feel it the next time you find yourself propped up on the beauty table.
