Brazilian Waxing 101

Now that it is full blown summer time I thought write a post all about Brazilian waxes. I know some women cringe when they hear the words Brazilian wax. I do have one cringe worthy story, but we will get to that, and how to avoid it in just a minute.

I think the method of getting kids to try new foods should be applied to Brazilian waxing. You have to try it once. It’s totally ok if you don’t like it but, you just might love it! You will never know unless you try it, so muster up the courage and go for it. I have been getting waxed for just over 2 years. I am going to explain why I love them, and offer some helpful tips!

If you do not know what a Brazilian wax is, it is the removal of all your pubic hair including the hair around your butt hole. Everyone thinks the butt crack removal would be the worst but it’s actually the least painful.

If you have ever trimmed or shaved down there you know it’s not a easy place to reach. Luckily I never nicked myself or anything like that, but either way it’s not a fun job. Waxing is WAY easier. Someone else handles the whole thing. If you can handle a little pain, and you are not too shy I highly recommend looking into waxing if you shave. You can be perfectly smooth down there for a week or two depending on how fast your hair grows. My hair grows relatively slowly I only go in for a wax every 6 weeks or so. I love the clean feeling. I love how it looks, I feel very sexy. And I love not having to worry, or even think about what is sticking out the sides of my bathing suit.

Some people claim waxing makes your hair grow back thicker and stronger. This is total bullshit. Waxing makes your hair grow out thinner, and you will even have less, and less hair growth if you continue to wax. Another benefit from waxing is when your hair begins to grow out it will be softer than if you had shaved. Hair naturally grows out rounded on the ends and is soft. When it is shaved it is cut at the wider part of the hair and is sharp because of the way it is cut, causing the stubble feeling. Waxing avoids this, it’s great!

Your first wax is typically the worst. My first wax was not too bad. I went to European Wax Center. They use special bees wax that doesn't stick to your skin as badly as some other wax mixtures do. Occasionally they miss a few hairs but never too many, I usually just pluck the strays when I get home.

I have been to 4 different places, and seen probably 8 different ethstiticains. I have only had one bad wax. This might get a little graphic but there is not really another way to explain things. It was very very painful and I have a very high pain tolerance. The waxer had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Normally during a wax they either have you hold certain things out of the way or do it themselves. She held my outer labia aside to wax the inside, applied wax to it, then let it go before it dried….. When that happens wax gets stuck to places it shouldn’t and removing the wax is way more painful than it should be, eye wateringly painful. At one point she slathered wax all over my clitoris, which has no hair and is quite sensitive (most the time in a good way but not when hot wax is applied to it). This was another eye watering moment. She also used wax applied with roller and used cloth strips to remove it (I believe it was soft wax used to supposedly clean up), she did this repeatedly over and over the same places. Typically they try not to wax over an area more than once to avoid unnecessary irritation. A couple days later my skin was dry and flakey which had never happened before or since.

That was by far the worst wax I have ever had, but it was also the cheapest. To avoid bad waxes do not be afraid to pay a good chunk of change. The most expensive one I paid for was about 70 dollars. It was at this cute little cottage in Nashville Tennessee called, Wax Pot Studio. It was the best wax I have had to this day. I’m not saying all inexpensive waxes are bad, but just be careful about where you go. Do your research, read reviews, make sure the reviews are recent and look legit. Do not be afraid to tell your waxer to stop and tell her to go find you another esthetician to finish up (that’s what I should have done during the worst wax ever). I was definitely not brave enough to do this early on but I am now. I haven't done it yet and I hope I won’t ever have to.

When you muster up the bravery to go get your first wax, it will go somewhat like this.

Your waxer will lead you to a room, where she will ask you to remove your bottoms, both pants and undies. Wear something loose fitting and breathable, you want to be comfortable afterwards. I usually wear a skirt or dress and thin, soft cotton panties. From what I have read it's possible to get a wax with your panties on. I have no idea how that would work, so just take everything off. Some waxers leave the room while you undress, some do not.

Lie down on the table, and put your heels together, with knees out and flat (making a diamond shape with your legs).

Your waxer will clean the area, sprinkle baby powder (to help the wax stick to your skin as little as possible), and begin waxing. Most waxers start with the hair on your inner thighs, then move to the top near your belly button and work down from there. The tops of the outer labia are the most painful, the inside of the outer labia is not painful at all (we don’t have much hair there). You can ask your waxer to leave a small patch of hair near the top if you would like. I prefer to have everything removed.

Once all that is done, now comes the butt. Your waxer will either have you lift your legs and hug your knees (like a cannonball), or she will have you flip over, lie flat on your stomach, reach back and hold your butt cheeks apart (I warned you, you cannot be too shy to get a Brazilian). I have noticed that when I flip over and lie on my stomach I receive slightly better results. I do get waxed while pregnant which is pretty common. Obviously you cannot lay on your stomach while pregnant so they have you lift your knees. Getting waxed while pregnant is the best. It’s even harder to reach the area (let alone see it), and it’s great to get pampered while making a little human (even if it’s a little painful, both making the human and getting a wax).

It is perfectly ok to get a wax while on your period. Wear a tampon, waxers are used to this. I do not like to get waxed while on my period. I only did it once near the end of my period when I was barely bleeding (barely enough for a liner). Most women are more sensitive while on their period. My wax was somewhat more painful, but the more annoying part happens afterwards. Occasionally I have gone in for a wax and got my period a day or two after. I typically wear pads, never tampons and the extra material down there causes ingrown hairs. I usually time my wax a few days after my period to avoid extra ingrown hairs.

Ingrown hairs are always a possibility after a wax. If you get ingrown hairs all over 2-3 days after a wax, don’t go back to that place. Instead of removing your hairs they were broken off just under the skin. I only had this happen once it was the second or third time I went to that salon, but the first time I had that esthetician. I’m not exactly sure how this happens but it has something to do with their technique and the angle they remove the wax. If that happens to you don’t fret just find another place to go next time and make sure to exfoliate a lot. There are quite a few products that help with ingrown hairs. European Wax Center has a serum that is very soothing for the days just after your wax. the thing that helps me most is exfoliation. A simple sugar coconut oil scrub made at home works wonders. Remember not to start exfoliating till 24-48 hours after your wax. After your wax a bit of redness for a few hours up to a couple days is very normal. A little bit of tenderness is common as well.

If you do decide you love waxing, do not shave in between waxes. Since I started waxing I have not shaved once. Your hair grows in cycles and grows differently when being shaved or waxed, so it works best if you stick to one or the other. It is ok to trim if you cannot make it to your waxer and your hair is too long for comfort. I have only needed to do this once.

I hope this post was helpful and maybe some of you are willing to give Brazilian waxing a try. I also wouldn’t be surprised if I have scared some of you away for life. Either way I love it and thought I would share my wisdom on the subject. I apologize I do not have any photos for this post I couldn't think of any that were G rated. Let me know if you have any questions!