The method of facial wax involves excruciating pain. Though making it less painful sounds difficult, it is surely not impossible. Preparing right, using the most suitable kind of wax, and following the most effective techniques are essential to get rid of fine facial hair in the least painful way.
Be it forehead fuzz or upper lip moustache – any form of facial hair can be embarrassing. Whilst you can blame your genetics or hormonal imbalance for this, an effective hair removal technique may be necessary to sort it out.
Getting a wax is known to be the most viable solution for achieving a smooth, hair-free face…But waxing can hurt like hell! The process of covering the facial hair strands with wax, placing a strip of cloth over it, and ripping it off the delicate skin in large swaths is blatantly painful.
Why is facial waxing so painful?
Though you will never truly escape the excruciating pain associated with facial waxing, you can make the method a bit less torturous by preparing beforehand and following a few simple hacks.
Here we tell you about using the right type of wax and adopting the appropriate technique are also crucial to reduce pain. Also, make sure that you choose your waxing time carefully in order to make your experience a little bit more pleasant.
How to Get Prepared for Facial Waxing
If you feel like crying during each session of facial waxing, you are probably not preparing right for it. It is time to pay more attention to the preparation part as that makes a huge difference in terms of both pain and the longevity of the results.
Check Your Hair Length
Wax does not stick to too short or prickly hair, thereby ripping the skin and causing a lot of pain. So, wait patiently until your facial hair grows at least (1/4)-inch to (1/2)-inch long. Similarly, you will end up pulling at the hair strands without uprooting them if they are too long.
Tip: Be careful while waxing your facial hair so that you do not end up removing your eyelashes, eyebrows, nasal hair, etc.
Make Lifestyle Changes
Stop your habits of smoking and drinking at least two days prior to waxing. Also, sacrifice your morning pick-me-up coffee on the day of waxing. Sadly, not doing so can increase the acidity in your body and make the nerve endings more receptive to pain signals.
Consequently, your delicate facial skin turns ultra-sensitive.
Slough Off Dead Cells
Gently scrubbing the skin ahead of time will remove the debris clumped around the hair follicles. It will open up the pores and allow the wax to adhere to the shorter hair easily. Thus, you can reduce pain while pulling the hair shafts out by their roots.
Cleanse Your Face
A clean and smooth canvas is always easy to work on. So, cleanse your facial skin gently yet thoroughly to get rid of makeup and other impurities.
Doing it right before the day of waxing will minimize the pain and make your experience less painful.
Warm It Up
Splash lukewarm water to your face and let the heat make the skin somewhat warmer and softer. This will open up the pores and loosen the hair follicles. Eventually, the hair strands will come out and get removed without causing much pain.
Take a Pain Reliever
When you have a significantly low pain threshold, consider an over-the-counter pain reliever as your saviour. Take it half an hour before you get your facial waxing done to help stay away from pain or swelling.
Numb Your Nerves
Use a numbing cream or spray to desensitize the targeted area(s) of your facial skin. It dulls the pain remarkably so that the task of hair removal becomes easy, quick, and effective.
Tip: Do not numb your facial skin with ice as anything cold will tighten up the pores and worsen your pain.
Suggested Article: Skin Icing: Why Freezing Your Face Could Be the Answer to Radiant Skin.
Apply Baby Powder
Dust the most pain-provoking parts of your face lightly with a baby powder just a few minutes before you start. Thus, the wax will grip the hair shafts better and do the job without yanking on your highly delicate skin.
Suggested Article: How to Get Baby-Soft Skin Using Baby Products.
What Type of Wax Should You Use to Minimise Pain?
Not all waxes are made equal. Furthermore, the skin on our face is much more sensitive and fragile than the rest of our body. So, when it comes to facial hair removal, a careful selection of wax becomes imperative.
Choose Hard Wax
You may feel tempted to use soft wax on your face as it tends to be cheaper than hard wax. Also, it is most suitable for larger areas.
Soft wax is also infamous for burning or lifting off the skin while eliminating hair strands. In contrast, hard wax grabs shorter and finer hair in smaller parts of the skin. This reduces discomfort, irritation, and pain considerably. Also, it neither requires strip nor leaves any sticky residue, which makes it easy to handle.
Go All-Natural
Synthetic wax not only causes pain but also removes a layer or two of the skin at times. Conversely, an all-natural, elastic wax is designed to moisturise the skin and leave it smooth.
It hurts much less than the synthetic ones whilst moulding around the hair shafts and pulling them out of the pores. Hence, if you want to ensure safety and reduce pain during waxing, skip harsh chemical waxes.
Try New Options
Keep experimenting with new launches. Give hard bean wax, chocolate wax, milk liposoluble wax, and other similar options a try. Unlike old-school waxes, these are exclusively made for less painful waxing. Furthermore, they can tug out even the finest hair smoothly.
Tip: Always go for a wax that is clinically tested for sensitive skin and do a patch test before its full-on application.
Tricks and Techniques to Make Facial Waxing Less Painful
You may have heard a lot of bad, worse, and ugly waxing stories to date. Now, it is time to create a good one! These effective tricks and techniques will save you from all kinds of pain during facial hair removal.
Cool Down the Wax
Always proceed with caution whilst applying the wax to your sensitive facial skin.
Hot wax can take off the skin in no time. Therefore, let it cool down first so that it feels only a little warm to touch.
Tip: Avoid waxing the areas of your facial skin that are inflamed, bruised, sunburnt, or tattooed.
Start Really Small
Facial waxing does not involve working on larger areas. It’s important you start with a much smaller section. Doing so, will reduce pain and make the procedure more effective.
Tip: Stay away from makeup and beauty products as a freshly waxed face often feels sensitive to chemicals.
Suggested Article: Create An All-Natural Skincare Routine with Home Ingredients.
Find a Wax Specialist
A wrong waxing session is nothing but a nightmare. Only a licensed and experienced professional knows what to do and how to do it correctly. So, if you are not a DIY wax person, seek the help of an expert.
Hold the Skin Taut
Avoid the unbearable pain of waxing by holding the skin taut with one hand. The other hand can be used for pulling the wax back towards the floor. Doing so will minimize the pain to a large extent.
Direction Matters
For a smooth and pain-free procedure, pull the wax quickly in the direction opposite to the growth of your hair. Also, keep your hand as close to the skin as possible.
Stay Relaxed
The more you will tense up, the worse the pain will become. So, relax your facial muscles as much as possible. Also, take short, quick breaths throughout the session.
Tip: Try managing the pain by distracting yourself with music, magazines, and even small talks.
Be Patient
Be patient and stay regular with facial waxing. Importantly, this will gradually turn your nerve endings less sensitive to the pain. Hence, why your fifth waxing session will never hurt like the first one. Furthermore, the hair strands will also become thinner and shorter with each session.
When is the best time to Minimise Pain in Facial Waxing?
The timing of your facial hair removal can make all the difference. The extent of pain associated with the procedure will vary drastically based on the time chosen by you.
So, remember the following things.
Post-Period Sessions are Best
The pain tolerance level of your skin remains at its highest up to 3-4 days after your menstrual cycle is over. Consider this time of the month as ideal to get a smooth, hair-free face in the least painful way.
Medicines are not friendly!
Your skin remains extra-sensitive when you are on certain medications like antibiotics, retinol, Accutane, etc. So, wait until your course of treatment ends in order to reduce pain in facial waxing.
Inter-Session Gaps are Vital
Maintain a gap of 2-4 weeks between two waxing sessions to ensure that your hair strands are long enough for removal. This will surprisingly lower the extent of pain during the procedure.
Tip: Do not shave facial hair in between as this might disturb the hair growth and make your next waxing session more painful.
With this guide in hand, you can win over the pain easily and wax your face with confidence!