In our quest for a more sustainable life with environmentally friendly practices, we try to replace disposable products with reusable ones, and to replace store-bought products with our own homemade products made of natural ingredients.
Here at home, only I (Ana) use wax. However, nowadays there are also many men who do waxing, so this post could be useful for many people, especially for those who want to lead a more natural life. So today it's just me who's talking to you and I'll teach you how to do these waxes and talk about my personal experience with them.
Depilatory wax is one of those things that I thought was not possible to do at home with natural ingredients. After a lot of research, I found out that not only it is possible but also it is very simple. So check out how to do homemade wax and at the end of the post, watch our educational video with all step-by-step details.
Depilatory wax can be done in two ways. I'll talk about each one.
Hard Wax
Hard wax is that type of wax that applies directly to the skin without using strips to remove hair. Let's see how to make and apply it.
Required Materials
- Measuring spoons
- 1 Pot
- 1 Hand blender
- 1 Digital Kitchen Thermometer
- 1 Spatula or knife
- 1 Glass jar (heat resistant) and lid
- 1 Pot base
Ingredients
- 2 Cups White granulated sugar
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1/4 Cup Lemon juice
How To Do It
- Place the 3 ingredients in a pot, mix, and bring it to a boil.
- When it starts to boil, lower the heat.
- Let it simmer until it turns dark brown. The time on the heat varies according to various factors, such as air temperature and stove efficiency. For me it took 15 minutes; It is important to always be attentive so as not to let it boil too much, which may jeopardize the result and to having to do everything again.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool a little.
- Pour into the glass jar. The jar should have a pot base underneath to avoid large temperature differences that could break the glass.
- Allow it to cool until it is at the point when it is possible to shape the wax with your hands. This happens when the wax reaches 20-21ºC. It is advisable to put the jar in the fridge (when it is not so hot anymore) to speed up the process, which can take several hours, especially in summer.
- It is important to use the kitchen thermometer to control the temperatures.
How to Use
- Remove the wax from the jar with the spatula or knife and shape it with your hands.
- Apply the wax in the opposite direction of hair growth and remove in the direction of hair growth. This wax is applied this way to avoid ingrown hair and at the same time provide a less painful depilation.
- After removing the hair, apply pressure with your hand to avoid swelling.
- After hair removal, apply Aloe vera gel or other mild moisturizer to avoid irritated skin.
How to store
Keep the jar with the lid in the fridge for up to 1 year.
To reuse, simply put it in the microwave for a few seconds until it reaches the ideal temperature and texture.
Personally, I don't like to use hard wax very much. I find it hard to use and to keep at the ideal temperature, and the results don't seem to be as good as with soft wax. However, each person should try both to draw their own conclusions.
Soft Wax
The way to make soft wax is very similar to hard wax with only a few differences, which I will talk about right now.
Soft wax is applied to the skin with a spatula or knife and the hair is removed with strips. Let's see all the details.
Required Materials
- Measuring spoons
- 1 Pot
- 1 Hand blender
- 1 Digital Kitchen Thermometer
- 1 spatula or knife
- 1 glass jar (heat resistant) and lid
- 1 pot base
- Fabric strips (can be made with an old T-shirt)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup White granulated sugar
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1/4 Cup Lemon juice
How To Do It
- Place the 3 ingredients in a pan, mix, and bring it to a boil.
- When it starts to boil, lower the heat.
- Leave it on a low heat until it turns light brown. The time on the heat varies according to various factors, such as air temperature and stove efficiency. For me it took 12 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it cool a little.
- Pour into the glass jar. The jar should have a pot base underneath to avoid large temperature differences that could break the glass.
- Allow to cool until it acquires a comfortable temperature on the skin. Each person has their own sensitivity, so it is important to test first on a part of the body where the skin is not so sensitive and only then start using the wax.
- The temperature of the wax can take several hours to drop, especially in summer, so you can put the jar in the fridge (when it is not so hot anymore) to speed up the process.
- It is important to use the kitchen thermometer to control the temperatures.
How to Use
- Remove the wax from the jar with the spatula or knife and apply carefully to the skin.
- Apply the wax in the opposite direction of hair growth, apply the fabric strip, press the strip against the skin, and remove in the direction of hair growth. This wax is applied in this way to avoid ingrown hair and at the same time provide a less painful depilation.
- Simply apply a very thin layer of wax to make it easy to remove with the strips. The thicker the wax layer, the less hair will be removed.
- After removing the hair, apply pressure with your hand to avoid swelling.
- After waxing, apply Aloe vera gel or other mild moisturizer to avoid irritated skin.
How to Make the Strips
No need to buy strips. Just cut an old T-shirt into strips. Ideally, the shirt should be made of cotton, as it works very well on hair removal.
How to Store
Keep the jar with the lid in the fridge for up to 1 year.
To reuse, simply put it in the microwave for a few seconds until it reaches the ideal temperature and texture. Always use the thermometer to control the temperature.
Personally, I like soft wax very much because I can get optimal results. I find it very easy to use and, because it only takes a very thin layer of wax on each application, this wax seems to yield more than hard wax, which allows even greater savings. It really is a "zero waste" product!
Zero Waste
To wash the used material, just put it in hot water. Both hard wax and soft wax dissolve in hot water. The kitchen material can then be washed normally and the strips can be put in the washing machine to be used again for the next waxing.
Important Warnings
Lemon causes photosensitivity, so waxing should be done at night. If it is done during the day, then exposure to the sun should be avoided.
If you are going to do these waxes at home for the first time and if you have a more sensitive skin it is advisable to try both methods and see which one suits you best. To try it for the first time, as well as to test the temperature before each use, you should apply some wax to a part of the body where the skin is less sensitive, in order to avoid burns.
Before waxing, the skin must be very clean in order to obtain an ideal result. If the skin is oily or has traces of dirt, the wax won't work so well. Thus, before waxing, it is advisable to wash the skin and use a natural sponge for a very soft exfoliation.
I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any questions, please leave your comments here on the post or on our video in our Youtube channel. If our content adds value to your life, please subscribe to our newsletter and Youtube channel to be the first to receive our posts and videos. Check out our video where we show you in practical way how to make these waxes.
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