After going through yet another pack of expensive razors while trying to banish unwanted body hair, you are probably thinking to yourself that there must be a better way. A way without the irritation, redness, and itchy regrowth of shaving.
We’ve got good news. There is! In fact, there are several other methods to choose from, the most popular being body sugaring and waxing. So, what sets these two apart – and which one is better for your skin, hair, and body?
The Difference Between Sugaring and Waxing
It’s one of the most common questions we get at our boutiques, in Kelowna, Edmonton, and in Calgary alike. In principle, they do the same thing – but in application and comfort, they are miles apart. Here’s some good information to know.
How body sugaring works
First things first: when we say “sugaring”, we mean just that. Body sugaring uses a warm, all-natural paste made from sugar, lemon, and water, applied in the opposite direction of hair growth and then removed in the same direction as the hair (waxing is the other way around). By doing it this way, we minimize breakage and reduce the amount of ingrown hair.
The warmth and composition of this paste makes hair removal easier, helping extract the full follicle roots and making regrowth less prominent over time. The best part? It does this with less damage to the surrounding skin than waxing could ever dream of!
Is sugaring really better than waxing?
Sugaring is all-natural and a lot gentler on the skin. So, if you have very sensitive skin – the type that gets red and irritated at the slightest touch – sugaring is the way to go. It’s gentle enough to be effective even on skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema, but still removes hair down to the root for that perfectly-smooth feel.
The paste used in sugaring is also not as hot as a typical wax treatment, making the application more comfortable, especially on more sensitive areas of the body. Plus, it can remove shorter hair – down to about 1/8”, or the size of a grain of rice – than waxing, which usually needs at least half an inch of growth to be effective.
Does sugaring or waxing hurt more?
Consider us biased, but we’re sugaring all the way! This is for a few reasons. One, sugaring removes the hair in the same direction of growth, making it overall less painful to remove (not completely pain-free, but noticeably better).
Two, the sugar paste does not stick to live skin cells, meaning that we can sugar over the same area multiple times, and we won’t remove any skin that shouldn’t be. Waxing, on the other hand, sticks to – well, everything – and it will often remove perfectly healthy, living skin cells. This leaves you feeling raw, sore, and often in more pain than necessary. With sugaring, all you’re left with is a glow from getting exfoliated and a smooth, hair-free patch of skin. A two-in-one treatment that can’t be beat!
Does sugaring or waxing last longer?
While this depends on the person as much as the method, both approaches give roughly equal results. You can expect a sugaring session to keep you relatively hairless for about 3-4 weeks. As you maintain a sugaring schedule, this can become less frequent as the hair growth slows, or even stops altogether in some cases.
Is Sugaring or Waxing Better?
“Better” is a relative term, but we still feel safe in saying that sugaring comes out on top. Just think about two of the most common scenarios where you’d use it.
Sugaring vs. waxing for Brazilian
There’s nothing quite like a good Brazilian – and, while waxing is capable of delivering, it often does so with redness, pain, and a higher chance of ingrown hairs. Those are all things that you don’t want anywhere near your bikini line! Sugaring will give you all the smoothness you want, with none of the side effects. Plus, we just so happen to be experts in the field, so don’t be shy about giving it a try.
