Waxing is the removal of hair with a sticky substance. This substance sticks to the hair and removes the hair from the root, leaving you with long, hairless, smooth skin. It also removes dead skin cells and makes your skin fresh and healthy. In addition, the new hair becomes thinner and less dense.
That's why it has been the most commonly used method of hair removal for centuries. But have you ever wondered how painful waxing is? Does waxing hurt? How bad can the pain be? Let's find an answer!
- Part 1: How does waxing work to remove your hair?
- Part 2: Why is waxing so painful?
- Part 3: Where does waxing hurt the most?
- Part 4: Alternative methods for hair removal
- Part 5: Comparison table
- Part 6: Conclusion
How does waxing work to remove your hair?
There are different types of wax: soft wax, hard wax and wax strips are the most commonly used types. Soft and hard wax are usually in hard form and must be heated until they have a slightly runny consistency before being applied to the skin. In contrast, wax strips are rubbed between both hands for a few seconds and can be applied directly to the skin.
A soft wax is suitable for larger areas, while hard wax is good for smaller and more sensitive areas. Once applied, the wax sticks to your hair. Strips are used to remove soft wax, while hard wax can be removed directly by peeling the wax off the surface of the skin. Once removed, the wax pulls the hair off at the roots. The new hair takes more than 2-3 weeks to grow back.
Why is waxing so painful?
How painful is waxing? On a scale of 1 to 10, most people rated the pain level at 4-7.
The wax sticks to the surface of the skin and to the hair. When you remove the wax, the hair is pulled out by force from the roots. This is not only painful, but also irritates the hair roots and causes redness on the skin after hair removal.
Scientifically speaking, hair roots are located near your nerve endings, which are responsible for sending pain signals to the brain. When hair is removed, these nerve endings are stimulated to send pain signals, which increases the sensation of pain. The intensity of pain varies from person to person, depending on:
- Skin sensitivity: Waxing is more painful for people with sensitive skin. Dryness also makes your skin more sensitive and therefore more prone to pain during waxing.
- Free nerve endings in a particular area: Some areas of our body, such as the face and fingertips, have more nerve endings. The more of these nerve endings there are, the more pain waxing causes.
- Type of wax used: The type of wax used for hair removal also determines the level of pain. For example, hard wax and sugar wax are gentler on the skin, while soft wax can be more painful.
- Hair removal technique: The wrong hair removal technique can also increase the pain during waxing. To remove the wax, you must pull it quickly against the direction of hair growth. This makes waxing less painful.
- Hair thickness: Long, coarse and thick hairs are more difficult and painful to remove than smaller and thinner hairs.
Fortunately, the pain doesn't last long. The discomfort only lasts for a few seconds when the wax is removed. After that, it quickly subsides. However, you should expect the waxed area to be a little red for a while.
Where does waxing hurt the most?
Does waxing your legs hurt? Does waxing your armpits hurt? Yes, it does. But the pain in these two areas is different.
Waxing can be used on the whole body, including the bikini line, face, arms, legs, armpits and even the upper lip. The intensity of the pain varies for each area. This is due to the different number of free nerve endings in the skin and the different thickness of the skin all over the body.
The skin on the face, underarms, upper lip and bikini line is more sensitive, making the underlying nerve endings more sensitive to external stimuli. In addition, the hair in the pubic area and underarms is thicker than the hair on the rest of the body, so these areas may be more painful than others when waxing.
Since hard and sugar wax are gentle on the skin, they can be used on the bikini area, underarms and upper lip. Soft wax, on the other hand, is preferred for arms, legs and chest hair.
Alternative methods for hair removal
If you can't get used to the pain of waxing, consider replacing your hair removal method with these:
Shave
Shaving is the easiest and most painless method of hair removal, unless you cut yourself with the razor blade. Unlike waxing, the shaving foam does not stick to the surface of the skin and does not penetrate deeper into the skin. So you are safe from any pain while shaving.
However, keep in mind that dry shaving can be uncomfortable, so always use shaving cream to minimize the risk of abrasions, skin injuries, and cracks in the skin. These shaving creams not only act as a lubricant, but also make your skin softer and smoother. Plus, you don't need to preheat the shaving ingredients. Just take the cream, apply it, and start removing hair.
Depilatory creams
Depilatory creams are another quick and painless alternative to waxing. These creams contain chemicals. These chemicals weaken your hair by breaking down its protein structure. As this makes the hair structure brittle, the hair can be easily removed with a spatula.
These hair removal creams are suitable for all areas of the body, including the Bikini area . It takes 3-10 minutes for the chemical agent to take effect and make hair removal a breeze for you. However, the chemicals can be very harsh for sensitive skin types and can cause chemical burns, so if you have dry or sensitive skin, you should do a patch test to make sure your skin can tolerate the chemicals.
IPL hair removal
Similar to waxing, IPL hair removal removes hair at the root. In addition, the roots are also destroyed to slow hair growth by destroying the hair-producing follicles. Therefore, the results of IPL treatment last for six months or even longer, depending on hair growth.
When we talk about the pain of IPL hair removal, some say that this method is almost painless hair removal, while others find it a bit uncomfortable. When the heat from the IPL device reaches the hair roots and destroys the hair, you feel like a rubber band is snapping against your skin.
If your skin is healthy and hydrated before the treatment, the unpleasant feeling will certainly be less. In addition, IPL hair removal can also be done at home. With devices such as Ulike , which features ice cooling with skin-soothing technology, the treatment is almost painless.
Laser hair removal
Laser hair removal is a technique that works on a similar principle to IPL. It uses light energy to destroy hair follicles deep in your skin, temporarily inhibiting hair growth. The results last up to a year or even longer, so you don't have to go for hair removal every other day.
Does laser hair removal hurt more than waxing? Certainly not. However, you can expect laser hair removal to be more painful than IPL. To reduce this pain, professionals usually use numbing agents on the skin, which can make the experience completely painless.
electrolysis
And finally, you can opt for permanent hair removal to nip the problem in the bud. Electrolysis uses electricity that passes through the hair follicles and destroys them completely. This stops hair growth forever and gives you permanently fuzz-free, smooth skin. The likelihood of you ever needing hair removal treatment again is very low.
Because a thin wire containing electricity is inserted into the hair follicles, it is more painful than IPL or laser. After electrolysis hair removal, you can also expect temporary redness, irritation and swelling of the skin. But waxing will always be number 1 when it comes to pain during hair removal.
Comparison table
|
Hair removal method |
Pain level |
|
Shave |
0 out of 10 |
|
Waxing |
5-8 of 10 |
|
Depilatory creams |
0 out of 10 |
|
IPL hair removal |
1 of 10 |
|
Laser hair removal |
3 of 10 |
|
electrolysis |
3-5 of 10 |
Conclusion
Waxing has always been a popular method of hair removal. It is affordable, easy, long-lasting and quick. The only downside is the pain. Waxing causes pain as the hair is pulled out forcefully from the roots. It is even more painful in sensitive areas such as the armpits, upper lip and pubic area.
But hair removal cannot be stopped. Therefore, you can try a less painful method of hair removal. IPL, laser, depilatory creams and shaving can be the possible options. You can choose according to your skin type, area of hair removal and affordability.
