C Clara Stewart

Let’s face it, at least in the United States, if a woman has hair any place other than the accepted locations (e.g., head, eyebrows, eyelashes), she is probably looking for a way to get rid of it. A lot of these women — and you may be one of them — go to day spas or salons and pay on average anywhere from $8.00 for brows to $88 and up for a Brazilian.

Yes, the spa is a great place to get pampered and leave your skin feeling great. But is it really worth all the money you pay? Could there be a way to get the same results without paying so much? Thankfully, yes!

Although many of us are led to believe that going professional is the only way to see good results, the truth is that the money you spend is mainly on the “experience”. If all you care about is that the job is done well, you can do it yourself at home with a little effort and a lot less cost! You only need a few basic supplies to get started: the wax, a wax warmer, spatulas, wax removal strips and some time to practice.

A lot of spas also offer soothing creams and cleansers as part of the treatment, but don’t let these fool you. You can buy them yourself without paying the high mark-ups that the spas charge. When you’ve got together all the supplies you need, the actual waxing steps are pretty easy.

1. The day before you wax, exfoliate your skin. This removes dead skin cells and helps avoid ingrown hairs.

2. Just before waxing, to prevent the wax from sticking to your skin, apply some powder to the area.

3. Now follow the directions on your wax. Heat it up and test out the temperature before you apply it to your skin.

4. Now use your spatula to apply the wax in the direction of hair growth. Only work on small sections at a time – never apply all the wax and once – and make sure that the wax you apply is equal to the size of the removal strips you’ll be using.

5. Removing the wax means placing the strip over the area and firmly pressing it down, so it comes into contact with as much of the wax as possible. Now hold the skin very taught, and pull the strip off along the skin – be careful not to pull it upward – in the opposite direction to the way your hair grows.

6. If there’s some wax left on your skin then you can use a wax removing product to get rid of it, or simple olive oil.

To finish, apply a soothing lotion or cream, but avoid anything with alcohol or perfumes that might irritate your skin.

As with most techniques, waxing may require a little practice to get the results you’re looking for, but it’s really not that hard, and I think you’ll find the savings and convenience (no more appointments!) well worth the small effort.

If you like smooth skin and saving money, you can find more information on waxing and waxing products, as well as other hair removal methods, by having a look at the Smooth Skin Review. Click here for information on a really terrific home waxing system – the Depileve Waxing System — and great stores online.