I’ve been doing this for a while and maybe you’d like to do the same. So here it is – everything I’ve learned about getting rid of unwanted hair (pretty much anywhere) with products you can buy at Clicks and use at home on your own.
I’m talking mostly about the Mandy’s range. Each of the products has an instruction leaflet which gives you the run down. They also tell you where you should and shouldn’t use the wax on your body. I’m here to tell you not to pay any attention. Listen to me – I’ve tried enough of them enough times to tell you what works the best!
I don’t give a shit about shaving, so I’m not going to tell you which razor to buy for maximum results. I don’t care about Veet hair removal cream either. I’m sure it smells good and leaves you feeling silky for about 3 days, but that’s probably as good as that stuff gets. If you want a solution that’ll last 2-4 weeks, then keep reading. This blog post is about wax and epilating.
If you’ve never had a wax…I recommend going for a half-leg wax somewhere cheap (that’s either ankle to knee, or knee up until bikini. It will probably not set you back more than R60. This will show you the techniques and prepare you for the way it feels to have hair ripped out of your skin from the roots. Having a wax done properly will also let you know straight away if your skin is too sensitive. My aunt came out in the worst rash from having a leg wax at a reputable place. Every hair follicle became inflamed/infected/in-something and basically it was very red, painful and took weeks to heal. If this happens to you, you’re in the minority but you probably shouldn’t try a second time. See a dermatologist if you’re truly determined, but perhaps laser is the appropriate route to follow (ouch, expensive).
Strip wax – LegsThis is the easiest, and the best place to start if you’ve never tried to wax anything yourself.
I’ve tried several products to remove leg hair and the best product I’ve used is an Australian product called Nads Gel Wax, but unfortunately you can’t get it in South African retail stores. Definitely try it if you go to Australia for long enough to need a wax!!
Clicks has a similar product which is pretty good. It’s a
no-heat gel wax from Mandy’s and it’s purple. The great thing about this one is that you don’t need to heat it up, it dissolves in water or with a damp cloth and even if you mess it on your clothes, it won’t stain. Basically this is how it’s done:
- Use an ice-cream stick type applicator (provided) and smear some wax onto your skin thinly. Apply wax in the same direction of hair growth (this should be down from knee towards ankle).
- Stick a strip (provided) over the sticky part and rub it nicely so it’s well stuck on your leg. Be sure to leave the bottom of the strip dry. You’ll need to grab this bit when you pull the strip off.
- Ok, the fun part. Grab that bit of the strip at the bottom nice and tight, and quickly pull it up staying as close to the skin as possible.
- This is sure to sting so take your free hand and push down firmly on the part where the hair was removed. A bit of pressure soothes the sting.
- You might find that you can re-use the strip again if it still has enough adhesion. Otherwise, I usually fold it in half, sticky side inside and use it to remove smaller areas.
Another great product to try is
Mandy’s warm microwave wax.
It also uses a strip, also dissolves in water but is a bit more effective than the gel wax mentioned previously. The gel wax gets warm in summer and humid weather is loses its effectiveness. The warm wax alternative is great in winter when your skin is cold and your pores aren’t as open.
Both of these products should last you about 5 – 10 waxes each. They cost about R40 – R50 which is a fraction of what it would cost to go to have your wax done. The drawback is that it takes a bit longer when you’re doing it yourself, and you run out of strips. I think there are only 10 strips per pack of wax, which usually isn’t enough to do a full leg wax on both legs, even with strip re-use.
You can buy additional strips at Dischem (they also sell the Mandy’s range), but they’re pricy. You’re better off getting two tubs at one so you’ll have 20 strips. Or go to a material shop and just cut some yourself.
On the plus side, the strips are washable and the more wax you buy the more strips you’ll have. You can usually wash them by leaving them in some hot water mixed with body wash or shampoo for about an hour. After that, if you rinse them with water the hair and wax should come off quite easily and you can hang them over the bath, basin or even stick them on ceramic wall tiles or a mirror to dry.
Other places of the body that this type of wax works well on:- The back, but you probably won’t be able to do this yourself!
- Tummy, garden path and chest
- Bikini line (but not the full monty ok, there’s better wax for that)
You *can* use these waxes to do a Brazilian or an underarm but then I suggest the microwave strip wax, and let me just say you’re probably going to be busy a long time and have plenty sore areas where the hair didn’t come off the first, second or third time. Overwaxing can actually remove skin, so it’s not a very smart idea and when you use a wax that’s not strong enough, you end up overwaxing to achieve results.
More costly, but definitely more convenient are the already sticky wax strips. You don’t get as much waxed for the amount of money you spend, but they don’t make any mess and you can use them a couple of times before the stickiness wears off.
Peel-Off Wax – Underarms and FannieGenitals, such a boring word. Your hoo-ha, your vajayjay, your fannie. Whatever. You want the peel-off wax called
Mandy’s Fabulous Film wax. It comes in a small and a bigger variety. You want the bigger one. It costs around R70 but it’s worth it, and you’ll probably be able to do 3 or 4 Brazilian waxes with one tub.
WARNING: This is rather painful. If leg waxes are still hurting, be very careful if you’re thinking about trying this one.
WARNING: If you’ve never had a Brazilian, go and have one please. You’ll see how it’s done and you’ll understand the level of pain. Also, if you’ve never had a Brazilian wax, you don’t know what you’re missing. OH.MY.GOD. This is not for your partner, trust me, you’ll love the difference. It made Gwyneth Paltrow feel like a new woman, ok. That’s what she said!
Ok, if you’re doing this you know how waxing works. All I’m going to tell you is why the peel-off wax is the better option, and give you a few tips.
Firstly, the peel-off wax is strong and that’s why it works so well on coarse hair in hard to reach places. Once it dries on your skin and it does quite quickly, it has pretty much got the hair. This is the ow part. Those stubborn hairs that escape wax strips don’t manage to get out of the peel-off wax so easily. They’re coming out, and they’re going to hurt you when they do. The wax is very adhesive. It can be quite hard sometimes to even get it off, so try to apply it quite thickly at the bottom where you need to grip. Use your nails to flick the bottom bits up gently so that you can grab a hold of it and pull. You should pull fast, close your eyes (I do) and hold your breath.
If I can tell you anything, it’s to have your hair quite short. The longer the hair, the more pain you’re going to experience. It’s hard to explain why, but longer hair just means that you get too much stuck in one piece of wax and it is sometimes so hard to lift that bottom bit that you need to grip because it’s so sore. Aim for I suppose 2-5mm of length. And always always peel off against the direction of hair growth.
The next bit of advice I should give you is to try as much as possible to have the bottom of the wax, the gripping part, applied to an area that doesn’t have hair. When you try to lift it at the bottom, the last thing you want is to be ripping out little hairs as you do it. It hurts. If the gripping part is stuck onto a bald area, there’s no pain involved when you start peeling it off, and you can hold on to quite a bit when you give it a tug.
Also, try to apply narrow-ish strips. It peels off better and doesn’t break mid way, and it’s a little less painful doing a smaller area at a time.
As far as the amount to smear on, that’s up to you. Some people like to spread thickly, but this wax works quite well when applied thinly. The gripping is a bit easier if there’s a nice blob at the bottom though. You’ll have to just try it in different variations until you know what your hair responds best to.
There is always wax residue that gets stuck on your skin. Don’t try to scratch it off like I do. The Fabulous Film Wax contains the most wonderful after wax treatment. One sachet can last you about 4 waxes because it spreads nicely and is really soothing. It also has something in it that makes all that left over wax on your skin come loose quite well. You’ll probably need your nails a little, but just gently.
A quick note on underarms: This is definitely the right wax – everything comes off nicely the first time. Do one underarm in about 4 narrow sections. That way it’s less painful, and you cater for the various directions of hair growth. You’ll probably need some help, but it is possible to do it on your own. I manage ok. Just keep the skin pulled VERY tightly otherwise you may end up hurting yourself.
Waxing the FaceThe face is an area that people are usually afraid to wax because they think it’s going to hurt. If I’m honest, I’ve only waxed my own upper lip area and it wasn’t painful. I don’t know much about eye-brow waxing because I’m just not that kind of girl. I’ve seen it done, and I think you’ve gotta know what you’re doing to get the shape just right. Strip wax is okay, but I’d personally go with peel-off. Mandy’s Fabulous Film Wax comes in a smaller tup for the face that costs around R40. It’s the same variant as the bigger tub, so if you have the big tub that’s fine.
The upper lip area I’ve found is best waxed with the microwave strip wax. It sticks nicely, the temperature is good and using a strip means you have plenty room to grip and pull effectively.
EpilatingThis is a fun little machine that fits in the palm of your hands. I have a little purple Braun Silk that has something like 32 tweezing heads. Basically, you slide it up your skin against the hair growth and it tweezes all the little hairs it can get its tweezers on. Honestly, it’s great for those bits of hair that grow back a little faster than the rest, or the ones that you missed when you waxed your legs.
It’s nice because it’s dry and you can do it anywhere there’s a plug point. It’ll fit into your hand bag and blah blah blah.
Where it falls short is here:- It takes about an hour to do one leg from ankle to top of thigh.
- It hurts a bit more than waxing because it’s just not as quick.
- It doesn’t remove all the hair first time. You have to often go over the same area several times before it’s smooth.
- Often the stubborn hairs actually break and the root stays behind.
- Some people experience skin grabs which is when the device actually pinches your skin. This hasn’t happened to me.
- Longer hair tends to break, so it’s not worth bothering on those.
- Don’t bother using it on the bikini or fannie area. It doesn’t work the angles very well, and if you make a mistake you’ll actually hurt yourself quite badly.
I have however found it works particularly well for:- It works great on legs. Especially behind the thighs (if you’re ever tried waxing this I’m sure you’ve found help was required).
- Those very fine hairs on the tummy lots of girls shave come off beautifully. A smooth tummy feels amazing. Even if you can’t see those hairs, just TRY it. You’ll thank me.
- I asked my boyfriend to do the hair on my lower back. It’s very fine, you can hardly see it but I could feel the difference every time I touched the area. It’s lovely, and I think said boyfriend liked the smoothness too when he touched the area!!
Some people believe that if you suddenly start removing hair in an area you haven’t before, that it will cause more hair to grow back or the existing hair to grow back darker and thicker. With epilation you are removing the hair from the roots just like waxing. I have not found that I have any more hair on the tummy or back because I ran the epilator over it. I haven’t done it often enough to notice any less hair growing back though, either…
SummaryI hope you enjoyed the little waxing tutorial. I hope you feel inspired to start your own waxing now. Feel free to ask questions if you think I may know the answer!!
To summarise:- Mandy’s Fabulous Film Wax at about R70 for the big tub works best on the fannie, bikini and underarm. Very sticky and too pricy to use on larger areas like legs.
- Mandy’s No-heat Gel Wax or Microwave wax are perfect for legs and face at around R50. Dissolves in water and strips can be washed and reused.
- Use Mandy’s Wax Strips for quick and convenient hair removal with very little mess and fuss, but it’s not as cost effective
- Get an epilator for something you can use on your legs that doesn’t require you to wash your legs after! Not suitable for bikini or fannie – don’t waste time trying.
