Waxing at home can be a daunting task. You want to get that silky-smooth feeling without the hassle of a waxing appointment. Unfortunately, there’s a fine line between the luxurious, smooth results you’d get at a salon and the potential :ouch” moments of a botched wax job.
But fear not: with the right supplies, tips, and knowledge, your at-home waxing experience can be smooth sailing. All it takes is awareness of the potential slip-ups. By steering clear of these common mistakes to avoid while waxing at home, you’ll be well on your way to achieving silky, hair-free skin from the comfort of your home.
Forgetting To Prep Your Skin
Every beauty routine starts with proper preparation. Before you grab the wax, make sure your skin is ready. Start by exfoliating. Ideally, you should exfoliate a day or two before it’s time to wax. You can use a mild scrub, a brush, or a loofah to gently get rid of dead skin and loosen up ingrown hairs. Exfoliating ahead of time helps you achieve smoother skin after you wax. Just take care to be gentle—scrubbing too much or too hard can irritate the skin and lead to pain, infection, or other issues.
When it’s time to wax, start the process with a wash. Clean skin is less likely to react poorly to a wax, minimizing your chance of infection. Finally, make sure your skin is completely dry before you begin. This will help the wax stick and make the process as smooth as possible.
Not Knowing the Wax Types
Waxes aren’t one-size-fits-all. There’s hard wax, which is best for small, sensitive areas such as the face, and soft wax, your go-to for covering larger surface areas. Knowing the differences between how each type of wax works will help you choose the right one and use it successfully.
Think of hard wax as a more focused grab: it adheres to the hair and not the skin, making it ideal for smaller or more sensitive areas such as the bikini region or face. Soft wax, on the other hand, is all about the large jobs—legs, the back, and other areas where there’s more hair and the skin is less delicate. In short, soft wax is better at grabbing fine hairs that aren’t always visible, giving you a more complete wax and smoother skin overall.
Ignoring Temperature
One of the most common mistakes to avoid while waxing at home is overheating or underheating your wax. Both issues can ruin your wax job and leave you with a mess. Overheating your wax makes it too runny and hard to work with. On the flip side, underheating your wax makes it too thick to apply in a nice, thin layer.
Always pay close attention to the heating instructions to ensure the wax is warm, not scalding-hot. If you can’t comfortably leave your finger in the wax for several seconds, it’s too hot.
Applying Wax Incorrectly
There’s more to waxing than simply spreading the wax across your skin, letting it harden, and then pulling it off. Knowing proper techniques and practices for applying wax will help you obtain smoother skin while avoiding irritation, infection, and other complications.
Start by applying the wax in the direction of hair growth. Use a thin layer to avoid wasting wax or creating a mess. Pay attention to the instructions on your wax kit to know how long you need to wait for the wax to harden.
When it’s ready, remove the wax by holding your skin in place with one hand and pulling in the opposite direction of your hair growth with the other. Pull quickly and firmly to minimize pain and achieve the smoothest results possible.
Never wax skin that’s irritated or sunburned. It isn’t just more painful; it also hinders your skin’s healing process and can lead to infections and other issues. Let burns, scrapes, and bruises heal before you try to wax around them.
Waxing Over the Same Area Multiple Times
You may be a little miffed when you miss a spot, but going overboard can damage your skin—especially if you’re using soft wax. Rewaxing increases your likelihood of ingrown hairs, infections, and irritated skin.
Furthermore, it’s important not to wax too often. If your hair isn’t long enough, the wax won’t be able to adhere as successfully, which means you’ll miss a lot of spots when you wax. Wait a couple of weeks between waxes, and let your hair grow back until it’s around a quarter of an inch long. This lets your skin recuperate and gives you the ideal hair length for smooth, luxurious results.
Rushing the Process
You’ve got places to be and people to see, but your wax session isn’t a race. Taking your time is crucial to avoiding broken hairs, burns from hot wax, irritated or torn skin, or patchy legs. Don’t rush the process. Instead, set aside some uninterrupted time for your waxing process. Play some music and maybe even light a candle. Take your time and let yourself relax. You’ll enjoy a smoother, less stressful waxing process—and much better results—because of it.
Starting With Challenging Areas
Beginners often make the mistake of diving headfirst into the most challenging waxing zones. This can lead to some serious issues if you mess up while waxing more complicated or sensitive areas. For example, delicate areas such as the eyebrows require precision and a subtler hand, which comes with experience.
Waxing is a skill that takes practice, so start by mastering the technique on safer areas such as your legs. This will help you get used to the process and learn how to wax safely and successfully.
Not Caring for Your Skin After Waxing
The job isn’t over once you’re done waxing. Aftercare is a huge part of ensuring smooth, healthy skin after you wax. Start by removing any lingering wax or residue with a warm washcloth or mineral oil. Next, soothe your skin with post-wax lotion, oil, or other products. These will also moisturize your skin, giving you that lovely, silky-smooth feeling.
Using the Wrong Products
Of course, one of the most important parts of successful waxing is using high-quality products. Mia Secret’s salon-quality waxing products use expert formulas containing resins, emollients, and natural oils to deliver a smooth wax every time. Choose Mia Secret as your nail and beauty supply store, and shop our wax and other products for gorgeous, healthy, hair-free skin.
