Hair Removal Options: Soft Wax v Hard Wax v Sugaring
We offer three different hair removal service options at Spruce - sugaring, soft wax, and hard wax. We know, we know - so many options! But we want our clients to have a choice in their services based on what they believe is best for their own skin and hair.
So what’s the difference between the three?
Sugaring is made from natural ingredients - honey, sugar, and lemon. It is not hot - it’s warmed up using body temperature. The sugar is rolled into a ball, spread across the skin, and flicked off. The same ball can be reused on one client for an entire service, so there’s less waste than with other removal options.
The sugar only attaches to the hair and to dead/loose skin cells, so some clients experience less pain than with other hair removal options. Sugaring pulls hair from the roots, so it can still lead to permanence - meaning the hair that is repeatedly sugared will eventually not grow back.
Hard wax is spread across the area to be waxed and then pulled back off after it hardens on the hair follicles. It cools on the skin, but it doesn’t adhere to it - some clients say this means the waxing is less painful, but the experience is different for everyone. This type of wax can be applied to the same area more than once if necessary. Hard wax is great for coarse hairs and smaller areas.
Soft wax is a little thicker than hard wax, is spread across the area and then is pulled off using a cloth strip. Soft wax can grab small and soft hairs. It’s great for larger areas because it has a longer setting time than hard wax, so different areas can be worked on at once. Soft wax does adhere to the top/dead layer of skin, so it’s not recommended to go over an area more than once - but it so thoroughly grabs hairs that it’s rarely needed!
How can you prepare for your waxing appointment?
Make sure your hair is long enough to wax! Facial hair can be very short and sparse, but for body waxes, it’s important to make sure the hair is long enough to be grabbed by the wax. If you can take the pads of your fingers (not your nails) and pull on the hair, it’s long enough.
It’s very important to have moisturized skin before you get your wax. If the skin is dry and flaky, the wax will pick up the dead skin but only break off the hairs instead of pulling at the root. You want to exfoliate two days prior to waxing to get your best results - definitely don’t exfoliate the day of your appointment! Hair removal itself exfoliates on a surface level. The wax/sugar grabs onto dead skin cells. Exfoliating prior to a hair removal service gets rid of dead skin and your wax will then adhere to live skin, making it a less enjoyable service!
Our estheticians also recommend stopping any retinoids, alpha hydroxy acids, and beta hydroxy acids about 4-5 days before your service - these products can make the skin very sensitive, cause lifting during waxing, and can even lead to scarring.
What’s the best aftercare for waxing services?
Aftercare at home is imperative for getting amazing results. Exfoliation and moisturizing are your best friends. You can resume exfoliating two days after you wax. Our estheticians love exfoliating bath gloves. You can buy several and trade them out like washcloths so they stay clean. After exfoliation, moisturize with a non-comedogenic oil - a gel product like aloe vera may be soothing, but non-fractionated coconut oil or shea butter may cause breakouts and ingrown hairs.
Clients may find tight clothing irritating, so we recommend loose clothes on waxing day. And we know it’s tempting, but put down the tweezers between appointments. The goal of hair removal is to get all of our follicles on the same page! If we tweeze in between the hairs with be on different stages of growth when you return for your next service
As always, if you have any questions, you are always welcome to reach out to our team! We can’t wait to see you soon!