There are plenty of eco chicks out there perfectly comfortable with showing off their naturally hairy legs and underarms. I’m not one of them. While I wish I could be so carefree about it, I’m not quite that low maintenance. So, for the longest time I have sought the best hair removal methods that didn’t involve too many chemicals or disposables.
My usual weapon of choice is a razor with disposable blades, since it at least doesn’t involve tossing a hunk of plastic into the trash every few days. But, I wondered if there was something better out there… something that would leave my legs smoother for longer. Thus began my experimentation with body sugaring.
Body sugaring is an ancient art that has been used for thousands of years – it was the favored hair removal method of the ancient Egyptians. It’s a paste normally made up of sugar, lemon juice, honey or molasses. It’s used much the same way as wax, where a paper or fabric strip is used to remove the hair. It’s said to be less painful than waxing, because the mixture only sticks to the hair, not the skin. Plus, since body sugar is washable, it’s easier to use than wax – it comes right off in the shower.
Some women make their own body sugar at home, but I wasn’t quite up to that task yet – if you don’t get the mixture just right, it won’t work. So I went with Parissa Body Sugar Chamomile Hair Remover, which contains chamomile for its skin-soothing properties.
My experience with it was… interesting. Your mileage may vary. I have super-sensitive skin, so my attempts at removing hair even on what I thought would be a relatively hardy area – my shins – was painful and resulted in angry red bumps that didn’t go away for days. But, I think that problem may also be related to the fact that I’m a newbie – most Parissa users report being extremely happy with the product. The two most important tips to avoid excess irritation seem to be keeping the application thin and pulling the skin very taut while removing the strips.
The pros: One jar can last a really long time, and I discovered that you can wash and re-use the strips, which is great. It’s way cheaper than going to a salon. The ingredients are simple and natural, and it’s fragrance free. The whole process is fairly easy.
The cons: If you have sensitive skin or aren’t up to yanking the strips yourself, you may want to stick with shaving or go to a professional aesthetician. As with waxing, you have to let the hair grow out to at least ¼” inch in between removal sessions.
I’m going to continue using it for a while to see if I can improve my technique, but if I fail to get over the squick factor of pulling the strips off myself, I’ll stick with my trusty razor. Does anyone out there have experience with sugaring yourself and want to share some tips?
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I actually think the shins are one of the more painful areas for waxing and for laser. I had a few laser sessions, and that was the one spot that made me cringe.
As for waxing, I find that it’s easiest to breathe in, then as you pull the strip, breathe out. Immediately apply pressure with your hand to the area.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:10 pmI’ve puzzled over this very topic for years….being part Lebanese and Armenian (as well as British, Scottish and German) I am fairly hairy- too bad I didn’t inherit the less hairy genes of my European ancestors! I’ve given up and turned myself over to the waxing ladies near me- they buy everything in bulk so I always figured that was the best way to go since there was less packaging. I’ve tried waxing myself but it’s really hard to do anything but the lower leg and all the wax stuff comes wrapped in a zillion layers of plastic. But this sounds like something I could actually do myself!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:11 pmOh yeah, and thanks to the Lebanese/Armenian background, I also have incredibly thick, insensitive skin, so waxing doesn’t hurt me at all and has never irritated my skin- but not much does!
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:13 pmI read an article on treehugger about how the electronic hair removal systems are the greenest way to de-fuz. So I went out and bought a Braun Epilator (not that I am endorsing them, just being specific). It’s pretty good. It lasts a good week, sometimes more, but again you have to wait until the hair is long enough to pull. Also, it is not pain free and if you have very sensitive skin, it might be very irritating. Although it cost me $49 and there is no waste at all, it does use electricity, but you are not running water so… I am however, considering the No No http://www.my-no-no.com because it is supposed to (supportrd by some independent blogs) reduce the amount of re-growth. My b-day is coming up, so maybe i’ll treat myself. I’ll blog about it if all goes well. (Okay lets be honest, I am totally blogging about if it all doesn’t go well also.)
September 2nd, 2008 at 6:36 pmredness and bumps can be common after waxing or using a sugar product. since the hair is removed from the root, blood rushes to the surface and can create redness or bumps. this can also happen with epilators or even with tweezing. the redness should disappear within an hour and should become less the more often you use a wax or sugar product. if you continue to be irritated with removing hair, one key thing could also be the way you are removing the strip. as you said, keeping the skin taut is important…but also, it’s very important to remove the strip parallel to the skin. pulling the strip up or away from the skin can lead to excessive irritation, redness or even bruising. using a wax or sugar is like any other beauty regiment…the more familiar you become with it, the better the results.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 amI can’t wax myself (just too wimpy) but I switched to a salon that does sugaring last year and love love love it. I’d highly recommend it to anyone, especially because it doesn’t burn (it’s not hot, just warm) and doesn’t take off the top layer of my ultra-sensitive skin. Though the salon I go to is in Germany, the aesthetician there said she buys her stuff from alexandria professional and they certify people around the US and Canada and googling for a salon that days it comes up with loads of hits. Try it. It’s great…
September 7th, 2008 at 6:40 amI have been waxing myself for years. Same process as sugaring, just different goo.
The best advice I can give you is to keep it up. You will only get better with practice.
On a more helpful note: 1) Apply a very thin layer. Too much goo and it will not stick well to the fabric. 2) Just power through it. So what if it hurts a little? I have super sensitive skin and the irritation from shaving hurts way more. 3) If using wax, regular cooking oil will take off excess from skin. No need to buy the special stuff.
Also, if you are using fabric strips, don’t buy the salon stuff. Go to the fabric store and buy muslin by the yard. Then cut it into 2-3 inch wide strips of whatever length you like. Much cheaper and more efficient than the salon stuff.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:05 amAfter many years of going to a salon for my bikini wax, I started sugaring (using Moom Organic Sugaring w/ Lavender) - it’s amazing!! I’ve been doing it almost 5 months now and I’m still using the same $20 jar (talk about saving some money)! And the strips are washable which is also great. I used to have alot of irritation after the waxes (more when I used to shave) but I haven’t had ANY after sugaring…and it’s ALOT less painful than waxing! Just don’t let your hair get too long and it’ll hurt less. Afterwards, I put some lavender EO and some witch hazel…
September 10th, 2008 at 2:59 pmI read your stories from begining to the end and I think that is interesting stories.. I think i will share this stories again to my friend and I hope this stories will be usefull for them… oh yes I suggest you to check my blog on http://top-hairremoval.blogspot.com/ , I hope the article on my blog will be usefull for you… and we can share each other. thank you… ;-)
September 28th, 2008 at 11:32 am[...] Stephanie at Eco-chick tells us all about body sugaring, a method of hair removal that has been used for thousands of years. Body sugar is a paste made of sugar, lemon juice, honey or molasses, which you then apply, let dry, and remove in strips. Check out her post for more, including a review of body sugaring in general and Parissa Body Sugar. [...]
October 26th, 2008 at 11:27 pm