When it comes to learning how to use wax strips, things are fairly simple and straightforward.
Waxing is not exactly the easiest hair removal method to do at home by yourself but you should keep in mind that that it’s actually a fact that applies to hard wax.
Hard wax is the one with the more complicated instructions and you can read all about that in my post on the best at-home waxing kits.
Fortunately,
We’re here to talk about how to use wax strips both on the face and body so, let’s jump straight into it.
The important thing to remember is that you can use the same strip multiple times until all the wax is gone and it doesn’t stick the hairs anymore.
Also, each package should have its own instructions on how to use wax strips, read those as well. As always, read everything written on the package, even for something as simple as these products.
Contents
How to Use Wax Strips for Face
Cold facial wax strips had been for a very long time my preferred facial hair removal method due to their ease of use and efficiency in removing the hairs from the follicles.
I replaced them when I got an epilator with a facial cap but that’s a story that you’ll find in my other posts.
Even so, I definitely think that using cold facial wax strips at home is simple and anyone can do it if they follow the simple instructions on how to use wax strips for face:
1. since we’re talking about facial hair removal, I prefer washing my face before and make sure to dry it really well, wax and water or sweat don’t make a good pair
2. take a cold facial wax strip and warm it between your hands by rubbing them for just a few seconds – it has two sides and if you want to pull them apart easily, you need to warm up the wax a bit between your hands
3. pull the two sides apart
4. apply one in the direction in which the hair is growing, keep your face relaxed when you do that
5. when it comes to the upper lip, split the job in two: first apply the strip on the first half and then the do other, I never attempted to apply an entire strip on my whole upper lip
6. massage the strip so that the wax sticks to all the hairs, it needs to stick to them in order to remove them so make sure of that by gently massaging the entire strip
7. now, it’s time to pull off the strip: hold the skin fixed with one hand, lift the corner of the strip with your dominant hand and pull the wax strip very quickly and swiftly in the opposite direction in which the hair is growing, as close to the skin as you can
8. it’s crucial to pull off the wax strip in a quick swift movement, no hesitation because that way the wax will be removed quickly from the skin together with the hairs, if you’re not fast enough the wax will stick to the skin and so will the hairs – you have nothing to be afraid of, the pain is really not bad at all and it’s all over before you know it
9. remove the wax residues with the wipes that came in the package or by using baby oil, coconut oil, olive oil etc.
10. wash your face again or just the waxed area, preferably with a gentle cleanser
11. always moisturize immediately after – you can use an aloe vera gel and then apply your moisturizer if you have sensitive skin
12. avoid as much as you can direct exposure to sun for a couple of days after and always wear sunscreen
Frankly, the whole success of using cold wax strips relies on how you pull off the wax strip. If you do it swiftly and very quickly, most of the hairs should be left on the strip and not on your skin.
For the rest of the hairs that were not pulled, you can apply a second strip, that’s what I do. If you’re just starting off with waxing and are afraid of irritating the skin, you can remove the remaining hairs with a pair of tweezers instead.
How to Use Wax Strips for Body
When it comes to the steps for how to use wax strips for body, they are the same as the ones I’ve enumerated above for how to use wax strips for face:
- when waxing bodily hair, the hair needs to have a certain length, preferably the hairs should be ¼ inches long so that the wax can grab them and pull them from the follicles
- another thing you should do is to exfoliate a day before waxing (you should also exfoliate regularly) – it will help prevent ingrown hairs and the skin will be clean of dead skin cells
- before waxing, on the body you can also apply baby powder to absorb excess moisture, especially on areas that tend to sweat, like the underarms, the bikini line, the chest, and the back
- warm the strip between your hands, use more friction because there’s a lot more wax on these strips for body
- apply the strip in the direction in which the hair is growing, make sure that it’s applied with a bit of pressure so that the entire strip adheres to the skin
- here is an important part: you really need to massage the strip so that the wax sticks to all hairs and their length, rub the strip in the direction of hair growth
- keep the skin taut (stretched) and quickly pull the strip with your free hand
- make the pull very quickly and with no hesitation and that’s the success to removing hairs with wax strips
- not 100% of hairs will be removed from the first try but if you pulled it properly not a lot of them should be left behind either
- you can apply the same strip to see if it can remove the unremoved hairs, it should still have enough free wax left on it but if it’s too full of hairs use another new wax strip
- when you’re done completely, you can remove the wax residues with baby oil or any other type of oil
- you can take a short shower with lukewarm water
- moisturize immediately after with a nourishing body lotion or with an after-wax skin calming lotion to prevent irritation and keep the redness to a minimum
- you can moisturize you intimate area daily to prevent irritation and itchiness
- for 24 to 48 hours avoid tight clothes, sun exposure and sweaty activities
- after a couple of days, you can also exfoliate again
You can use cold wax strips for body on all places – underarms, back, chest, legs, and bikini line.
I said bikini line and not bikini area for a reason. I don’t consider that the cold wax strips for body are strong enough to remove the coarse hairs that most of us have in the intimate area. It can lead to a lot of frustration.
Nevertheless,
For the body, I recommend using hard wax. There’s really no comparison on how well hard wax works and it can be used on the face, as well. If you get a waxing kit there’s no point in getting wax strips just for the face.
But wax strips can be useful when you’re traveling. They’re good enough for some maintenance.
What Are Wax Strips?
As their name suggests, they’re strips of cold wax that can be used without preparation. They’re very easy to use and not messy, which makes people want to give them a try.
They just need to be rubbed a bit between the hands and the two sides of the strip will come apart, each side has its own strip of cold wax. They’re double-sided.
They also come with wipes to remove the wax residues, you get a mini kit in a small package for a pretty good price.
Some also contain other ingredients, like essential oils, shea butter, aloe vera, vitamin E and so on. Those are for hydrating and lessening the irritating effect but I don’t think that they do that much.
I am big fan of those for the face but not so a big fan of those for the body. Most of us have rather thick hairs on most parts of our body and hard wax is much more suitable for those. Even microwavable hard wax is a better alternative.
Why Use Cold Wax Strips
I settled on cold facial wax strips to remove my upper lip hair because:
- they were quite affordable
- the waxing only had to be done once every 2 weeks because when it comes to facial hair the ideal hair length for waxing doesn’t apply the same it does for the body – waxing facial hair once every 2 weeks is the average time between sessions for most of us
- the hair removal was not that painful because most of the hairs are pulled swiftly from their follicles in the first try
- it was fast and not messy
- my acne prone-skin adapted quite quickly to them and it didn’t broke out, even the redness will pass quickly once the skin gets used to them
You can use them on all parts of the face by following the above steps on how to use wax strips.
Most of us only wax our upper lip hair but they can be used for chin hair removal, sideburns and so on.
If you’re using them on the eyebrows be careful on not messing the shape of your eyebrows by sticking the strip on hairs that shouldn’t be removed.
It’s just easier to use them for the area between the eyebrows but even that can be a bit complicated because some cold facial wax strips are quite narrow. For the eyebrows it’s definitely easier although more time-consuming to be sticking to a pair of tweezers.
And there you have it, how to use wax strips in simple terms and instructions, I truly think that they’re very easy to use but I tried to explain the whole process as I do it.