All about hand shugaring

Shugaring is the simplest and most affordable method of removing hair from the body surface. The essence of the technique is to use a thick paste consisting of sugar, which tightly envelops the hairs and helps to remove them. Compared to other methods of depilation, shugaring does not entail getting burns, cuts, allergies, which is an especially important factor for those whose skin has a high degree of sensitivity.

The composition of sugar paste for shugaring does not have any harmful chemical components. On the contrary, it is completely natural and harmless. It is very easy to use sugar paste to depilate exposed skin. Quite often, this technique is used to remove hair on the arms and legs. The effectiveness of shugaring is high: the effect of smooth skin lasts at least a month.

The effectiveness of shugaring lies in the fact that sugar paste, falling on the surface of the skin, not only envelops each hair, but also penetrates into the channels of the epithelium. The paste adheres tightly to the surface of the skin, so when it is torn off, it pulls out a large amount of hair along with the hair follicles.

In the process of epilation, the hairs do not break off and do not stretch, therefore the technique is effective and safe. You can do it in the salon or with your own hands, performing the procedure for yourself at home.

Like any other epilation procedure, shugaring has advantages and disadvantages that must be taken into account. First, let's look at the positive aspects of manipulation:

• the cost of the procedure performed at home is quite low, and the ingredients for making sugar paste are in most cases always at hand;
• sugar paste prepared for shugaring is completely natural and does not cause allergic reactions on the skin;
• the effectiveness of the sugar hair removal procedure is high, and the result lasts at least 30 days;
• the technique of performing the procedure does not imply the appearance of burns or infection of the skin;
• sugar paste, sticking to the skin, removes not only hairs, but also keratinized cells of the epidermis, thereby cleansing the skin surface and rejuvenating it.

Negative sides of the procedure:

• soreness during the removal of the paste from the skin (it is felt differently, depending on the level of the pain threshold);
• the short-term effect of redness is the result of mechanical action on the skin;
• if the technology for performing the procedure is violated, a pustular rash may develop;
• pigmentation of the skin in areas where there was repeated application of the paste with subsequent removal;
• the effect of ingrown hair.

All negative manifestations on the skin after the shugaring procedure arise due to improper implementation of the technique. Deep infection of the skin in this case is excluded, but a superficial pustular rash can develop due to neglect of the rules of asepsis. Ointments with anti-inflammatory components or compresses with herbal infusion will help to eliminate such a rash.

Materials for shugaring can be purchased at specialized retail outlets or prepared on your own. For work, you need a dense sugar paste of a uniform consistency. To make such a composition at home, you need to pick up a small container, prepare sugar, lemon juice, and (optionally) honey, essential oils or herbal decoction, which will replace ordinary water.

The technique for making shugaring paste is as follows:

• pour 100 g of granulated sugar into a metal container, add 1 tablespoon of water to it and put on a small fire;
• the mixture must be stirred regularly so that it does not burn to the walls of the container;
• as it melts, the sugar will change color to golden brown, while the composition will be thick;
• a drop of the composition must be dropped into the water: if it immediately solidifies, this will mean that the paste is ready.

After you have cooked the shugaring paste, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and a few drops of essential oil to it. If you wish, you can add a little honey or a decoction of herbs, but so that the thickness of the paste does not decrease.

The shugaring procedure is considered simple, but beginners need to know some of the nuances of how to properly do such depilation. It is worth paying attention to the air temperature in the room where hair removal is to be done. In a hot room, the sugar paste will spread, it will not stick in this state to the skin and hairs.

Before starting shugaring, hygienic cleaning of the skin is performed. To do this, take a bath or hot shower. The skin in a steamed state will not react so strongly to pulling out hairs, and the session itself will be much faster and easier, which will make it possible to efficiently and fully process the skin. During hygiene procedures, a scrub is often used, which thoroughly cleanses the skin of the body and will promote intimate contact of the sugar paste with the epidermis and hairs.

To perform a hand epilation session, it is necessary that the hairs grow back by 5-7 mm. If they are shorter, the paste will not be able to fully capture them, due to which the effect of shugaring will be low. If the hairs are too long, removing them will be more painful. Therefore, 3-4 days before the sugaring, it is recommended to shave the surface of the skin with a razor, and then refuse any type of hair removal before the start of the session.

The master in the salon performs epilation with sugar paste in gloves, having previously disinfected the client's skin and his hands. At home, hands and the area to be treated must also be treated with an antiseptic. Other important points are the correct temperature and consistency of the sugar paste. The paste should not be liquid or too hot, so that its composition does not begin to stick to your hands. In structure, it can be soft, medium or hard. It is most convenient to use a paste with a medium plasticity.

The step-by-step instructions for the procedure for removing hair from the surface of the hands includes the treatment of the forearm with the capture of the hand (if necessary) and the shoulder. The treatment regimen may be partial, for example including only the treatment of the forearms up to the elbow joint. And in the case when you need to treat the shoulder, the salon will offer you a full range, including the forearm.

When doing the procedure at home, you can do it however you see fit and treat the shoulder and forearm separately. In this case, the processing schemes will look as follows.

The process of processing the hand in the forearm area is performed up to the elbow. To perform this manipulation, you need to prepare a sugar paste and treat the skin with an antiseptic. Next, you need to proceed as follows:

• the hand is placed at an angle of 90 degrees, while the fingers must be kept in a bent position, and the area of ​​the hand and wrist must be relaxed as much as possible;
• the other hand scoops up a small amount of warm paste with three fingers folded in the form of a spatula;
• the paste is rolled into a ball, brought to the surface of the forearm of the epilated hand and distributed with a wide smear with firm pressure;
• wait a few seconds until the sugar composition adheres to the skin;
• then the paste is torn off sharply in the direction of hair growth.

For convenience, a cloth bandage can be applied over the paste and torn off with it. If there are hairs left at the epilation site, it is best to remove them with tweezers.

After the forearm area has been processed, you can move on. The procedure is performed in the same way as for the forearm treatment:

• the setting of the hand is performed in the form of a triangle (the hand must be thrown behind the head);
• the area around the elbow is processed, and for the convenience of performing the tear-off, the skin must be pulled in the opposite direction;
• the area of ​​the shoulder is processed from the inside, then we just go to the outside, fixing the skin in the area of ​​the shoulder joint while tearing off the paste.

Immediately after the end of epilation, the skin is washed with warm water and soap, and then wiped with an antiseptic lotion containing alcohol. This measure is necessary to prevent infections. The next step is to apply a soothing cream or gel with aloe or chamomile to your skin to help relieve redness and moisturize the epidermis.

You can use the scrub after shugaring only after a week. You can sunbathe, visit the pool or solarium after 10 days. In the first week after hair removal, it is recommended to regularly treat the skin with an anti-inflammatory cream and wear clothes made from natural fabrics with loose sleeves.

The shugaring procedure allows you to achieve smoothness of the skin, which lasts for up to 30 days, after which the epilation can be repeated again. Regular treatment contributes to the fact that the hairline becomes thinner and weaker, the number of hairs decreases, and over time they resemble weak vellus hair.

Between sugaring sessions, you do not have to resort to depilation with cream or shaving, as the skin will be smooth and silky. By the end of the third week, new hairs will gradually break through, and already in the fourth week they will reach 4-5 mm in length, which is required for a new epilation.

Shugaring is a mechanical method of hair removal, after which the hairs grow back a month later. According to the reviews of women who practice this procedure on a regular basis, the method has established itself on the positive side, as it is simple and affordable to perform. After shugaring, the hair grows much weaker and thinner, so there is practically no pain when they are removed. Some women note that the effect of smooth skin over time can be up to 5 weeks.