Selection and application of wax strips for depilation

In the past few decades, for any young lady, the rule of good manners is to remove hair everywhere except the scalp and eyebrows, and wax strips are among the top best depilatory products. Nevertheless, there are so many alternatives that the thought involuntarily suggests itself that such stripes are not sinless after all. If you've never used this tool before, or just want to learn more about it, this article will definitely come in handy.

Actually, the description of the product is partly laid down in its name - these are wax-based strips, which additionally have a paper or fabric base to make them easier to tear off. The procedure for removing hair using such an accessory is called wax depilation or simply waxing. The strips do not require any additional heating - they are simply applied to the skin with the right side, smoothed by hands, and under the influence of the heat of the human body, the wax melts, capturing the hair. Then, with a sharp movement, the fragment is torn off, and the hairs, along with the bulbs, remain on it.

It is clear that such a procedure cannot be absolutely painless, and after it, especially if used improperly, irritation, redness, and in severe cases even bruising may occur. However, The variety of wax strips allows you to choose a product depending on the type of skin, and the exact adherence to the procedure practically eliminates any negative consequences.

When deciding on the ideal depilation method for you personally, you need to understand that there is no universal solution to the problem of excess vegetation yet - each depilation method has both advantages and disadvantages. It remains only to understand what the advantages of which method seem to you to be the most significant and with whose disadvantages you can put up with it.

Let's start with the good things when studying the properties of wax strips.

• Always at hand. Waxing is available absolutely everywhere; strips are used mainly at home. They are sold everywhere and can easily fit in your pocket, which means you can take them with you even on vacation and do not have to draw up a strict depilation schedule.
• Don't wait for your hair to grow back. The disadvantage of many other methods is the need to wait until the hairs reach a quite noticeable length. During this period, it is somehow a shame to bare the same legs, but waxing captures vegetation already at a length of 1.5 mm, when it is still not striking! At the same time, the product is effective for hair no longer than 0.5 cm, but it is unlikely that any modern woman will start to run herself harder.
• There are no significant costs. Wax strips are made from very cheap materials, and therefore cost a penny themselves. Moreover, many types of such a tool can be used several times - if the vegetation on your body is thin, the already used strip can be glued again, and it will give a result!
• Long lasting effect. By pulling out a hair directly from the bulb, a quick hair restoration is not possible. We have already noted that the result lasts for at least one and a half weeks, but this is for young ladies who have a very acute problem. Everyone else will be able to enjoy the smoothness of their own skin for much longer - usually within a month.

However, if wax strips in themselves were already an ideal means for depilation, they would not have competitors - nevertheless, we all know that there are also laser hair removal, sugaring and even classic shaving, which is still relevant. This is because waxing, unfortunately, also has its drawbacks and we also need to talk about them.

• It hurts. There are not so many completely painless types of depilation, and strips certainly do not belong to them. The more hairs per square centimeter, the more painful it will be to tear off the strip, or you will have to spend extra money on pain relieving ointments.
• The consequences can be ugly. Vegetation is removed in order to expose legs and other body parts without hesitation. However, after depilation, performed with a loose fit of the strip, even bruises may remain that will not heal instantly.
• Doesn't always work on the first try. Abundant vegetation and not a very high-quality product can lead to the fact that the torn strip still does not remove all the hair underneath. It can, of course, be re-glued, but that means another round of execution.
• Coarse hair instead of a fluff. It is not recommended to remove soft fluff using wax strips - over time, the hair at the site of the removed one will recover, but then it will be dark and coarse hair, which will be more conspicuous and cause more pain when trying to remove it.

As mentioned above, there are many ways to remove hair, and their variety is due to the fact that there is no panacea. When giving preference to any of the means, you need to do it consciously, understanding why you have chosen this particular method of depilation.

For example, a razor, like wax strips, at first glance seems just as practical - you can also buy it in any store and carry it with you in your purse, it does not require going to the salon and is quite inexpensive. The downside, however, is obvious - shaving gives a result no longer than a few days, but in fact, after 2-3 days, you have to shave again. Another thing is that shaving is less traumatic for the skin, and in skilled hands the razor will not cause as much pain as it would from strips.

At the time of its appearance, it was very sensational depilatory cream as a means that does not bring any pain. On the one hand, this is true, on the other, it is better not to abuse them, because this is a chemistry that, if overexposed, can cause burns. Irritation on the skin after use is possible from both funds, but a clear plus of the cream is the possibility of using it even in intimate areas with a difficult relief, and a minus - the effect lasts for a week.

Hair removal by waxing and method shugaringa very similar overall, but there are slight differences. In the salon, both of these procedures are almost ideal, but it is not cheap, and shugaring will cost a little more, and even take more time. At home, shugaring is possible, but, again, it will be more expensive and longer - the mixture will have to be cooked independently from sugar and lemon juice with the addition of some additional components.

It is believed that shugaring treats the skin more sparingly, but in fact, a lot depends on how the master works. The effect will be about the same, because in both cases the hairs are pulled out by the roots.

At first glance, the laser simply breaks the competitor. Contrary to the stories of some "experts" who claim that laser hair removal permanently removes hair, one must understand that the course consists of several procedures, and they do not completely remove vegetation - however, the effect still lasts many times longer than after waxing. In addition, the laser is widely advertised as a painless procedure, which also attracts attention.

However, in fact, not everything is so rosy and it is worth starting at least with the fact that the laser is a purely salon procedure, it requires the participation of a specialist and costs decent money. The result, no matter how good it is, is not instantaneous at all - after exposure, the hairs begin to fall out only after 2-3 weeks, and then gradually. If you need to go to the beach tomorrow, the option with a laser is no longer needed.

The strips themselves are different - not all of them have wax already applied. In everyday life, of course, they most often use already cut and immediately with wax, however, professionals prefer to purchase clean ones and in rolls - this is cheaper and lasts longer, and the strips themselves can be used both for waxing and for shugaring.

Rolled strips are designed to work with different types of wax - hot, warm and even cold. The differences between individual rolls are in the length, density of the material, dimensions of individual easily separable fragments (targeting certain parts of the body).

The disposable category usually includes paper wax strips, also called non-woven strips. Due to the low strength of the material, they are not suitable both for reusable use and for professional use with warm or hot wax - usually only cold wax is suitable, and it has already been applied to the product by the manufacturer.

This version of the product is already made from various fabrics, therefore it is more expensive.The use of fabric material negatively affects the cost, but the benefit here is different - the fabric is, in principle, stronger than paper, therefore an already used fragment can be glued and torn off again if the wax on it is not very clogged with hair... Professionals use only such products, considering that only it allows the use of hot wax, which is popular in beauty salons.

The modern assortment of wax strips is made up of dozens of different manufacturers, among which there are only leaders, but there is no company suitable for absolutely everyone. The situation here is similar to that of depilation in general - there is no solution to the problem ideal for everyone, every girl must find for herself those strips that are right for her... What suits your friend perfectly can annoy you every time, and vice versa, so you will have to look for “your” strips.

Nevertheless, some brands have managed to gain fame as good ones among a wide range of consumers, therefore, first of all, it is necessary to pay attention to their products. These include Veet, Shary, Lady Caramel, Deep Depil, Markell, Beauty Image, Byly.

With the onset of the era of wax strips, manufacturers at first produced such products in a purely universal version, which was supposedly suitable for all zones. Over time, it became clear that removing hair on the legs and above the lip or in the intimate area is a task that requires a completely different approach. In view of this, companies began to produce separate sets for each zone, which today differ not only in size, but also in the composition of the wax applied - pain relieving components are added for sensitive parts of the body.

For the face, in the broadest sense, strips are produced, which should be of short length. They are usually designed to remove the gun, which does not cling to the skin so tightly, but a reliable fixation of the strip is required. Otherwise, an ugly abrasion will remain in place of the former mustache, for which you will have to blush no less.

Products for armpits solve one of the most difficult problems - here both the sensitive area and the hairs are usually dark and coarse. You can't get out here - it will hurt in any case, therefore it is recommended to take wide strips that will cover the entire armpit at once. Again, it is undesirable to repeat the procedure several times in a row, so take the most "tenacious" strips - let it hurt only once.

Leg waxing is considered the easiest in the sense that it is the least sensitive area. The difficulty here lies in something else: the hairs are quite tough and they are set deep, therefore they will have to be pulled out thoroughly. For this purpose, strips of considerable length are better than any others. Products for hands are selected according to approximately the same logic.

The intimate area is the place where, in principle, you cannot use strips for any other areas. The maximum delicacy of the action is important here, because manufacturers add extracts of chamomile, aloe and other plants to the wax, designed to calm the pain and heal damaged skin faster.

As we learned from the previous section, the first step is to choose the correct strips that suit the nose, eyebrows, or any other area that needs treatment. However, depilatory strips suggest that they will also be used correctly, otherwise they can only make things worse. What are the subtleties of using them at home, allowing you to remove hair as painlessly as possible, we will consider further.

An obligatory moment is preliminary preparation of the skin. You can glue any strips only on clean skin - take a shower or a bath before applying them. To disinfect, also wipe the skin with lotion or tonic - this is another argument to avoid inflammation.

At room temperature, the wax is usually hard and needs to be warmed up - at home, using inexpensive strips, this is done simply by hand. Just rub them in your hands, but do not rush to tear off the protective layer, otherwise you will lubricate the wax with your fingers. When you feel that the strip has softened, remove the protective film and stick the fragment in the direction of hair growth, just press it well, otherwise there will be pain, but no effect.

It is usually necessary to hold it for no more than a few seconds, but it is also better to clarify this point in the instructions for a specific product. It is necessary to tear it off against the growth of the hair with a sharp movement, and so that it is not so painful, it is necessary to tighten the skin before the jerk. In an inexperienced master, the hairs are not removed along with the bulb, but simply break, sometimes they even simply remain in the skin - you can remove their remnants by gluing the strip to the already treated area again.

After tearing off the strip, not only hair, but also wax can remain on the skin - it can be washed off only with the help of fatty substances. Some manufacturers add a wash to the kit, but you can do with the tools at hand - just wipe the skin with an ordinary napkin soaked in olive oil.

Be prepared that the treated area will inevitably turn red, and even the most thorough care will remove the redness only after about a day. Another thing, if even after 24 hours no improvement is observed, it is likely that the inflammatory process has started, and its cessation requires additional efforts. In this case, the damaged area must be treated with antibacterial agents.

Waxing for the skin is quite traumatic, and in the first days it will recover from the shock experienced - at this time it should be taken care of. The effect of all restrictions extends for two days - at this time, you should not warm up the skin too much, whether it be the sun's rays, a sauna, a bath or a hot bath.

On the one hand, these days wax strips are sold in absolutely any supermarket, on the other hand, there are times when it is still not possible to buy them. Nevertheless, female beauty constantly requires efforts to maintain it, and if so, it is necessary to come up with an alternative. Some young ladies are principled fans of waxing and are not ready to use something else instead of strips - which means they have to be made by ourselves.

Actually, making strips on your own is not difficult - you just need to take a base material similar to the one you are used to using. In most cases, this is stretch paper or thin fabric. You can cut such material into fragments of the size that is needed for the zone being processed at the moment. After that, simply spread the wax on such strips.

In pursuit of honesty, it is worth clarifying that homemade strips will make you tinker and will not at all be as convenient as purchased ones. To lubricate the product with wax, the latter must be melted, and it, without a protective layer, will initially leak, and the strip will be difficult to warm up in your hands. It also makes it harder to mix soothing ingredients with homemade wax.

If we consider the methods of depilation purely from the point of view of popularity, then the real competitor for wax strips is perhaps a razor - all other methods are used much less often. Thanks to this, there are quite a few reviews on the thematic forums about wax strips in general and about the products of individual brands in particular. Most of them, for obvious reasons, are rather positive - if the tool caused a clear massive negative, it would not be used.

As a rule, women's opinions about waxing have two main vectors. First: if you use waxing in the salon, then it, of course, costs money, but practically does not hurt. Second: you can use the strips conveniently and inexpensively at home. Although it is painful, you can make such sacrifices for the sake of beauty.

There is also a third point of view, which nevertheless emphasizes more the disadvantages of wax strips. But the ladies who adhere to it are either particularly sensitive, or they can afford more expensive methods. These two categories of women should take a closer look at all the alternatives for hair removal that exist.

See the video below for three ways to depilate at home.