Let’s be honest, hair removal isn’t at the top of anyone’s list of things they love to do. It’s time consuming, expensive and can hurt or cause irritation depending on how you do it. Whether you prefer shaving, sugaring or waxing, it’s helpful to know which hair removal methods best suit your own individual needs.
Pros And Cons Of Shaving
It’s pretty typical that most of us start our hair removal journeys with shaving. It’s fairly easy to do, can be cheap depending on the products you use, and can be done in the comfort of your home. After all, not all of us are comfortable with exposing ourselves to complete strangers like you might have to with sugaring or waxing.
While razors (disposable or electric) and shaving cream can get expensive, it’s generally still cheaper than sugaring or waxing depending on which body parts you’re removing hair from. You can also shave as often as you’d like without having to worry about giving your hair enough time to grow out before your next removal. While shaving does offer great benefits, there are also some cons.
Shaving tends to lead to more irritation and ingrown hairs than sugaring or waxing, especially if you have sensitive skin. There’s also the potential for cutting yourself which is NEVER fun. If you have shaving battle scars, you are absolutely not alone.
Depending on how quickly your hair grows, shaving becomes a pain when you have to do it constantly. For most, those buttery-smooth legs, pits, arms or bikini lines only last a few days before you can start to feel the prickly sensation of hair regrowth. And shaving TOO often only leads to additional irritation like razor burn or itching.
Overall though, shaving is generally the most accessible and affordable method of hair removal, and it also hurts a lot less.
What's The Difference Between Sugaring And Waxing?
Sugaring and waxing are essentially the same idea, but done with different methods and ingredients. Sugaring paste is made with only 3 ingredients: sugar, lemon juice and water. This makes sugaring the most natural, hypoallergenic option for hair removal.
Waxing can be done in 2 forms: soft or hard wax. The ingredients can differ, but these waxes are primarily made with beeswax, resin or rosin, water, oils, vitamins and often chemical additives.
As far as application and removal, sugaring paste is applied at room temperature directly against hair growth and quickly removed in the direction of the growth. The sugar paste and hair can be removed with or without a strip, but is generally meant to be used without. Sugaring is safe for hair removal on virtually any part of the body.
Wax on the other hand is typically heated, applied in the direction of hair growth and removed against hair growth. Soft wax is removed with a strip, while hard wax is removed without one. Generally soft wax is used for waxing larger areas and hard wax is used on smaller, more sensitive areas like the face or genitals.
Pros And Cons Of Sugaring
So what’s the deal with sugaring? It offers a ton of benefits!
Starting with the obvious, its 3 ingredient and all natural formula makes it super gentle on even the most sensitive of skin. Technically, you could eat it if you really wanted to, so if that doesn’t make you feel safe about what you’re using on your skin, I’m not sure what else will!
It’s great for exfoliating because it removes dead skin cells. Unlike certain types of wax, sugar paste can be applied to the same area several times to remove and missed or stubborn hairs as well, leaving you as smooth as possible. Because of the direction that it’s applied and removed, it also gets even the shorter hairs out, which isn’t always the case with waxing.
Sugaring is easy to clean up with water, doesn’t put you at risk of getting burned, and allows hair to grow back more sparse, thinner and softer the more you do it.
There aren’t many cons to sugaring in all honesty. Like all things, a little irritation is always a possibility, especially your first few times. That’s why keeping up with exfoliation and moisturizing is so important.
Although sugaring is generally more gentle on the skin, it may not always be enough to get every single hair out, especially if you have thick hair. If a few stray hairs don’t bother you, then it shouldn’t be too much of a concern. While it’s typically less painful than waxing, it can still be uncomfortable or painful, particularly the first time.
Pros And Cons Of Waxing
Waxing has been around for a very long time and offers a lot of the same benefits as sugaring. The more that it’s done, the more your hairs grow back finer and more sparse. Your skin also gets a form of exfoliation with each wax, leaving it soft and smooth.
Depending on whether you’re using hard or soft wax will dictate whether or not it can be applied to the same area more than once. Generally with soft wax, it cannot be applied to the same spot twice, but hard wax can be if done safely. Either way, it’s definitely a step up from shaving.
Hard waxing allows for larger areas of hair to be removed quickly. It’s also great for removing coarse or thicker hair and doesn’t require strips to be used to remove it, unlike soft waxing. So if you’re someone with thick hair and want to be bare, waxing might be the perfect fit for you.
Some downsides to waxing are it can be more painful than sugaring. This can be due to the heat of the wax or just the feeling of it being pulled off in general since it can take off more skin. The ingredients used for waxing can often cause irritation, especially for those with more sensitive skin.
Because of the way wax is applied and removed, it can lead to hair breakage, causing uncomfortable ingrown hairs. That won’t always be the case, but it’s a possibility to be mindful of. If you have really sensitive skin, waxing in general might not be the best fit for you.
So What's Best - Shaving, Sugaring Or Waxing?
It’s pretty safe to say sugaring or waxing take the cake. Sugaring is growing more popular than ever before and many people are replacing their normal shaving or waxing routine with it for many reasons. But overall, they’re both super beneficial methods of hair removal, cause the least amount of irritation and allow you to be hair-free as long as possible.
Sugaring is generally the most expensive, followed by waxing, then shaving. Yes, these can all be done in your own home rather than by a professional. However, it’s recommended that you do a ton of research and learn the proper ways to do it before attempting it yourself.
It’s usually best to leave this type of work up to the professionals though. They’ll be able to administer all the important care before, during and after your wax or sugaring to get you the best results possible. A great thing to include in your post-hair removal routine is an oil to prevent ingrown hairs and treat any irritation.
Final Thoughts
Whichever hair removal methods work for you, all the power to you! Waxing, shaving and sugaring all have their own pros and cons. It really comes down to your own individual needs. What works for you might not work for someone else.
If you want to be bare for as long as possible, sugaring or waxing is definitely the way to go. If you don’t mind shaving every few days or once a week and can’t justify paying for waxes or sugaring every 3-5 weeks, that’s cool too!