Sugar Wax Hair Removal

There are many options to choose from when it comes to hair removal. While disposable shavers are wasteful, there are other environmental and health considerations when choosing a hair removal regime.

Have you tried a reusable safety razor and are sick of shaving? 

Waxing is a great option but can be expensive to go to a salon, plus salon or store bought waxes are full of synthetic fragrances, preservatives and plastics. Not so eco-friendly. Hair removal creams are even worse- toxic chemicals contained in plastic packaging, these pollute our bodies and our waterways.

Opting for a more natural approach is a great idea for your skin, the environment, and your bank balance.

Here is our method for DIY waxing at home using sugar wax and cloth strips. There are two methods for sugar waxing, with strips or without. We prefer using cloth strips as it is easier in our opinion. This method is great for legs and eye brows/lips waxing but we would caution about hot wax near bikini areas until you have had experience using this method.

SUGAR WAX

This method is so simple and uses ingredients you have around the home.

Ingredients:

1 cup White Sugar

1/4 Cup water

1/3 Cup Lemon Juice 

1. Add all the ingredients into a pot and put on a medium heat.

2. Allow mix to reach a low-rolling boil until it becomes the colour of honey. Take care not to over-cook as it will not stick to cloth and will turn into a sugar wax.

3. Once honey coloured, let it cool in the pot for 10 mins then transfer to a jam jar or heat-resistant container.

HAIR REMOVAL

Strips of non-stretch thick cotton work best. 

Cut fabric to suit area to be waxed. 25cm long and 7cm wide is great for legs 10cm long and 2cm wide is great for facial waxing.

It is very important to make sure the wax has cooled enough before use as it can burn the skin. Sugar burns are very bad!

1. Using a spatula, popsicle stick or butter knife, scrape a thin line along the direction of hair. Take care to only apply as much as your cloth will cover. Place the cloth over your wax strip. Rub in direction of hair to create some friction/heat.

2. Pull tight or hold steady skin and pull off the strip in a quick motion up against hair direction. use same strip to collect any bits of wax left behind. As you work you may need to slightly re-heat wax but take care to not over heat.

After finishing waxing apply some conditioning lotion or oil to hydrate your skin.

To clean up, soak the strips in hot water in a bucket in the laundry. The wax will dissolve after soaking for half an hour. Drain and throw into the washing machine for a quick wash cycle and hang to dry ready for next time.

Leftover wax can be stored in the jar with a lid in a cool dark place. To reheat next time, place the jar in a bath of water in a pot and boil for a few minutes until soft. take care to allow to cool to safe temperature and it is ready to use again.

The wax can be stored for a very long time because of the high sugar content, though make sure you clean up spills to avoid ants.