Waxing vs. Sugaring

As moms, we don’t put ourselves first. If we did, we would all be rested and pampered all of the time. But in my over nine years of parenting, I have learned there are certain things I need to do for myself to make me feel put together and human. One of those is getting my nails done somewhat regularly. Have I walked around with half of my fingernails looking terrifying because I have recently peeled off the shellac polish from them? Oh more times that I can count. And, yes, I know that’s really bad for my nails. But I also know you can probably relate.

The other thing I regularly do is get waxed.

I was talking to a friend about it (because yes dads, that is a topic that wives and moms talk about), and she told me I just had to try sugaring. I had heard of it but really had no idea what it is. Waxing had been my go to for over a decade. But I figured, it didn’t hurt to try (no pun intended).

Since I consider myself a wax expert and now somewhat of an expert in sugaring given I have had two sessions of it, I thought I would share my opinions of waxing versus sugaring.

First off, what are they? Waxes are made of things like beeswax, honey and essential oils. Preservatives and dyes are often included as well. Sugar for waxing purposes is literally just sugar, water and lemon juice.

What is the main difference? The direction in which the paste is applied. With waxing, the hair is pulled out from the opposite direction of the hair growth. With sugaring, hair is pulled out in the natural direction of the hair growth. Waxing uses strips to lay over the wax and pull off. Sugaring is like a ball of sugar paste that they sort of “flick” the hair off with.

Does sugaring really hurt less? I had heard this was the case. Since I feel like my skin is almost immune to the pain of waxing, I thought sugaring would be a breeze. It wasn’t. Ladies, in my opinion, sugaring hurt more than waxing. Sugar is warm while wax is hot and sugaring doesn’t stick to the skin like the wax does. Both those things would lead me to understand why most women vote sugaring to hurt less. However, that was not my experience. Just be warned if you are a devoted waxer considering sugaring.

Honestly, how bad does it hurt? My first Brazilian was incredibly painful. I had never even gotten waxed before and decided to go from nothing to Brazilian. So, probably not the best decision. Let’s not sugar coat it (again, no pun intended), it’s going to hurt. But I promise the more often you go, the less it will hurt. It will also hurt more if you are pregnant or on your period.

Ingrown hairs. I am prone to ingrown hairs. I swear by this PFB treatment but have to use it regularly for it to work. One thing I have definitely noticed is that sugaring caused less ingrown hairs than waxing. To me, this is a huge win!

What lasts longer? Not by a landslide but sugaring has shown to have a bit less re-growth or at least at a slower pace. Though, I do have to say that because I have been waxing for over a decade, I don’t really have a lot of growth in-between appointments. TMI, I know.
I have read that sugaring, however, can cause more permanent damage to hair follicles meaning eventually it’s possible it won’t re-grow!

How often should you go? With sugaring, your hair only has to be the length of a grain of rice while waxing recommends hair be about ½ and inch. Some of my friends get sugared every 2 weeks because they are trying to quickly damage the hair follicles so the growth decreases or stops. With waxing, you’ll have to wait a bit longer (maybe 4 weeks) in between sessions. Of course this depends on your hair growth which varies person to person and area to area.

Is it worth it? Absolutely yes. My skin is so much smoother when I wax or sugar than when I used to shave. Fewer ingrown hairs and both last longer than shaving.

Which costs more?  Sugaring is going to cost a bit more. Where I go, it’s about a $12 difference. And it will depend on what area you are removing hair from, of course. I am told it costs more because the ingredients cost more. Also, there are less technicians certified in sugaring. But I am sure that will change as the popularity in sugaring continues to increase.

Despite having a few more “pluses” in the waxing category, my verdict is that I like sugaring better. The biggest thing for me is the fewer ingrown hairs that sugaring has left me with. I also like that the re-growth seems to be a bit less than with waxing.

Are you team wax or sugar? We’d love to hear!