Most ladies use a razor to remove unwanted hairs from their legs, but regular shaving not only has a short-term effect, but also leads to skin irritation, which will make it more difficult to achieve absolute smoothness over time. Legs waxing is a great alternative to a razor, as it pulls out hairs along with the roots, which ensures that the result lasts up to 3-4 weeks. In addition, you can use wax at home.
Description of the procedure
Legs waxing is a cosmetic procedure aimed to an absolute removal of unwanted hair growth from the skin, for which a special cosmetic wax is used.
Due to its elastic features, wax adheres tightly to the hair and grabs it, removing it along with the root.
Keep in mind that, like any cosmetic procedure, waxing has contraindications:
- Vascular and venous diseases;
- Warts and papillomas in the performing area;
- Pregnancy;
- Diabetes;
- Kidney disease.
It is also recommended to do waxing after menstruation to reduce discomfort during hair removal. During this period, the pain threshold rises and the skin is less sensitive to pain.
To wax the legs, ladies will have to give up any methods of hair removal for 2 weeks before the procedure. The technique works effectively only with a hair length of 3-4 mm.
Types of leg waxing
Many ladies do their own leg waxing. This does not require training, since the main difficulty of the procedure lies in heating the wax to the optimal temperature, and this can be done using a wax heater.
However, keep in mind that there are several types of leg waxing: hot, warm and cold. They all contribute to the total removal of hairs, however, the performance techniques differ significantly.
Warm (soft)
For warm legs waxing, use a ready-made soft paste, which can be purchased at a cosmetic store. It should be pre-heated in a water bath or microwave oven to a temperature of 45-50 degrees. Warm wax is also used in cartridges that are inserted into a small device that heats it.
The paste is applied to the ladies skin, then special paper strips get attached to it, which are then torn off along with unwanted hairs.
Warm depilation is best done on large areas of the skin – legs, arms, stomach, back.
Hot (hard)
In salons, they usually perform hot depilation, since hot wax composition adheres more strongly to the skin, capturing even the smallest hairs.
For the hot method, wax granules are used. First, it is heated to 50-60 degrees, and then applied to the skin in a thin layer. After 10-15 seconds, the wax hardens and breaks off along with the hairs with one movement of the hand.
The main danger of the technique is the high probability of getting burned, which is associated with the risk of overheating the wax. Because of this, it is necessary to perform hot waxing of the legs only by using a special device – a wax heater.
Cold
This type of waxing is often used at home for legs, since you do not need to have any skills or special tools for it.
For the procedure, ready-made wax strips are used, which are glued with wax paste on one side of the strip. They get attached to the skin, smoothens and pluck abruptly from the skin, capturing long hairs. Such hair removal is absolutely safe for a ladies, but not that effective – small and hard hairs will not be removed well.
Also keep in mind that cold waxing of legs is the most painful, which is why many women have a negative opinion about this method of removing unwanted hair from the body.
Features of legs hair removal at home
Before waxing your legs at home, make sure to pay attention to the preparation of sensitive skin. To do this, you need to use a scrub one day before procedure, and before the procedure itself steam and thoroughly wipe your legs.
To prepare hot wax, you should use a wax heater, which will not only heat it to the desired temperature, but also will maintain it during hair removal process.
Algorithm for performing legs waxing at home:
- Powder area of treatment with talcum or baby powder.
- Put a small amount of liquid wax on the spatula.
- Apply a thin layer of wax over the leg. When using hot or warm wax, distribute it along the hair growth, when using a film wax – in any direction.
- Hot waxing: wait until the wax hardens and tear it off in the opposite direction of the hair growth in one motion.
Warm depilation: put paper bandages on the sticky layer of wax, smooth it thoroughly for 10-15 seconds and tear them away from the skin along with the hairs. - Place your palm on the zone of waxing to ease the pain.
- If necessary, repeat the manipulation 1-2 more times.
- At the end of the procedure with oil, remove the remaining wax from the surface.
- Apply a soothing gel or lotion to your skin.
Cold depilation is even easier. The wax strips are heated between the palms, detached from one side of the strip and attached to the skin. Within 10-15 seconds, carefully smooth it on the leg and pull them off sharply.
Within two days after completing the procedure, treat your legs with a disinfectant solution twice a day, and after three days use a natural scrub to enhance the effect of waxing.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before removing hair from the legs with wax, you should study the peculiarities of the technique, since it does not suit many ladies.
However, every day the procedure is becoming more and more popular, what is the reason for this? Here are the main advantages of the technique:
- Safety. The main risk that woman encounters when waxing her legs at home is overheating of the wax. This could result in thermal burns. However, mechanical damage to the skin is impossible;
- Long lasting effect. Hair begins to grow back only after 2.5-3 weeks;
- No pain. When performing warm and hot legs waxing, the lady practically does not feel any discomfort;
- Speed. You can remove unwanted hair from your legs in just 20 minutes;
- Multipurpose. The method is suitable for hairs of any color and structure.
Also, the procedure has the cumulative effect. Over time, the hairs become thinner and softer, which is why they are not so noticeable during regrowth.
Consider the disadvantages of the procedure:
- Risk of thermal burns. Overheated wax cannot be quickly removed from the skin, due to which it quickly burns;
- Possible allergies to wax;
- Soreness. This does not apply to hot and warm depilation, but only cold hair removal method. Especially woman with sensitive skin should give up this technique.
Using wax to remove unwanted body hair is possible even without much preparation. The wax has an easy-to-use consistency that easily spreads in a thin layer on the skin and quickly hardens, capturing unwanted hairs when plucked.
Which wax is best for legs?
Almost any type of wax can be used for legs, since they are versatile and convenient for self-depilation.
However, if you are just learning how to do waxing, it is recommended to use the warm technique. It is absolutely safe for beginners and reduces the risk of ineffectiveness of the procedure if the strips are not carefully torn off.
As for specific brands that are easy to use, pay attention to the following:
- Yoko;
- Depilflax;
- Depileve.
The main thing is not to neglect the recommendations for preparing sensitive skin for waxing. So you will not only increase the efficiency of procedure, but also prevent the occurrence of irritation afterwards.
Additionally, you should use a soothing lotion or gel after depilation. It helps to restore the delicate skin after the aggressive effects of wax on the nerve endings and the upper layers of the epithelium.
Conclusions
Most ladies begin to experience waxing as a way to remove unwanted hairs from their legs, since this area is the most comfortable for self-treatment. Despite the relative simplicity of the technique, it is important to take into account the specifics of its implementation, including preliminary skin preparation and subsequent skin care. So the effect of smooth legs will last up to 3-4 weeks.
