Sugaring 101

Sugaring hair removal, an ancient middle-eastern practice uses an all natural paste or gel made from food-derived ingredients like sugar, water, and lemon juice to remove the hair follicle from the root. The results can last up to six weeks. While there are many recipes, only natural ingredients are used in real recipe. It's also been called sugar waxing, although not a correct term, because it's done very similar to waxing.

How Does it Work?

The two types of sugaring, using the paste and gel are performed differently. Here's how:

• The paste. Considered the traditional technique, a warmed thick mixture is applied first in the opposite direction of hair growth and then in the direction of hair growth using the hands. It's then flicked off in the in the direction of hair growth. See this sugaring technique performed.
• The gel. Performed similarly to waxing, the gel is applied in the direction of hair growth and removed in the opposite direction.

  Learn more about these differences: Sugar Wax Vs Sugar Paste

  The Pros

  1. Someone experienced can do sugaring quickly with the paste. Large amounts of hair can be taken out at once, and finished faster than even waxing. With most waxes, you have to apply them to a limited area- remove, go to your next area- remove and so forth. With sugaring you can speed things up by applying the paste to a very large area, and it won't dry out, even if you take it off in smaller sections.
  2. Easy clean up. Both the paste and gel are water soluble, meaning you can clean off any residue left on the skin with plain water, unlike regular wax.
  3. Sugar right in your own home. Entire sugaring hair removal kits, supplies can be bought online, or you can whip your paste at home. (Be aware of conditions or circumstances in which you shouldn't sugar, and follow all instructions).
  4. Sugar paste can be applied over missed hairs. The paste is very gentle and can be put right over an area that was just sugared but missed some hairs, without fear of much irritation.
  5. Temporary results can turn into permanent. Over time, frequent sugaring can cause the hair follicle to become damaged, and stop growing hair.
  
  

  The Cons

  1. It's hard to find a pro that does technique using the paste. Some salons and spas use a wax that has been mixed with sugar, and advertise it as sugaring- but it isn't the same. Other places do use the gel, but few placed (compared to waxing) use the paste.
  2. Getting just the right consistency can be tricky. If you make your own paste at home, you'll have it get it just right for the paste to hold on to the hair.
  3. Some hair growth is needed. 1/16 of an inch is needed when using the traditional technique with the paste, which is about 2-5 days of hair growth after shaving. Using the gel requires 1/4 inch of hair growth.
  4. Lack of knowledge or cleanliness can lead to disaster. If contraindications(circumstances or conditions when you shouldn't get sugaring) are simply unknown or ignored, skin could end up extremely red, and even become scabby. Salons or spas not adhering to safe and sanitary procedures could give a client a skin infection, or even a disease.
  
  

  Ouch Factor

  Okay, it's still pulling out hair from the root, but most people find it less painful than waxing. Sugaring doesn't stick to the skin as much as waxing, which means less irritation. The upper lip, chest, bikini and genital areas rank as the highest pain offenders. If you find someone experienced that uses the traditional technique using the paste, the discomfort is less because hair is removed in the natural direction of its growth (as opposed to waxing, which removes hair against hair growth).
  

  Sugaring Hair Removal Costs

  At Home: Kits cost anywhere from $10 - $40. But you can make your own sugar paste for a couple of dollars with all natural ingredients. (Get recipe and instructions).

  Professional: Sugaring hair removal is generally more expensive than waxing because it's not as commonly found. The price will also depend on where the facility is located, and type of salon or spa. A 15% - 20% gratuity on your total bill is customary and suggested.

  Face:

  • Eyebrow (both eyebrows, including in-between) $10 - $50
  • Lip (skin right above upper lip) $10 - $25
  • Sides of Face (side burn area) $10 - $18
  • Chin $10 - $25
  Body:
  • Underarms $15 - $40
  • Chest $35 - $120
  • Shoulders $40 - $55
  • Full Arm (wrist to shoulder- both arms) $35 - $80
  • Half Arm (wrist to elbow or elbow to shoulder- both arms) $40 - $60
  • Back $50 - $110
  • Bikini $30 - $75
  • Brazilian Bikini $60 - $110
  • Half Leg (ankle to knee or knee to thighs, not including bikini- both legs) $30 - $55
  • Full Leg (ankle to thighs, not including bikini- both legs) $55 - $100

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Alexandria Sugaring

The Alexandria Sugaring company has been a huge influence in introducing salons and spas to sugaring paste, a gentler hair removal option over waxing. More than just selling, licensed professionals must take a training class and pass a test before they get certified using their technique and products.

While I’ve tried sugaring gel (used similar to waxing), but not sugaring paste. So I found Allure Derma Spa (now Organique Derma Spa and Salon) in Westlake, Ohio that has a technician, Marijana, trained in using Alexandria products and made an appointment for my underarms.

Alexandria Sugaring: My Hair Ridding Experience

The Prep. Going into her facial room, I slipped into a spa wrap so underarms would be fully exposed. Marijana showed me a glimpse of one of her super smooth underarms that were still hairless from sugaring two weeks prior. Looks good to me, I thought. She turned on her facial light, cleansed my underarm skin and applied a bit of powder.

The Process. Wearing gloves she pulled some sugaring paste out of a jar from a warmer, to my surprise the paste was very white, instead of a caramel color like I had expected. Marijana put on the paste and artfully spread it, working in sections of hair growing in the same direction.

With wax you can feel some warmth on the skin, but the sugaring paste felt room temperature. Taking the paste in fast flicking motions the hair was getting removed. Waxing in general is much easier to learn, as Marijana said that it took her some time to get the correct sugaring technique down. (See a body sugaring).

Wow, was it fast! There's no need to keep going back into a warmer and get more product, or apply strips like with waxing. You can use the section of sugar paste a couple times, so both of my underarms were done in about 15 minutes.

The Pain. What about the pain? It was much less uncomfortable than waxing because the hair got pulled out in the direction of the hair growth (it’s the opposite with waxing) so less strain was being put on my skin. A little spotting of blood was there, or lifting as it’s often called, is normal when thicker hair is removed.

The Results. The day of the Alexandria sugaring my underarms were a little pink. By the next day, no pink, not even a little, only smooth hairless underarms. Quite a different story, when I had my underarms waxed and they were pink for a couple days and then large bumps appeared.

Taking the hair in the direction of hair growth with sugaring does more than just help with pain. The entire hair follicle is more likely to be removed than break above or below the surface, which commonly happens in waxing. In a nutshell, this translates to longer lasting results!

My underarm hair was gone much longer this time versus my waxing. Although I only tried it once, waxing lasted about a week. They were not only smooth from the sugaring, I couldn’t feel the hair or see that pesky dark shadow for a full two weeks.

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How To Use Sugaring Gel

Now holding skin taut with your free hand (I couldn't because I was sugaring my arm) remove strip quickly with one pull in the OPPOSITE direction of hair growth, all the way to the other side. Don't pull strip straight up or remove it slowly.

Keep working in sections until you remove all the hair. You can apply the sugaring gel over the same section (unlike waxing), but I would only do that a couple times. Those with sensitive skin really need to be careful.

You may need to heat the sugaring gel up again in the microwave as it begins to cool down. You'll know when the gel gets thick and it isn't removing as easily from the skin. You probably will only need 15 to 30 seconds to re-heat.

Finishing

Once finished, any excess gel or stickiness will come off skin with soap and water from this homemade hair remover. To calm skin and lessen redness and irritation apply GiGi After Wax Cooling Gel (buy direct). Because hands can carry a lot of bacteria, try to avoid touching sugared area the first 24 hours to lessen the amount of irritation and potential pimples.

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