It’s normal to feel a little nervous about your first Brazilian or Bikini wax. Fortunately, there are a few tips to help you best prepare your skin and feel more comfortable during your appointment.

The night before your appointment:

Gently exfoliate the area to be waxed with a body scrub. This will help to loosen any ingrown hairs that might be trapped underneath the skin. It’s important to do this the night before your appointment. Doing this the morning or day of your appointment might make your skin a little extra sensitive for waxing.

The day of your appointment:

• Try to avoid excessive caffeine and all alcohol. Both can cause the skin to feel a little more sensitive. Instead, stay hydrated with water.
• Take 2 pain reliever around 45 minutes prior to your appointment.
• Get comfortable. Wear loose, cotton clothing and underwear. Avoid synthetic blends that don’t allow the skin to breathe, or lace that can feel scratchy against newly waxed skin.
• Don’t trim the hair – even if it’s longer than one-quarter inch. Some people accidentally over-trim and end up with hair that is too short to be waxed. If trimming is necessary, it will be included in your appointment at no extra charge.
• Try to relax. Waxing is a lot like removing a bandaid – quick pain that also quickly disappears. Deep breaths will help you get through some of the more uncomfortable areas.

After your appointment:

Your skin might feel a little sensitive following your wax. It’s a similar feeling to a slight sunburn. The pores can stay open for up to 24 hours, so this is why we recommend waiting that time frame for a few activities. Here are the things you will want to put on hold for the next 24 hours:

• Hot tubs, jacuzzis and very hot temperatures for baths and showers. It’s fine to shower or bathe, but make sure the temperature is not too hot. Think of how you feel with a sunburn – you don’t want anything too hot on the skin.
• Tanning and spray tans. Because the pores are still open, anything applied to the skin that contains chemicals might irritate it or cause it to feel more sensitive.
• Perfumed or scented products including lotions, body washes and oils.
• Swimming – avoid both chlorine and salt-water
• Very sweaty workouts (HIIT, cardio, bootcamps)
• Exfoliation, body scrubs, loofahs

Before your next appointment:

The results of a Brazilian or Bikini wax usually last between 4-6 weeks. This means it will take that amount of time for the hair to grow back to one-quarter inch in length. You may notice some hairs starting to grow after the first week following your wax – this is because hair grows in 3 different cycles. The more you wax, the more you are able to catch the hair at different cycles which will result in thinner, finer hair regrowth overall that becomes less noticeable.

And the really good news? The more you wax, the easier it gets! It may take a few waxes to not feel as much discomfort, but the hair will become thinner and weaker which means you will not feel it as much as at your first appointment. Plus, the smoothness of being hair-free is its own reward!

Here are a few tips to get the best results from your wax, and how to stay smooth leading up to your next appointment:

• DON’T SHAVE! Shaving starts the process all over again. I know it’s hard to wait, but let your hair grow to the length of one-quarter inch for best waxing results. Remember, the more you keep up with waxing, the more you’re able to wax the hair at different stages of growth which results in longer-lasting smoothness.
• Exfoliate to prevent bumps and ingrown hairs. We recommend exfoliating a few times a week for best results. Not sure what to use? The Deck Scrub is formulated specifically for after-wax care for the Bikini/Brazilian area. You can pick yours up at your first appointment to make sure your results last as long as possible.
• Stay hydrated and moisturized. This will help keep your skin healthy in general, and healthy skin waxes easily and more painlessly than dry or dehydrated skin.