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Recently we’ve had a few women in the spa who wanted to try and have a Brazilian wax done for the first time. Due to the nature of Brazilian wax women who haven’t done this service before tend to be somewhat nervous and have a good amount of questions. I thought it would be helpful to put together a blog post about what to expect your first time having a Brazilian wax along with do's, don'ts, and tips before and after the service.
What’s the difference between a bikini wax and a Brazilian wax? I get asked this question quite often, To help answer this question I have a few diagrams from our website showing the differences between the three styles we offer- bikini, extended bikini, and the Brazilian.
There are many reasons women choose to get a Brazilian wax, the top three reasons are sex/intimacy, going on vacation, and an upcoming personal health care appointment. Whatever reason you choose to do it for you still want to have an idea of what to expect and what’s going to happen.
Do’s and Don’ts of Waxing Before you come in for your waxing appointment there are a few things you can do to prepare. First off you can take some Ibuprofen or Tylenol about an hour prior to your appointment to help dull the pain. You will want to avoid aspirin or other blood thinning medications before waxing.
Avoid waxing around the time of your menstrual cycle, this includes the days leading up to and during your period. You can get waxed during your menstrual cycle, however, the pain will be increased due to the sensitivity of that area during this time. If you do come in for an appointment during your cycle be sure to use a tampon and the skin care professional will work around it.
Make sure the length of the hair is at least a quarter inch, that is about the length of a grain of rice or the top of a pencil eraser. If the hair is shorter than that the wax cannot properly grab onto the hair to lift it from the root. If the hair is much longer than a quarter inch, you will want to trim it down a bit. It may seem counterintuitive to trim the hair prior to waxing it off but if the hair is too long it will hurt a lot more when you are waxed.
Directly after waxing you will want to avoid scrubbing the skin or exfoliating the skin, you can gently wash the area with a soft cloth. Avoid using a loofah, sponge, or scrub they can cause extra irritation.
For the first 48 hours after waxing, you will also want to avoid heavy exercise and excessive sweating as this can irritate the skin and make it red and angry. Wearing tight-fitting, restricting clothing will cause irritation as well. For a happy vagina, it’s best to wear light, breezy clothing that allows the skin to breathe.
Typically after waxing, you want to avoid sun exposure, but unless you're headed to a nude beach that might not be a big concern with Brazilian waxing. No tanning beds either for 48 hours. However, if any of your delicate skin is exposed it’s best to slather on the SPF.
To help decrease the risk of ingrown hairs you can gently exfoliate the area starting after the 48-hour mark. We recommend using the medicated acne pads with salicylic acid that you can pick up just about anywhere like Target or Walgreen's or we have some here at the spa as well. Cut one of those in half and go over the skin with that to help prevent ingrown hairs. You also can use a light moisturizer to help keep the skin supple and help allow the new hairs to break through the skin more easily as regrowth occurs.
A Brazilian wax has a re-growth cycle ranging anywhere from 2-6 weeks. It just depends on the individual's own hair growth cycle. However, as you continue with the waxing you will notice a decrease in the frequency of regrowth and the hair that does comeback starts to become more sparse and thinned out, yay!
What to expect during your session.
When you arrive for your Brazilian you will be taken to your treatment room, where the skin care professional will step out to give you a moment to disrobe from the waist down and then get on the table and cover yourself with the towel.
When she re-enters she will have you lie back and position your legs in various ways that allow her to reach different areas of the body with the wax. One of the more common position is the butterfly, legs are pulled up with feet touching then you open the legs so the knees are down. At this point the skin care professional will work around the towel, uncovering only the areas she's working on, if you're more comfortable you can choose to not use the towel. Let's be honest she's going to see it all at some point.
The skin care professional may use a variation of hard wax and strip wax or she may exclusively use one or the other. For the majority of the waxing, the pain is minimal and quite bearable, it feels like a slight sting or pinch. There are a few areas during the Brazilian that are slightly more painful but it is over fast and the pain doesn’t last long. Some esthetician's will place their hand on the skin directly after pulling the wax, this is a technique that helps minimize the stinging and pain. For a Brazilian wax the first time is always the most painful. This is because the hair has never been pulled out at the root and the root of the hair follicle is larger than the pore opening in the skin.
As your session is nearing completion do not be surprised if your service provider has you pose by lying on your side with your leg up, holding your legs up, or bending over. She is going to be waxing off what is known as the “bunny tail” this is the area that goes up between the buttocks. The Brazilian truly leaves no hair behind.
For those of you new to Brazilian waxing I hope having a little more knowledge about what to do before and after your waxing along with what to expect during a session helps you feel a little more comfortable and prepared. To learn more about waxing at Brilliant Bodywork you can go here.
To set up an appointment you can give us a call at (608) 783-8380 or book online here.