A Woman's Guide to Waxing Unwanted Hair

It's tough to be beautiful. There's the curling, the scrubbing, the coloring, the endless work, toil and sweat. It can also be painful. What woman hasn't suffered from a too-hot curling iron or too-sharp razor? But at the top of the list we find waxing. An essential task, to be sure, but also dicey. You want to make sure it's done right, quickly and will be effective with a minimum of pain.

Waxing is a relatively simply process, really. Think "wax on, wax off", and you'll likely get the idea. Hot wax is applied to the area that needs hair removal, then quickly pulled off and unwanted hairs go with the wax. It can be fairly painful, but the pain is quick and the wax process, fortunately, doesn't need to be repeated very often.

Herewith are various types of waxes, from a lesser "ouch" factor to a mighty "ouch"!


*Eyebrow (ouch factor of 2) - Eyebrow waxing is a type of waxing you can do yourself at home, though it's never a bad idea to consult a professional. If you are going to wax your eyebrows yourself, you should always wax from below the eyebrow, not above.

Take very little hair off at a time, and be careful of the hot wax being so close to your face. Because the skin above the eye is so sensitive, it's really recommended you consult a professional for this task.

*Full Face (ouch factor 2) - This involves removing the facial hair you might have around the mouth, cheeks, jaw and chin. You can do this yourself, perhaps even make the wax yourself, but again, experts recommend using a professional since the facial skin is so delicate.

*Legs (ouch factor 3-4) - This is probably the method of waxing most women are familiar with. In the summer, many women choose leg waxing as the preferred method for hair removal since it is generally considered superior to shaving and saves time in those busy summer months - a good leg wax can last as long as 8 weeks.

*Bikini (ouch factor 8-10+) - The big daddy of waxing, the various types of bikini waxes are not for the faint of heart. They are for women who want clean, cool nether regions for summer, and aren't too modest, since they should only be done by a trained and experienced professional. There are a few different types:

*Bikini - The basic bikini wax involves removing the pubic hair around the bikini panty line. This is delicate territory, so it's recommended you take an ibuprofen an hour or so before getting it done. But since there are more involved bikini waxes, we'll give this one an 8 on the pain scale.

*Full bikini - This is also known as a Brazilian bikini wax and it's the latest, hottest thing in waxes. Seven Brazilian sisters brought this wax to the United States and in a short period of time, this type of wax has overtaken any other bikini wax. 

In short, it's a full bikini wax, where only the pubic hair just around the labia is left. Otherwise, you're bald as an eagle, which might serve you if you wear a thong in the summer or just want to change your life, which is allegedly what  Brazilian wax did for Gwyneth Paltrow. This is a full 10 on the pain scale, but many women claim it's the bomb.