Ah, what a delight to welcome spring. While it is a joy to see the new blooms of little flowers and growing things around, it is not so much to see facial and leg hair back in season. We tend to frequent salons for depilatories or waxing and spend too much on creams for shaving to get ready for that warm weather outfit. While these are quick solutions for unwanted body hair there’s another technique one can use that may leave a long-lasting result, and you can make it anytime with only three ingredients you probably already have available in your own kitchen.
It’s called sugaring and below is the recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar (I use organic)
¼ cup lemon juice (I use the organic in a bottle)
¼ cup water (I use filtered)
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients in a small pot and mix together with a wooden spoon.
- Turn heat to high until mixture starts to get foamy or bubbly.
- Reduce heat to medium and continuously stir until mixture caramelizes into a golden-brown color (about 5 to 10 minutes). Avoid overcooking.
- Remove from heat and do a consistency test by placing a spoonful of sugar mixture into the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 minutes or until it cools off.
- If it’s still too runny return to heat for about another couple of minutes until the consistency gets a little thicker than honey. Allow to cool off.
- When the desired consistency is achieved, place sugar mixture into a glass bowl with airtight lid. Use a little spoon to scoop sugar mixture for treatment while still a little warm, not hot. Allow to cool off before putting the lid on.
- You may adjust recipe into half to avoid reheating leftovers.
I got into research about natural ways to get rid of facial hair when one day, my 9-year old daughter was looking at me with a half grin. Well, maybe I should say she was staring a little bit longer with wondering eyes. She then asked, “Why do you have hair on your face, Mom?” It made me realize that my daughter is entering the stage where she’s starting to be more aware of her own body changes, and maybe was wondering if she will have the same as what mama have too. I was caught off guard and I answered her back with a question, “Does it bother you?” She then gave me a hug with a shy smile.
Nothing was said after that, but it sure brought me to go online to find a solution. Not that it was really a problem, I just wanted to be prepared for that day when my soon-to-be teenager starts searching for ways to look more “presentable” in her own terms. I came across sugaring products for sale online with decent prices. But being the do-it-yourself kind of person that I am I went on looking for recipes that I can make at home and use right away. You probably would come across the same recipe I found online but I’d like to add some tips and ideas I did not know until I made a mistake.
You see, I was so thrilled about my success in removing facial hair with the sugar wax that I convinced myself there won’t be any reason for me to have facial hair from then on. So, when I saw that some tiny hair started to come back a little bit after a week of sugaring I reached out to my sugar wax container. Interesting enough, the sugar wax inside my airtight glass container stayed soft and pliable while the left over in a small glass container covered with tissue was hard and unmanageable. Some feedback from those who have tried sugaring stated that the remaining product is only good after about a day then you would need to discard it because it would turn hard and useless.
I found out that when you place the glass container of hardened sugar wax in a pot of very hot water (not necessarily boiling with bubbles) it gets back to its melty stage. You can then remove it from the heat, let it cool off a bit and you can use it again when it starts to form like a little ball between your fingers without feeling runny or too sticky. Others suggest that heating the hardened sugar wax inside a microwave for a few seconds may help, just take extra precaution to avoid hot container getting in contact with a cold surface right away to avoid breaking. This I haven\’t tried. I found that it is better to prepare just enough amount of sugar wax in relation to the area you want hair removed. As you get to do it more, you can then gauge the amount you need to prepare.
When removing hair around your mouth or the mustache area, it helps to make the skin taut with your tongue protruding from inside. Stabilize the skin by placing a finger just above the area of the root hair, then with your dominant hand holding the sugar wax pressed over the skin, peel the wax with a downward motion in a snap to remove the hair. Repeat as necessary until you get your desired outcome. The sugar wax will soon feel melty and gooey between your fingers as it gets in contact with the heat of your skin. When some of it sticks to the skin I gently remove it with a wet washcloth instead of splashing water to the area. It takes away the sticky feeling and does not cause much sting on the skin you’re working on. When it\’s time to discard the used sugar wax with removed hair I just wiped it off with a moist paper towel from my fingers before washing my hands. Some method uses a strip of cloth to peel the sugar wax off from the skin. Here\’s a video tutorial about it.
I learned the hard way that you need to wait for at least four to six weeks before attempting to do another sugar waxing, or at least when the hair is about 1/4 of an inch long for thinner hair and slightly longer for course hair. I ended up with raw skin under my eyebrows and above mouth area that looked like sunburn the next day when I followed up sugaring right after a week. I applied a facial oil blend and it greatly helped soothe the rawness and healed the skin. It is a product that I make and you may find it on my website. When using sugar wax to remove hair in the armpits it is suggested to use powder first to take the moisture out. Still, take some caution and observe your response as it is a sensitive area and may take a while to get the right technique that you can be comfortable with.
Sugaring compared to waxing has some desirable advantages. Unlike in waxing, the sugar paste is lukewarm, not hot and won\’t burn the skin when done right. Some feedback says that although it can still sting, it hurts much less than waxing. Most ideally, it is believed that sugaring makes the hair follicles fall dormant, making unwanted hair thinner over time, thus requiring less frequent treatment. Think how much you can save doing sugaring with just 3 simple ingredients. You can even make it more fun by doing it with a partner and take turns sugaring areas you cannot reach on your own. This way, you may get to use up all the sugar wax in one treatment then make a new batch when it\’s time for the next session to avoid dealing with a hardened product. And if there\’s still some left over, some would use it as a spread on a bagel, then add a little butter with a dash of cinnamon powder.
How\’s that for a treat?
– Jiji
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Jiji Chai is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing-Registered Nurse by profession, wife of a Physical Therapist and a mom of three wonderful children. She has worked as a nurse in various health-care settings and has met people from different walks of life. She is a WOW author and WELLNESS coach. She authored the program Walk On WELLNESS, Wow Your Way To Health. She enjoys documenting life events, putting her thoughts into words and sharing with others lessons she has learned along life’s journey. She likes to learn from and inspire others to grow to the fullest potential there is possible.
