Sugaring hair removal is an alternative to hair waxing that many find particularly attractive. There are several inexpensive recipes for making sugar “wax” at home. They are often less expensive than waxing in a salon, though they can end up being about the same price as home waxing kits. What people praise about this form of hair removal is that it may be less irritating than waxing, especially due to purity of ingredients, and some people claim it hurts less, though many people who’ve tried both suggest pain of hair removal is approximately equal.
There are many ingredients that could be used in sugaring hair removal, but the most common ones are granulated sugar combined with a small amount of lemon juice and water. Some recipes are more involved and suggest using essential oils or products like gum Arabic, too. Whatever the ingredients, the mix is heated until boiling and then allowed to simmer over the heat for 20-30 minutes. When finished, it should be a nearly red, or deep brown, in color.
It is absolutely essential that the mixture be given time to fully cool. It should never be applied to the skin when hot, as this could risk serious burns. Unlike wax, which is normally warm when applied, it’s usually best to let the sugaring hair removal mix sit overnight in a sealed container, prior to using.
When the mix is cool, people scoop out a finger or two worth of it, and work into a flat piece, applying it to the skin. Instead of using cloth or strips to pull the piece up, the sugar piece is peeled directly up, usually in the same direction of hair growth, which is opposite of waxing. It’s been claimed the paste doesn’t adhere to skin or pull up skin in the same manner that wax may, so the procedure may feel slightly less painful. There are detractors on this point, who suggest any ripping out of hair in large quantities is likely to hurt no matter how it’s done.
One comment made about sugaring hair removal is that it can be much more labor intensive than waxing. To this end, some savvy companies do create removal pastes, for people on busy schedules. These should be evaluated for ingredients, as the more chemicals, dyes or fragrances they contain, the more likely they are to irritate the skin. Others may find the putting on of sugar paste time consuming too. In comparison, waxing or sugaring an upper lip might take about the same time, but sugaring an entire leg could take much longer than waxing it because of the small amount of paste used.
Many of the same areas can be well treated with wax or sugaring hair removal. People can do bikini lines, legs, or hair on the face or chest. Men usually can’t wax or sugar face hair above or below the lips, given the resistant nature of whiskers.
