How to prepare your skin for depilation

Removing unwanted hair is a mandatory procedure for almost all women, but few people know how to do it correctly. The majority of the fair sex prefer a regular razor and spend several minutes of their time removing hair, and then complain that ingrown hairs, redness and irritation appear.

The whole point is that depilation on various parts of the body - this is a process that requires enough experience and skill. You should pay attention to some recommendations from cosmetologists in order to properly prepare your skin for hair removal using various methods. Of course, you can regularly visit a beauty salon and trust your legs, groin and bikini area to professionals, or you can independently master the skills of properly preparing your skin for hair removal and significantly save time and money. Regardless of which method you choose to remove unwanted hair, preparing your skin for the process will be the same.
Follow the following recommendations, and you will forever forget about ingrown hairs, pain and skin thinning.

1. Only hair removal using The razor does not require additional skin preparation. Epilation with wax, a special cream, using sugaring or a regular epilator is a rather complex procedure, so it is so important to prepare the skin in advance and reduce the possibility of ingrown hairs. Initially, you should choose a suitable body scrub. It is not at all necessary to use coffee grounds or large apricot kernel crumbs; you can easily use even your simplest facial scrub for this procedure. The scrub should also not irritate the skin; it requires gentle cleansing of the skin from dead cells.

2. Spend a day procedure exfoliation of dead particles of the epidermis to cleanse the skin area of ​​possible impurities and dead skin. You need to apply a little scrub to your fingertips and massage the skin on which you will be epilating in different directions. It is better to do this first clockwise, and then vice versa.

Try to make it smooth movement, so as not to injure the skin, because during hair removal you can only increase these wounds. You can even prepare a scrub at home by mixing a tablespoon of honey, a pinch of sugar and a drop of tea tree essential oil. Under no circumstances scrub areas of your body until pain occurs, as you will only scratch the skin. Cleaning the skin of dead particles should be as gentle as possible. Rinse off any remaining product with warm water and gently pat your skin with a dry cotton towel.

3. Humidification stage. If you properly nourish your skin, hair removal will be much easier and less painful. You can buy any body cream based on natural oils or fats of animal origin. Immediately after you have removed all the dead particles with a scrub and blotted away the moisture with a towel, apply a thick layer of cream or body lotion. The thing is that after applying the belongings, all the pores open, so the skin can best absorb the cream at that moment. This hydration will also soften the hair follicles and epilating various areas of the body the next day will be much easier.

4. Stands alone Mark the fact that on the day of hair removal you do not need to additionally cleanse the skin and apply moisturizer. After removing hair, wear loose, organic cotton clothing to avoid causing additional irritation. Subsequent procedures for using the scrub can be carried out only two days after hair removal.

5. If you prefer remove hair mechanically: sugaring, epilator or wax, then make sure in advance that the hairs are short. The best option would be to go over the skin with a razor a week before the procedure, because in a few days the hairs will become the optimal length, and you will not have to endure severe pain during the process. Cosmetologists have found that the optimal hair length for hair removal is 3-5 mm.

World specialists cosmetology claim that regrown hairs and irritation are the consequences of improper preparation of the skin for hair removal. Every woman can learn how to remove hair at home, even in the bikini area. There is no single advice for everyone in terms of choosing a hair removal method: some women prefer the effect an epilator gives, while others prefer waxing.

If you want to protect your skin from damage, then apply a high-quality scrub and moisturizer the day before. It is also important to take into account that hair removal is a procedure that all representatives of the fair sex do regularly, therefore skin care should be daily. You need to avoid dryness and tightness of the skin, because this will not only complicate the hair removal process, but will also create additional pain.

Any specialist will tell you that hair removal should only be done on moistened skin. Regularly lubricate your skin with moisturizer every day and exfoliate dead particles with a scrub 2 times a week. It is not at all necessary to buy the most expensive product in a cosmetic store, and if you cannot afford to buy this product, then prepare a scrub from honey and sugar, as described above.

— Return to section table of contents "Dermatology"

To save time and money, we often do waxing at home ourselves, and, alas, the results are not always excellent or even satisfactory. Ingrown hairs, irritation, wax residue on the skin... Sound familiar? Then read our material and find out how to avoid all this!

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It seems that it could be simpler - apply wax to the skin, stick a strip, pull... Tears from the eyes, and now your legs, bikini and armpits are already perfectly smooth. In fact, waxing is a responsible undertaking, otherwise your friends wouldn’t have so many funny and at the same time sad stories about how they did it at home.

We asked the hairdresser to name the 10 most common mistakes that girls usually make when deciding to get rid of their hair without the help of a professional.

1. You don’t cleanse your skin before epilating.

The most common problem with waxing is ingrown hairs. To minimize unpleasant consequences, prepare your skin for the procedure. The best scrub for this purpose is one that you can either make yourself from coffee or sugar, or, even better, buy a special product in the store. If the skin is uncleaned, this will lead to insufficient adhesion to the wax, and as a result, poor quality of hair removal and ingrown hairs.

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2. Do not degrease the skin before epilation

An important step in preparing for hair removal is removing sebum. Ideally, use a special lotion before epilation, but, in principle, it can be replaced with a regular facial tonic. Apply the product to a cotton pad and thoroughly wipe the area you will be working on.

3. You buy low-quality wax

Now let's talk about the choice of wax - it really can be different, and your hair removal depends on its quality. The best thing is to purchase professional wax at a beauty salon, rather than buying the cheapest option in a regular store. Most salons in Russia work with waxes from Spain or Italy (Roial-Kristal, White Line), but Australian products (Mancine Professional) are considered the highest quality and most harmless to the skin - they can be ordered online.

Don’t ignore allergy tests—it’s very common to have an unpleasant reaction to wax. First, apply the product to a small area of ​​skin, leave for 5 minutes and make sure that there is no redness or itching.

4. You choose the wrong wax temperature

If you have a professional wax melting machine, then everything is simple - it automatically selects the desired temperature. But we are sure that most girls heat wax in a water bath or in the microwave, hence all the mistakes. Wax that is too cold is difficult to apply and difficult to remove, while wax that is too hot can cause burns and irritation. It is always written on the product packaging what temperature the wax needs to be brought to in order for it to be ready for use, so we advise you to use a regular medical thermometer and constantly monitor the heating.

5. You apply wax to your skin incorrectly.

The rule “the more the better” does not work in this case - do not try to apply as much wax as possible to the skin in a thick layer - then you simply will not be able to remove it.

If you use regular wax in a jar, then you need to apply it with a spatula as thinly as possible. If you prefer wax in cartridges, then the task is simplified - the device itself regulates the thickness of the layer, which means there can be no mistakes. And one more important point - don’t dig! The wax cools instantly, so you need to work with it quickly.

In addition, the application area itself should be small - do not try to remove hairs from the entire lower leg in one easy movement. It is better to apply wax to small areas of skin and remove gradually.

6. Trying to remove hairs that are too short or too long

Remember that the optimal hair length for waxing is 5 mm. If they are shorter, then the wax simply will not be able to capture them, and if they are longer, it is already painful and there is a high probability that the hair will grow in later.

7. You remove hair in the wrong direction.

This item needs to be marked with an exclamation mark! The most important thing in waxing is the direction in which you remove the strip. You need to remove wax only against hair growth - and nothing else. Pull not upward, but parallel to the skin. To make it clearer, imagine a plane taking off - this is exactly how you need to remove the wax smoothly, at an acute angle.

8. You tear off the strip too slowly or too quickly.

Yes, it hurts, and it must be done at a certain speed, quite quickly. The slower you pull the strip, the more it hurts. And at the same time, if you jerk with a sudden movement, a hematoma may remain on the skin. To understand what speed should be, practice on a small area of ​​skin - do it quickly and smoothly.

9. You remove wax residues incorrectly

If there is wax left on the skin after epilation, do not even think about wiping it off with a damp towel or, even worse, washing it off with soap. The only way to effectively get rid of sticky marks is any vegetable oil.

10. You violate the rules of skin care after hair removal

Immediately after hair removal, you need to disinfect the skin by wiping it with any antiseptic (for example, Miramistin), and then moisturize it with light body milk. Professional advice - add a little cosmetic oil to the cream, the effect will be wonderful.

Waxing, sugaring, laser treatment in a salon, electrolysis at home - there are many hair removal methods now. However, regardless of the method, preparing the skin for this effective but rather painful procedure includes the same steps. We'll tell you which ones exactly.

1. Why do you need to prepare for hair removal?
2. How to prepare your skin for the epilator
3. Stages of preparing the skin for waxing
4. How to prevent irritation after epilation

Why do you need to prepare for hair removal?

First, let's remember what hair removal is. This is a procedure for removing hair from the root, that is, with the concomitant destruction of the hair follicle. Methods can be very different.

Using wax or wax strips.

Sugaring, when a heated sugar-based paste is used instead of wax.

Hardware photo-, electro- or laser hair removal, which is performed in a beauty salon or clinic.

Electrolysis using a device for home use.

And although depilation is still considered the most popular method (shaving the legs with a machine or using a depilatory cream), epilation is still ahead of it in terms of efficiency. However, also in terms of pain. To reduce this, perhaps the only, but big disadvantage, you will have to prepare the skin.

Hair removal with an epilator is the most effective home hair removal method.
© Skin.ru

Although, of course, there are several more important reasons for preparation:

the risk of ingrown hairs is reduced;

the degree of skin irritation after the procedure decreases;

the risk of red spots and inflammation is minimized;

the efficiency of the procedure increases.

How to prepare your skin for the epilator

For some, an epilator is an instrument of torture, for others it is a useful gadget. This device pulls out hairs by the roots. And yes, it hurts, no matter what the beauties in commercials say. The first experience will most likely not bring positive emotions. But the skin will remain smooth for a long time.

Preparing the skin for the hair removal procedure using an epilator looks like this.

Choose a time when the hairs are 5–6 mm long. This is the optimal indicator for a home epilator.

Avoid sunbathing for several days before hair removal. UV exposure is stressful for the skin, and tanning is a form of inflammation that makes the skin more sensitive.

The day before the procedure (in no case on the day of hair removal), use a scrub, paying special attention to the areas of intended hair removal.

After scrubbing, moisturize your skin well. Most importantly, do not use body butter or oil-based cream. This will complicate the hair removal process. Choose light textures (lotion, milk) that are quickly absorbed without leaving a film.

Immediately before epilation, take a warm bath or at least a shower to steam the skin. This will make the process easier.

Some epilators can be used directly in water. But more often the skin is wiped and moisturized with light milk without oils in the composition. Shaving gel will not work: it will only make it more difficult to grip the hairs.

Steamed skin is more tolerant of the harsh actions of the epilator.
© Skin.ru

Stages of preparing the skin for waxing

Stage 1: Timing

There are three essential conditions here.

Do not epilate your skin on the eve of a special event. The skin may react in different ways, including redness, irritation, or an allergic reaction.

Do not do the procedure on critical days, as the pain threshold is lower at this time. The ideal time is 10–14 days after the start of the cycle.

Avoid spending a lot of time in the sun in the days before and after hair removal. There is no need to double the stress on your skin.

Stage 2: skin preparation

The principle of preparation for any type of hair removal is approximately the same.

Intensively cleanse the skin, freeing it from dead cells of the stratum corneum and impurities - for greater accessibility of hairs.

Moisturize thoroughly to make it more resistant to stress. Use water-based moisturizers, without oils.

Steam your skin before the procedure.

Make sure there is no irritation or inflammation. Otherwise, the procedure will have to be postponed.

Cover moles and age spots with a band-aid before applying wax to avoid damaging them.

Thoroughly exfoliate your feet using a scrub. And before the procedure itself, be sure to cover the moles so as not to injure these particularly sensitive areas of the skin.
© Skin.ru

Stage 3: Mental preparation

It will hurt. But besides the boring “beauty requires sacrifice”, this point will calm you down a little: with regular hair removal, the hairs become thinner and weaker, and the procedure becomes easier.

Lifehacks to minimize hair removal stress.

Allow at least one and a half to two hours for hair removal. Most likely, it will take less time, but in order to calmly get on with this important matter, it is better not to rush.

If you are epilating at home, turn on relaxing music, you can even light aromatic candles. The calmer you are, the lower the level of stress on your skin and the faster it will recover.

Stage 4: skin care after the procedure

Having breathed a sigh of relief, proceed to post-epilation care.

Soothe your skin with products with a softening and anti-stress effect. Essential oils are not your help: these are very active ingredients that can further irritate skin that is sensitive after hair removal. Your choice is formulas with chamomile, aloe, allantoin, vitamin B5.

Wear light, loose clothing and let your skin breathe.

After epilating your armpits, do not use deodorants for two days unless the label says “for sensitive skin” or “suitable for use after epilation.”

Avoid sunbathing, bathing or other thermal effects on the skin for the next couple of days. It is also undesirable to visit a swimming pool with chlorinated water.

2-3 days after the procedure, use a scrub to prevent ingrown hairs.

Moisturize your skin daily.

How to prevent irritation after epilation

“Oils, especially dense ones, are generally undesirable in aftershave products. They usually contain components that restore the skin (panthenol, allantoin, bisabolol), soothing substances, vitamins E and C.”

Tools Overview

Body scrubs

Nourishing body scrub “Precious Beauty Scrub”, Garnier exfoliates with cupuaçu seeds and nourishes with argan, almond, macadamia and rose oils.

Cream body scrub “Coriander”, Kiehl’s exfoliates due to the action of cylindrical loofah, softens and moisturizes due to the content of aloe and chamomile extracts.

Body moisturizing without oils

Care that accelerates the restoration of the skin barrier, Cicaplast Gel B5, La Roche-Posay based on thermal water, hyaluronic acid, panthenol and madecassoside, it is designed to restore skin after aesthetic procedures.

Intensively restorative body milk Nutrix Royal Body, Lancôme Thanks to peptides and hazelnut extract, it stimulates the internal forces of the skin and helps restore the hydrolipid mantle.

Ultra-fresh moisturizing body gel Aqua-Gelée, Biotherm effectively moisturizes, is instantly absorbed and is suitable for the most sensitive skin, so it is very appropriate after hair removal.