If you are going to go through the pain of hair removal, might as well make it as sweet as can be, right?
Sugaring is an ancient practice that removes hair using an all-natural paste made from food staples you likely have in your kitchen right now! To fulfill your childhood dreams of body painting with food, all you need is sugar, lemon juice and water and you’ll be on your way to becoming the hairless wonder…
Or at least saying goodbye to some unwanted hair in a natural way. Even those devoted to their waxer can’t deny the perks that sugaring has.
Very similar to waxing, your overly furry body parts are immersed in paste and then the hair is pulled out. It’s versatile and can be used on all parts of the body including your legs, arms, back, face or bikini area. However, sugaring is said to be superior to regular waxing because:
- It is all-natural and pure. In fact it is so safe that you can eat it. This is a plus for people with sensitive skin like me.
- The ouch factor feels more like a band-aid sting. The sugar paste doesn’t stick to the skin as much as normal wax does so only dead skin cells are being removed. The discomfort is also lessened because hair is removed in the natural direction of growth as opposed to regular waxing where they remove against hair growth which minimizes irritation and offers a gentler alternative.
- Sugar is applied at room temperature so potentially dangerous heaters are out of the equation which makes sugaring a safer option. Since the sugar paste sits at a lower temperature there is no risk of burning the skin.
- Sugaring is more sanitary because it is applied with gloved hands and each ball of paste is dedicated to a single client so no cross contamination can take place (versus putting the wax stick back into the pot after being used.)
- Clean-up is a breeze. Sugar paste comes off the body with a quick rinse that dissolves the paste without leaving a sticky residue behind. If a spill accident happened you wouldn’t need to worry about getting the sugar off your clothes or carpet because it is just sugar.
- Sugaring is eco-friendly. No strips or dip sticks to throw out. Every little bit helps!
- Very short hairs can be extracted so there is no waiting on hair growth prior to sugaring. Sugaring can be done on hair growth as short as 1/16th of an inch and results last around 6 to 8 weeks.
- The sugar paste can be made at home and self-applied. To make the inexpensive miracle waxer all you need is 2 cups sugar, ¼ cup lemon juice, ¼ cup water and a candy thermometer.
While you can use the sugaring technique in your home, the sweet hair removal method is becoming popular among salons where a licensed professional can do the art of body sugaring for you. Take a look at how it works:
Would you ever try sugaring? Share your thoughts below.
Feature photo courtesy of thesaint via sxc.hu
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REALLY!? I’m so telling my friend about this! She does at-home waxing and I’m going to con her into being my guinea pig with this sugar paste first (since she’s a pro and I trip over my own feet) — I love that it’s all natural and can be whipped up at home!
Let me know how the experiment goes! I’m a bit of a chicken when it comes to anything other than a basic razor! Plus, I’m afraid I would just end of eating the paste, and there’s just something a bit gross about that…
Oh my gosh you make me laugh! It would be gross to eat the concoction after removal, but beforehand it is so natural you can eat it! 🙂
u listed the ingredients as well as a candy thermometer, where can i go to find the actual recipe? i am anxious to try this at home, i have been sugaring for 5 years now and would love to find a better way of obtaining sugar via kitchen then spending hundreds ordering from canada..thank you so much, looking forward to ur response
Hi Jody, I found the recipe via about.com. You can click on the link from my article that reads “made at home” on the last bullet point and the article will give you a full ingredient list as well as step-by-step instructions on how to mix and cook the sugar to the perfect color and texture. Good luck!
thank you so much for the recipe..i have a trouble shooting question, u may or may not be able to answer. i followed recipe, i was wondering if maybe i allowed to high a temp or overcooked concoction, it works but hardens quickly not allowing for reuse, it is not as pliable and dark amber in color. thank you for ur feedback and if u aren’t able to help can u direct me to the blog please,, thank you so much
Hi Jody! Thanks so much for stopping by BSW. For the sugaring recipe, I found it on the Care2 site which you can be directed to by clicking the “self-applied” link in the recipe bullet. It should provide some extra details that will help you. However, I do know that making the perfect sugar does take practice! I would definitely try it again and hope it works out better this time around.