Bikini Wax Diaries | Tips for Before, During & After Your Wax

Ahhh, yes, the bikini wax chair of death. Many of us know this little pocket of hell all to well.

To this day, I continue to enter the waxing salon lying to myself that, somehow, this time will be better.

Moments later, I happen upon that moment, mid-wax, where I seriously question who I am and what series of unfortunate events has landed me spread eagle on a cot with a stranger ripping hair from my vag.

L-O-fucking-L.

WTF is wrong with us?? Can y’all BELIEVE the things we have to do, as women, to be “presentable”??

In addition to being painful, I cannot stand the post-wax situation. There are SO many things that can totally ruin a wax after-the-fact, from ingrown hairs to breakouts. The misery.

So, here’s a little plot twist for y’all: last year, a month after moving to Los Angeles, I was researching salons near me with that impending-doom/my-life-is-about-to-be-over feeling looming in my mind, knowing that the bikini wax situation was about. to go. down.

Through Yelp, I found Beba Beauty in West LA. They had stellar reviews, and the salon is very close to me, so I booked an appointment & waited for my funeral ( I mean… my wax ).

When the time came for my waxing appointment, I entered the salon, mentally prepping for the trauma ahead.

Much to my surprise, this wax was COMPLETELY different than ANY wax I’ve ever had. I won’t say it was painless, because I’m no liar, but it was 1000x less painful than any bikini wax I’ve ever endured. All the estheticians at Beba Beauty are total pros when it comes to the before, during, & after wax experience.

So, I figured I’d ask my waxing extraordinaire, Zaadé, about the pre-wax, wax, & post-wax process for y’all. I get questions about bikini waxing all the time, so hopefully this answers a few of y’alls’ Qs!

For the record: I haven’t gone ANYWHERE else for a wax since discovering Beba Beauty. BTW– no one is paying me to say this… I just need to brag on them for a hot sec.

Let’s get down to the details.

prepping for your bikini wax

I follow a very strict, pre-wax regimen.

1. First, I take a shower.
2. About 30 minutes before the wax, I pop a couple of ibuprofens to make the pain a little less terrible. I’m no doctor, so I can’t prescribe what will work for you, specifically, but this part definitely helps me a lot.
3. I’ve heard of women sipping a glass of wine pre-wax ( & I’ve been to salons that provide wine for you… heaven? ), but I don’t usually find this necessary.
4. If you are particularly sensitive, Zaadé recommends applying a numbing cream to the area before coming in. These types of numbing creams can be found at a beauty supply store or online.

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during the wax

1. Ask your esthetician to apply numbing cream on you, if that option is available.
2. Make sure that your esthetician is applying baby powder to your skin while waxing, so the wax in adhering to your hair ONLY, & not catching onto, & pulling up, your skin.
3. For me, avoiding HARD WAX has been the KEY to a less-painful wax. A lot of salons use hard wax, claiming its better for your skin & yields a cleaner result, but I haven’t seen this to be the case. I always prefer the waxing strips to the hard wax. ALWAYS. Also, the waxing strips seem to take less time, on top of being less painful.
4. DON’T tense up! This is one of those things that occurs naturally, as you may think bracing yourself for the hair-ripping might, somehow, make it hurt less. BUT– tensing up makes waxing much more painful. Try ( keyword: TRY ) to relax & breathe through the process.

after-wax maintenance

1. Apply witch hazel to the affected area right after waxing to reduce the appearance of irritation & inflammation.
2. Avoid hot showers, steam rooms, & the sauna for about 24 hours after you’ve had your wax, as your pores are open & at higher risk for infection.
3. Don’t work out for 24 hours following your wax, for the same reasons as above.
4. Avoid tight pants post-wax, as you don’t want fabric rubbing against your skin AND you don’t want to trap sweat in that area ( especially for the first 24 hours after ).
5. Avoid lace underwear after waxing, as it can irritate the area.
6. EXFOLIATE daily. With an exfoliating glove or pouf, gently exfoliate the waxing area daily to slough away dead skin & keep the area fresh. This will help you avoid dreaded ingrown hairs.

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Following these waxing “rules” has dramatically lessened the pain I feel during & after getting a bikini wax.

Purposeful prep & careful after-care has totally changed the game for me. Also, it yields a better result.

Like I said, waxing isn’t totally painless ( in my freaking dreams ) but there has been a significant lessening of pain since I started putting in effort in regards to the process.

Ya feel? Let me know what y’all think about this!

Wishing y’all all the best waxing experience possible… fingers crossed.

Talk soon. xx ( BTW: keep scrolling for the GIVEAWAY! )

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