What’s the Difference Between Hard and Soft Waxing?
Removing unwanted body hair on your legs, underarms, or sensitive areas can often feel frustrating due to how quickly it returns. Body hair removal can often be affirming, allowing people to feel more comfortable and happy in their skin due to smooth sensations or aesthetics. Depending on the area of the body, hair can grow back after a few days of shaving, making retaining that affirming smooth skin a constant battle.
Waxing can be an alternative to body hair removal that removes the hair from its roots, significantly extending the time for hair to grow back. By removing the hair at the root, you can better enjoy the sensations and look for a more extended period without worrying about the prickles of hair regrowth popping up on unwanted places like your face, arms, or through mesh leggings.
Waxing isn’t a uniform process. Various materials, such as hard or soft wax, are used for different waxing experiences, each with pros and cons. Whether you’re looking to DIY wax at home or seek the services of a professional esthetician, it’s key to know what options you have to choose from.
How Does Waxing Work?
Waxing services are relatively straightforward. A sticky material, typically a resin-based wax, is rubbed onto the targeted area. As the material adheres to the hair, it pulls the entire hair follicle out when removed. This differs from shaving, which only slices off the portion of hair above the skin and allows for hair to grow back quicker from the remaining root.
Waxing offers various benefits in comparison to shaving, as well. While waxing can be performed incorrectly and bother the skin, it’s less likely to irritate. As it pulls hair out from the root, hair takes longer to grow back as your body must develop a new hair follicle. New hair growth is often softer than hair shaved at the skin’s surface, making the hair that does come back feel much less coarse. Waxing can also be great for exfoliation, working to remove dead skin and open up pores to feel refreshed.
Difference between hard & soft waxing:
What is Soft Wax?
Soft waxing services spread the material across the section of the body with a spatula before a wax strip is placed on top of the applied area. The wax adheres to both the strip and the hairs on the body. Like removing an adhesive bandage, hair sticks to the wax and comes with it when the strip is pulled away. This adhesive quality makes soft wax ideal for removing thick and thin hair, as it clings tightly to both. Soft wax also adheres to the skin and will pull dead skin layers with it, helping exfoliation.
Soft wax is easily spreadable, making it preferable for removals on body sections like the chest or back. For example, speed waxing utilizes soft wax applied to a sizeable single strip covering a large area pulled in one go. Soft wax is also typically ideal for hair removal on the face, as it can pull even microscopic hairs that may be more common around the cheeks and eyebrows. As it also pulls the skin, those with easily irritated or sensitive skin should be careful when using soft wax.
What is Hard Wax? Difference between hard & soft waxing?
Hard wax works in a similar fashion to soft wax. It is spread along the area where unwanted body hair is to be removed. The wax is left to set while it hardens, adhering only to the hair exposed on the skin’s surface rather than the skin itself. Pulling the wax has the same result as removing the body hair down to its follicles but has the benefit of not clinging to the skin, which results in less mess and often less pain. This more limited adhesive still allows the wax to remove hair while being gentler on sensitive skin.
While hard wax can often be more expensive and technical to apply than soft wax, its sensitivity makes it an excellent choice for hair removal in sensitive areas, such as during a Brazilian wax. As hard wax can be applied in much smaller areas than soft wax typically can, it is a good choice for removing parts of the face or underarms.
Give Your Skin Special Care with Imagique Salon
If you want to feel a smooth sensation every time you touch a part of your body, waxing can give you long-term satisfaction that lasts several weeks or longer without the frustration of constant shaving. While DIY waxing is available, getting waxing services from a trained professional can be beneficial, especially when waxing sensitive or small areas. Contact us today to book an appointment. For business owners looking to grow, consider how our leasing options can help you expand your success.
Feel refreshed in your skin with Imagique Salon.