By Amber White
I have so many military, traveling, and simply BUSY BUSY BUSY clients. Even the most dedicated client, coming in every 4-6 weeks, may get sick, I may get sick, or let's be real, run into money issues. I understand that what I do is a luxury service, but I still firmly believe people deserve to have the ability to make themselves feel their best no matter the circumstance. So don't freak out, Amber your Estie Bestie is here! Here are some of my hair removal hacks that fits just about anyone's skill set, budget, time crunches and emergencies.
1. DIY Sugar Paste
Of course as an expert, this is my go too. In my opinion, sugar paste is less painful than traditional waxing, gives better longer lasting results, but it does require a more controlled technique. On the topic of pain: There is a HUGE difference when you have to pull hair off your own body, especially depending on the area. A good esthetician will get all the hair and just perform the service, a GREAT esthetician will also make the service as comfortable as possible and that includes pain management. So when you remove your own hair please set your pain expectations accordingly! Start on less sensitive areas of your body like arms or legs (NOT THE ANKLE!!!) The great thing about sugaring is that, unlike traditional wax, if you decide half way through application that you can't do it yourself, you can just rinse it off with warm water. HALLELUJAH
Click here for my recipe on How to Make Sugar Paste
2. 600 Grit Sandpaper
As crazy as it sounds, this absolutely works and it's more commonly used than you might first think. Many products like the crystal handheld hair removers and hair removal mitts are exactly the same thing but with prettier packaging! I use this in a pinch on sets and in my bridal kits for emergency purposes. It gives a shaved like result and won't be as smooth for as long as sugaring, but it will remove even course hair in a pinch! Be careful not rub the sandpaper too vigorously as it WILL OVER EXFOLIATE skin and leave a burn! For those of my clients with sensitive skin, make sure to (gently) exfoliate and moisturize about 24-48 hours after, as sometimes this technique can lead to ingrown hairs or "strawberry" legs as well.
3. Removal Cream
Old faithful, humans have been using hair removal creams for ages because of its ease of use, very portable and easy clean up. I'd say this is a favorite when traveling because you don't need razors where you could cut yourself, you don't need wax strips or anything messy to clean up and results last longer than shaving. However, the top issue my clients run into with this is y'all get chemical burns and it's almost always the second use. Therefore, my number one tip for using hair removal creams: leave it for LESS time than you did the first time. Many people forget that it is technically a chemical peel, which means it not only dissolves the keratin in the hair, but on the top layer of skin as well, and will make it more susceptible to sensitivity the second use. My current favorite hair removal cream is Flamingo! I won't be sharing a DIY version however, because truly any real caustic or highly acidic formulations should be made by professionals because each batch needs to be the exactly the same, so y'all don't (again) accidentally chemically burn your poor skin!
4. Threading (yes I'm serious)
Once again, if you're truly in a pinch, there is usually always thread somewhere! I've seen some people even use floss (y'all can argue about whether this is MacGyver level genius or borderline crazy amongst yourselves). This is another sure fire way to at least remove most of the hair, but I have to be very honest: as someone who takes pride in their high pain tolerance, going so much as to help teach a class WHILE ACTIVELY being a demo for a brazilian... this HURTS. But it will get the job done. I recommend a numbing cream before doing large areas!
Of course there are more ways to remove hair, but these are my best emergencies hacks. For all of these, keep the area you're removing hair from clean, exfoliate, moisturize and of course, wear SPF. #SavingPrettyFaces