This ancient Egyptian method for hair removal has lasted this long for a reason. It is relatively easy to use with the right technique and better for the body. Clean-up may still be a little sticky but it comes right off with a little hot water. You can purchase sugar wax at many local beauty supply stores such as Ulta. You can also make your own sugar wax mixture at home with just a few simple ingredients. I’ll share a recipe that works for me.

Of course for certain areas of the body it is probably best to see a professional. The training I received in 2013 as an Esthetician proved to be timeless techniques. The years I spent waxing that unwanted body hair, I always preferred sugar wax as my weapon of choice. I’m excited to share my sugaring journey with you all and I hope this blog helps you to safely and conveniently master those techniques.

Besides this being an excellent and convenient form of hair removal, it is also a way we can hit pause and practice a little self care. As you may know we're all about that! You deserve to look and feel beautiful and our skin is our largest organ. We need to exfoliate and hydrate it in order to keep it radiant.

Sugar, why should you choose this method for hair removal? At first you may find yourself in a sticky mess. You look down and see a glob of melted sticky sugar everywhere. Panic may set in, but have no fear. Just take yourself to a sink or shower, warm up the water and dissolve the sugar. When it is a hard surface, skin, or a sheet you use as a protective surface, this wax will clean up effortlessly.

If you have ever dripped standard wax where it doesn’t belong, you know it’s quite a different story. Traditional beeswax and rosin waxes generally need a solvent or oil to clean it up. I remember when I was in school, and I’m sure some of you found yourself in this awkward situation, the dreaded dribble of wax. Right onto the head of hair or smack dab in the middle of the eyebrow. You try to keep your cool, but they see that panic in your eye. Remain calm, find the oil, and pretend like nothing happened.

I feel like there is less worry and more freedom with sugar wax. Since it is generally room temperature, you also don’t need to worry as much about the wax getting to the right temperature. You can confidently remove that hair without stress of what the cleanup will be like. You can wax away without fear of burning yourself, or even worse someone else.

Let’s talk about some of the health benefits. First of all you should always clean the area you are going to wax with an astringent such as witch hazel prior to waxing. Since sugar is anti-bacterial it can help prevent infection that can occur in the hair follicle, otherwise known as folliculitis. It works amazing as a natural exfoliator and usually does not lead to as many ingrown hairs since it's pretty good at removing the entire hair including the hair bulb. You want to see these tiny little bulbs on the end of the hair since it means the hair didn’t break off under the skin.

Let’s talk about the exfoliation. When you use a hot soft wax, you need to make sure it is at the correct temperature before applying it to the skin. When too hot you will burn the skin and even remove several layers of the epidermis (outer skin layer). This can be very painful and leave a scar behind. You may have seen it happen on the eyebrow. The skin above the eye is very thin and tender. With sugar you do not have these same worries.

Sugar wax is generally near room temperature or sometimes cooler until it comes to body temperature. It will attach to the hair and dead skin, but will not remove layers of the epidermis. I highly recommend this type of wax if you are new to waxing and want to try it out. The worst you may do is leave a bruise behind with poor technique or a slip of the hand. It will usually heal in a few days. Bruises usually happen in tender areas such as the under arms, bikini line, and behind the knees. These areas are not as easy to hold the skin taut, so some bruising may occur. Hold it tight or get assistance! That is the best advice I can give.

One huge benefit is that using this technique is generally less painful than standard hot wax. Since hot wax will also take a layer of skin with it, it tends to be a little more painful. The sugar wax will stick to the hair and dead skin as I mentioned earlier, which is the main reason sugaring is less painful. Anytime ripping hair out is taking place it’s not going to feel good, but at least with sugar wax it will be more tolerable.

You will have the smoothest most fabulously exfoliated skin after you sugar. Since it only sticks to the hair and dead dry skin, your skin will love you! You can skip the razor, or shave periodically. I love a blend of sugaring and shaving. If you get a good rotation going you can sugar once and shave about once a month. Perfect for summer legs!

If you’re in a pinch and you want to buy pre-made sugar, there are many places that supply it. I recently purchased sugar wax from Ulta. This proved to be a little softer than I like, but worked really well with wax paper strips. For a soft waxing technique please see the instructions below.

DIY Sugar wax, how hard can it be? This is something I have always wanted to try out. It's only a few simple ingredients. After a little trial and error, I found a recipe that works for me. Since I live in a warmer climate, I needed a sugar consistency that would not easily melt. I prefer the flicking method for sugaring hair removal.

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/8 c. honey
• 1tbs filtered water
• Juice from 1/2 fresh lemon

1. Mix all ingredients in your pot on medium high heat
2. Stir together and bring to a boil
3. Once it reaches a boil, bring the heat down to a medium/ medium-low simmer
4. The sugar will start to bubble as is boils
5. Stir occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Once the sugar is the color of light honey and you feel it thicken slightly as you stir it, close to the consistency of simple syrup, remove your pan from the heat and allow it to cool.
7. You can pour it in a bowl or mason jar and store at cool room temperature. I poured my sugar into my Mora Ceramics cereal bowl, and allowed it to cool a little before covering it with press and seal.
8. TIP: Be careful not to under or over cook the sugar. Under cooking will leave it softer and a little stickier. Too long and you have something like taffy that will not adhere to the hair and is impossible to work with.

You will need a few items before we begin. Make sure you have an astringent such as witch hazel, cotton pads, latex gloves if you prefer, cloth or paper waxing strips, and corn starch or baby powder.

The astringent makes sure the area is clean and free from oil. The powder makes the surface dry so the sugar paste can stick. You don't have to use latex gloves, but tight fitting gloves make the flicking technique even easier since the sugar paste sticks better to the glove. Your hand may get to warm and cause the sugar to melt between your fingers. 

If your sugar wax is on the softer side or if you prefer this method here are the instructions.

1. Always clean and prep your skin surface with a natural astringent and oil or baby powder depending on your wax instructions.
2. Warm up your wax to a soft consistency, but make sure it is not too hot. Remember what happens when the wax is too hot? Refer to the Benefits subheading.
3. Using a wooden stick, such as a large popsicle stick, apply a thin layer of wax with the direction of hair growth.
4. Apply your paper strip leaving a couple inches that you can hold on to.
5. Remember, we are removing against the hair growth. So for example, if you are waxing your legs apply the wax in the direction of knee to ankle (only a small section at a time until you get used to the technique). Apply the wax strip leaving room to hold the paper in the direction of your ankle.
6. Lightly rub the paper on the wax 3 to 4 times in the direction of hair growth.
7. Hold the skin taut, grab the end of the paper and using a punching action remove in the direction of ankle to knee. Stay as flat to the leg as possible to prevent bruising.
8. Continue until you have completed the area you are waxing.
9. TIP: If you are using sugar wax, you can go over the same area more than once. If you are using standard wax, ONLY go over the area once.

This is my favorite sugar technique. Once you get it down, it is easy to remove most hair with ease. The steps are to follow.

• Clean the area with an astringent such as witch hazel.
• Sprinkle and spread a little corn starch or baby powder on the area. (Not too much) You just want the hair to be free of oil so the sugaring paste will stick to it.
• Grab smaller than a golf ball size of your sugaring paste

• With your fingers slightly cupped in a partial C, mold the sugar paste slowly against the growth of the hair. This is opposite from standard waxing technique. If you mold too fast you will tug the hair. This is uncomfortable, so try to go slow enough that it doesn't feel like you are ripping your hairs out one at a time. You usually only need to mold the same area 1 to 3 times for the sugar to attach to the hair.

• Once you reach the very end of your molding path, straighten your fingertips like you are barely touching the edge of the sugar. Pressure is key here. Make sure you are barely applying any pressure at all, just a light touch. If you press too hard your hand will stick to the sugar. Flick in a horizontal motion. For example, if you are sugaring your legs, mold in the direction of ankle to knee. Once you reach the edge closer to your knee, flatten your hand and flick toward your ankle. If you flick in more than a 45 degree angle, you may bruise yourself or get stuck.

• Keep molding and flicking until the entire surface is sugared, or until your ball of sugar is full of hair and dead skin. If you are wearing gloves, just pull off your glove and used sugar and toss in the garbage. If you are not using a glove, simply wipe off what you can with a paper towel and wash your hands with warm water and soap.
• Another cool fact about sugaring is that even though we mold against the growth of the hair, it doesn't matter so much in the end. If you have a stubborn hair, use a circular molding technique.

• TIP: Remember as horizontal as possible when flicking. Imagine your hand is being drawn in toward your leg by a magnetic pull.
• Once you have finished sugaring, you can clean off the stickiness with a damp warm towel or hop in the shower. The sugar washes right off leaving behind beautiful, radiant, smooth skin.
• Apply an oil or lotion that will not irritate your hair follicles.

Do:

• Make your own sugar
• Remember to hold the skin taut
• Hand is being drawn in toward your leg like a magnet
• Remember that sugaring with the flicking technique is in the opposite direction than standard waxing technique.
• Practice on an easy area such as your arm or leg
• Re-use your ball of sugar until it is full of hair
• Store your sugar at cool room temperature in a sealed container
• Schedule with a professional for those difficult areas
• Let me know if you have any questions about my technique or recipe!

Don't:

• Use wax that is too hot
• Flick upward get stuck and cause bruising
• DO NOT start with your bikini area or underarms since these areas bruise extremely easy
• Share your used wax
• Use your sugar if it is growing mold or is contaminated

I hope you enjoy this recipe along with my sugaring tips. I hope this simple video tutorial will help you get started! Here is the link to a 7 minute step by step video. I am happy to answer any questions so please feel free to reach out to us anytime. Hair removal is part of many of our self-care routines. I hope you hit pause and enjoy taking a little time to exfoliate and get your summer legs ready.

If you are as in love the pictured ceramic plates and bowls as I am, you can find them here on our website.

If you are excited about continuing your self-care journey, check out Alix's blog on Skin Care Ingredients!

If all this talk of sugar made you hungry for something sweet we hope you enjoy our eats and drinks section.

Written by Beth Ann Brommerich