Is sugaring the sweetest way to fuzz-free skin?
Organic, less painful and irritating to the skin, it’s small wonder ‘sugaring’ is starting to rival waxing as a method of hair removal.
Sugaring is similar to waxing as a way to defuzz, and is enjoying a revival in beauty salons due a move towards “cleaner beauty”, according to beauty expert Emily Capper.
“People want to know where beauty products are coming from and what is in them,” says Emily, of Melbourne salon Beauty Science.
“I think that will play a role in the popularity of sugaring this summer.”
What is sugaring and how does it work?
Sugaring uses a sticky paste of lemon, water and sugar or lemon, honey and sugar – that’s it – and it can be applied to any part of the body where you’d usually use wax.
It’s used at room temperature and removes hair and dead skin cells.
“Skin has to be dry and oil-free and a light dusting of talcum powder helps – but not too much,” explains Emily.
“For the legs, we use a plum-sized ball of the mixture and apply it up the leg a couple of times – as if kneading the mixture into the skin.”
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Whereas waxing requires heat and is removed with strips of cloth or a stick, sugaring only uses the paste.
“It’s applied in the opposite direction of hair growth,” says Emily.
“The sugar seeps into the hair follicles, then we use a quick flicking movement to flick the sugar paste down the leg in the direction of the hair growth. This removes the hair follicle.”
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Sugaring v waxing: Pros and cons
Because sugaring ingredients are natural, it’s ideal for anyone with sensitive skin.
“It’s generally not as painful as waxing because of how the sugar mixture is applied and removed,” explains Sia Psicharis, of the Hair and Beauty Industry Association.
“Sugaring picks up finer hairs you can’t easily see.
“It also leaves skin feeling hydrated and if you shower afterwards, any remaining sugaring just washes off whereas remnants of wax can be harder to remove.”
But waxing is cheaper and while it can be more aggressive, it is quicker than sugaring. It may also be more effective if you have coarser hair.
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Can you DIY sugaring?
If you are used to waxing, then you may want to try sugaring yourself.
But Emily recommends practising on a small area first and suggests getting a treatment done professionally to see how the sugaring mixture is removed.
“Watch your therapist and ask for a few tips in learning how to flick the sugar paste,” she says.
Written by Sarah Marinos.
