I heard of sugar waxing from a friend, an ultra-DIY friend, that is. She made just about everything herself, from kimchi to clothes, so it didn’t surprise me that she made her own hair removal too.
Yes, ‘sugar wax’ is a misnomer. It is not really wax, but used like wax anywhere you would normally wax or shave (or Nair, for those of you stuck in 1995).
Sugar wax is incredibly simple and cheap to make. It only requires sugar, water, lemon juice and strips of cloth. It keeps plastic razors out of landfills and, unlike home or salon waxes which are made from various industrial chemical products, sugar wax is made from food and can be rinsed down the sink without guilt.
I decided to try it out myself and was pleasantly surprised with the results. It was really effective at removing the hair, and hurt less than I anticipated. At first I thought the sugar wax I had made was too thick because it was a difficult to evenly spread on, and decided to add a little more water into the mix. Bad idea – it should be thick. The more watery mixture didn’t adhere to the hair, and I spend the another 30 minuets simmering more sugar to my mixture to get it back to where it was.
Before trying this, I had never experienced waxing of any kind. What I heard about it was true: your legs stay smooth for 3-4 times longer than shaving.
Flour sack towels work really well, but I bet old T-shirts or sheets would as well. Just make sure that you have a variety of sizes, from 2 -6 inches, about 1 – 1 1/2 inches wide.
I found a few recipes online, and decided this one was the best:
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- Add ingredients to a sauce pan and stir continuously on medium-low heat to dissolve the sugar and thicken the mixture until it is ooey-gooey and rich brown.
- It took about 5 minuets to get it to the candy-like consistency needed for good results.
- Turn the heat off and let the mixture cool significantly to warm, not hot, for at least 10-15 minutes. Pour the mixture into a small container with a lid (for easy storage later).
- Lay a towel under your work area. Spread the sugar wax in the same direction as hair growth with a butter knife. I found it worked best in 1 inch wide by 3-4 inch long sections. It should be laid on fairly thick, because if it is too thin or thick the cloth will not adhere. Place the cloth strips over the sugar-slathered area and press firmly. After 30 seconds to 2 minuets, quickly pull the bottom of the strip to remove the wax and the hair. Use your other hand to anchor and stabilize the skin while you peel the wax off.
- When you are done, soak the used strips of cloth in warm water so they will be easy to wash and reuse next time. Wash the area with soap and water to remove any sugar wax residue.
- Store any leftover sugar wax in the fridge, tightly covered. Reheat it in a hot water bath or microwave to use again.
awesome! Thank you!
I much prefer inofrmative articles like this to that high brow literature.
I love this recipe. If it is your first time making it (like me) you will have to play around with it a bit as far as how long to cook it. The first batch I made was too light and too sticky and my hair wouldn’t stick to it. The second batch I made was rock hard lol. I am now on my third batch and it is perfect. It’s a dark golden color in my mason jar (a bit darker than honey but not as dark as syrup). I cooked it on a gas stove on high until it got all bubbly and then on med-low until it got goopy thick and dark gold. It is less painful than waxing. I like the rolling method as far as removing the hair goes. I spread it on with a sturdy butter knife, let it sit for a sec and roll it off. I can use the same piece about four or five times! I am going to be brave and go for the bikini and underarm area and face next! Happy savings to all!