What You Need to Know About Waxing 'Down There'

Waxing is a great way to get ready for the wedding and honeymoon. With a wax right before the wedding, there will be no need to shave throughout your honeymoon, and you can feel comfortable in your bikini (no fear of hairs peeking out). Gone are the days of shaving. (Besides, nothing ruins the look of a cute new bikini quite like razor burn.) So to get us all prepared for waxing 'down there,' I sat down with Noemi Grupenmager, Founder and CEO of Uni K Wax Centers, to get the 411 on waxing.

Photo Credit: Victoria's Secret (Dream Angels Lace Babydoll)

How soon before the wedding would you get waxed?
For those who have gotten waxed before, two days before your big day is ideal. If you have never waxed before, it is recommended that you schedule an appointment about ten days before the wedding date, then come in for a touch up two days prior to the date.

When it comes to waxing, what is the difference between soft elastic wax and traditional hard wax strips?
According to Noemi, "Strip wax, applied hot, is the most popular wax used and makes for a tedious, slow and painful procedure, often leaving the skin feeling sticky and irritated. Hard wax strips are also applied hot and soon cool to break and crack, making the wax difficult to remove and reducing hair removal efficiency. Elastic wax, unique to Uni K Wax, is applied at body temperature, allowing the wax to stretch and remove hair from large areas without strips, causing less of a pull to the skin." Having experienced both hard strip wax and elastic soft wax, I must concur: soft wax is the way to go. Soft elastic wax was truly a (relatively) painless experience.

What is the difference between bikini line, deep bikini and full Brazilian wax? Which style is the most popular right now?
A bikini line wax removes hair from your panty line. If you like a full area of hair but contained to the bounds of the panty area, this is the waxing style for you. A deep bikini wax is a waxing style that removes hair about two fingers in from the panty line. The deep bikini is great because women can wear a bikini or other underwear and not worry about any stray hair escaping from the side of the panties. A full Brazilian wax doesn’t just remove hair from your panty line — it removes hair from the entire front of the bikini area, leaving your skin bare, hairless, and soft to the touch.

Should you trim before getting a bikini or Brazilian wax?
The optimal length for the hair to be when getting waxed is one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch. You can trim to accommodate this length if you prefer, but make sure to not trim too short. The longer the hair, the better, enabling the wax to wrap around the hair for a more efficient removal.

How long before hair grows back and you need another wax?
How fast hair grows back — and how fast it grows back on different parts of the body — depends on the person. Every person’s hair grows at different rates, but typically, our customers come back to wax every four to six weeks. Also, one of the greatest benefits of waxing is that you remove unwanted hair from its root. This results in less re-growth over time.

When selecting a waxing center, what questions should you ask to ensure you getting waxed in a clean, safe environment?
A waxing center or salon should always be kept clean, and proper sanitizing procedures should be followed. Make sure the waxing center/salon has only licensed and trained employees working for them. Things such as wax type, post-wax procedures, and so forth are also great questions to ask when deciding on a place. At Uni K wax centers, we provide each customer with their own wax warmer with wax made just for their service for them — we don’t have wax warmers sitting in the room all day that everyone uses. After your service, the leftover wax is thrown in the trash, and the warmer thoroughly cleaned and disinfected ready for the next customer service.

Any other tips for our readers?
There are many benefits to waxing, especially for a bride. After having a full Brazilian bikini wax, you will notice the wonderful feeling certain fabrics feel on the waxed bikini area; for example, silk lingerie feels wonderful. Also, another benefit for a bride on her wedding night, when she is alone with her new husband, is the extra intimate feeling you experience from having all hair removed in the bikini area — it is skin on skin and heightens the senses. To heighten the senses for both, have your husband-to-be come in for a gentle full Brazilian bikini wax as well, and he will also feel the sensation of bare skin on bare skin.