Weird and wonderful waxing

We all have hair, whether that’s on our heads, legs, faces, arms, underarms or pubic regions. It’s there, and if you are like me, you may wish it wasn’t. You may struggle to find the time every few days to shave the black stubble that continues to make you insecure when wearing shorts, skirts, or strappy tops. You may have to quickly shave your armpits before going out with friends or to play in a netball match, afraid of what people will think if they see that dreaded dark patch.

People have called me a gorilla before. Why do I mention this? Am I saying the only reason I decided to wax was due to peer pressure? No. Absolutely not. I mention this to inform you that these comments meant and still mean nothing to me. I decided to wax because I wanted to, for myself and no one else. 

If you love your body hair but feel pressured by others to remove it, I want you to stop reading this article. You are beautiful. Do not listen to them, they are probably just jealous of how gorgeous and confident you are. Own your body, own how it makes you feel and please, please don’t give in to hate.

I’ve been shaving for four years now. Sitting in the shower, the bath, on the bathroom floor, even my bedroom floor (I do not recommend this, the cream stains) and frantically running the razer along my leg was not fun, but it was necessary. It was necessary for my confidence because no matter how many times I’ve been told that no one cares, I would still rather smooth than stubbly arms and legs. 

Of course, this is just my personal preference and if you prefer to embrace your body hair then I have absolutely nothing against you! Everyone is entitled to do whatever they want with their body, as long as it doesn’t harm them. 

A few weeks ago I decided that enough was enough. My mum went and bought me two packs of wax strips and last night, I sat on my bathroom floor rereading the instructions for the millionth time, trying to prepare myself for, well… I didn’t really know. 

Peeling apart the two wax strips, tapping one with my finger and realising just how sticky it was, applying it to my leg, rubbing it in a downward motion to ensure it was attached to every hair possible… these weren’t the scary bits. The scariest part was the fear of not knowing what I was doing and having no one there with me as I sat and stared at the strip on my leg, knowing eventually it would have to come off. I wish I had asked my mum to support me as I did it for the first time and, when you first wax, I would suggest having someone there with you to reassure you.

When you wax for the first time, you will be scared and that’s in no way a bad thing. Your brain is screaming that you are being mad, the wax is going to rip your skin, you have a razor and you should just use it instead. Usually, I’d say to listen to this part of your brain (aka listen to your common sense) but in this situation it is actually doing more harm than good. Try to think about something else, maybe focusing more on how the wax looks and feels, rather than letting your brain worry you into oblivion. It isn’t going to help you and will only make you more nervous.

That first strip is the worst and, to be honest, once it’s off, your leg will sting a little but, the pain isn’t that bad. At all. Ignore that episode in ‘Friends’ when they scream in pain; it was for comedic purposes, nothing else. I promise. For each new strip I found that counting helped me a lot, otherwise I would’ve sat contemplating it for the entire night. 1...2…PULL! Just like that, it’s over. Well, the first one anyway.

What surprised me most was how satisfying I found waxing. If you are into ASMR then it’s honestly just another reason to give it a go. From the slow and incredibly satisfying pulling apart of the two strips, to the patch of hairless skin, if you view it with that mindset, you may even enjoy yourself (I know I did!).

There are also a few other small things I am inclined to mention, mainly because the instructions I used didn't explain these parts very well. First, you need to make sure when you pull on the tab, you are pulling AGAINST the way the hairs are growing (so up your leg) and as close to the skin as possible. 

You want it to be fast, the skin around your leg to be tight (either tense your muscle or just pull your skin taut) and when your legs are covered in little red bumps, don’t be alarmed. This is simply your blood rising and asking your skin what on Earth just happened. It does not mean you’ve done something wrong, it’s just your body’s natural reflex to the sensation of hair being ripped out of your leg. 

When you look at the strip after shaving you may notice some of the hairs have a darker black bit at the end of them. This is where you’ve pulled up the root of the hair. Once again, this should not alarm you. In fact, it’s a good thing and means those hairs will take longer to grow back!

Annoyingly, the wax won’t pull up every last hair. Now, I didn’t know this, and felt thoroughly ripped off when my mum said i would have to wait a few days for those hairs to grow a bit longer, and then try again. 

So, that was my waxing experience. Was it terrifying? A little bit. But, more importantly, was it worth it? 100%. I believe in you and I know that if I can do this, so can you. Don’t let your body hair define nor dictate how you feel. If you want it gone, get rid of it. If not, I want you to own it and if someone makes any kind of comment towards you, ignore them. You are strong, you are powerful and their comments do not define you.

I hope this helped :) Have an absolutely glorious day my beautiful reader xxx

• Chloë
  

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