Bikini Wax - Painful?

[Jambalaya]

I've never had one. Ever. Maybe that's why I'm divorced. Anyway, in case I ever did want to consider it (and I'm not, by the way) I'd like to know: Is it painful? And also, are you completely naked down there while the tech does it? And how long do they last?

I'm just curious.

 

[E B]

Yes, it's painful. I guess it depends on your pain threshold, but I've birthed three children and I still find it painful. And not in the, uh, areas you'd think. I think that if you want a basic, bathing-suit line wax you may be able to wear some type of underwear, but I never have.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Yes. They are ripping the hair out by the roots. You are naked from the waist down with a towel/sheet over you though there is little modesty. I am allergic to wax so it isn't worth it for me. Good luck! Do yelp reviews to find a qualified place.

ETA: Hard wax is better and less painful. Bikini line was the least painful part for me which kinda defeats the purpose of a wax.

 

[Jambalaya]

Thanks, both!

Tacori, I'll tell the friend on whose behalf I'm enquiring that you wish her luck!

 

[Jambalaya]

And, erm, friend would like to know about the experience if you have the full monty - as in, everything removed. What shall i tell her?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I get terrible rashes so I gave up on them. Tell "her" to take an advil 30 mins before and practice deep breathing. She'll need some zen. Luckily it is fast and I find we can tolerate anything for short amounts of time.

 

[Jambalaya]

Where have all the emoticons gone? I'm so not used to the new PS.

Thanks Tacori! Friend is very grateful.

 

[E B]

Yes, some sort of pain medication before does help before. You know the 'landing strip' that some women keep? That's the most painful part to have waxed, IMO. The parts that make it a true brazilian (the, uh, back included) aren't as bad as you'd think.

 

[E B]

I tried not to get too graphic. I think I failed.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Aloe also helps to soothe after. I also used ice (not kidding). They also suggest using a sugar scrub prior and she should trim if her hair is long (will hurt less). They need the length of a rice for the wax to hold on. I did lots of research beforehand because I was so anxious. As for how much to get off, that is a personal choice. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer.

 

[Jambalaya]

My friend thanks you for the advice, but she says she's just seen a video of the procedure on YouTube and has decided to wear jeans for the summer!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Awww....like I said it is fast and if I wasn't allergic I could see suffering 15 minutes every few months. Trimmers are a good alternative.

 

[Matata]

I had the full monty 2x -- well, I kept a landing strip in the front -- so a 95% monty. The first time I followed the esthetician's instructions to take 2 Advil and apply No Scream Cream an hour before the appointment. I was dreading doing it but curiosity prevailed. I had no pain at all. Encouraged by this result, I did it again a few months later following the same instructions and it was so painful I almost told her to stop halfway through. Maybe I should have for the artistic merit of being bushy on one side and bare on the other. Anyway, I never did it again. Now I use a cream hair remover and do it at home.

 

[sonnyjane]

Not to be too TMI but I've gotten by just dandy for the last couple of decades with just shaving. I have a friend that runs a studio and even she says it hurts like heck so I have no desire to try when shaving just takes a minute and is fine for my lifestyle.

 

[Resonance.Of.Life]

I don't get waxed, I get sugared. Doens't hurt, it just feels like ripping off tape off of skin.. doesn't rip out skin. Never got an ingrown from it either. I suggest exfoliate the day before going.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/...oval-treatment-pain-what-is-it_n_7697128.html

 

[arkieb1]

Perhaps using a laser might be another option and yes that hurts like the Bezezus too.

 

[Austina]

I don't do Brazilian, just a tidy up wax, tops of legs, inner thigh and enough to wear a swimsuit. I've never had to strip, they just tuck tissues in to panties to reveal what needs waxing.

Yes it hurts a bit, but nowhere near giving birth to a baby with a big head

 

[rainydaze]

Lol, love her solution (jeans)! Yes, it hurt like heck but it's over quick. Some areas had me tearing up. Even so, I'd say it's worth it, but the two times I tried it, I broke out in a horrible, painful rash that took weeks to clear up. THAT'S the part that sealed the deal that I will never do it again, not so much the pain.

 

[ringo865]

I must be weird. Or old. Or both. I don't do anything, 'cept occasionally trim the middle tuft to keep it from curling into trouble.

 

[missy]

I must be weird. Or old. Or both. I don't do anything, 'cept occasionally trim the middle tuft to keep it from curling into trouble.

Lol no!
I have never waxed or sugared or anything like that. I just keep it nicely groomed with a trimmer. And no thanks to going bare. There's a reason we have hair and I like mine thank you very much. But people vary and whatever works for you and your partner. It's all good when it comes to that.

 

[ringo865]

#pheromone
#scenttrap
#dontforgetthatwearemammals

LOL

 

[PierreBear]

This thread was too fun to read... since it's sorta on topic, I hope Jambalaya you don't mind me asking on this thread as I would be too embarrassed to create a specific thread for this.

For the ladies who do your own clean up with shaving - do you get tiny red bumps and future growth becomes itchy? Also the hair just becomes really coarse if you trim it down. I don't have this problem with leg hair though. Perhaps my hair down there is extra resilient or is this common?

 

[Puppmom]

I've had waxes and laser. Waxing hurt like heck and the results were very short lived for me. They say 6ish weeks and I had a rash for a week followed shortly after by sprouting hairs.

I was pretty hairy - seriously no gap between ankles and top of underwear. Shaving made me itchy and waxing wasn't much better. I literally couldn't get an entire week's vacation of wearing a bathing suit in before I had obvious growth.

I got laser hair removal about a year ago and couldn't be happier. It hurt but less than waxing and so far, so good. I cannot tell you how good it felt last summer when I got home from work and my kids asked to go the pool and I could say, "Let's do it!" Years previous, I would stress out about anything requiring a bathing suit (or even shorts!).

ETA - I left everything a regular bikini bottom covers. I agree that's there for a reason!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I must be weird. Or old. Or both. I don't do anything, 'cept occasionally trim the middle tuft to keep it from curling into trouble.

Not weird at all, I trim it in the warmer months but in the winter I figure it's cold out and it serves as a mini coat for my lady parts lol!

 

[telephone89]

I much much prefer waxing over shaving, and am not a candidate for laser (light roots).
I get the 'full monty' (LOL) regularly, probably every 2-2.5 months. The hair growth back (for me) is slow and patchy. So it doesn't always look like it does in 'those movies', but its still much better. Shaving for me is a) a ton of work to do, and you need to do it often and b) always leads to ingrowns and bumps. I stopped waxing regularly for the sake of cost (it adds up!), but went back to it because I hated shaving lol. I'm just lazy, so shaving every day/other day or even once a week was too much. (yes I'm that lazy). So 1 wax every 2 months? Sign me up
I also do a lower leg wax, and I find the lower leg hurts 10x more. They do very small strips during a bikini/Brazilian wax, on your leg they do big ones!

That said, depending on your hair type it can hurt more. It will also ALWAYS hurt your first time. Those roots are big and deep and you're ripping them out. Over time the roots get smaller and less 'rooted', so it hurts less. Even after I stopped for a while (like a year) and went back, it hurt again.

 

[Kbell]

Not to be too TMI but I've gotten by just dandy for the last couple of decades with just shaving. I have a friend that runs a studio and even she says it hurts like heck so I have no desire to try when shaving just takes a minute and is fine for my lifestyle.

Ditto this. My best friend does the waxing... she does her own at home. The 1st time she did it at a salon like 2 decades ago she showed me these horrible white bumps she got from it... but it couldn't have been so terrible since this is still her preferred method. I just shave it all off...it's easy & clean & I'm not very hairy anyway. Maybe hair there would help me if I were running around in the wild naked but I'm never doing that so...

 

[Kbell]

This thread was too fun to read... since it's sorta on topic, I hope Jambalaya you don't mind me asking on this thread as I would be too embarrassed to create a specific thread for this.

For the ladies who do your own clean up with shaving - do you get tiny red bumps and future growth becomes itchy? Also the hair just becomes really coarse if you trim it down. I don't have this problem with leg hair though. Perhaps my hair down there is extra resilient or is this common?

I don't get red bumps or itchy... maybe once a year I'll get an ingrown? But this probably depends on hair type? It's not really coarse... I also have very fine soft leg hairs... like I can easily go a week without shaving & no one would notice... And my body is used to it.

 

[ac117]

#pheromone
#scenttrap
#dontforgetthatwearemammals

LOL

OMG you literally had me in tears here at work

 

[ac117]

I'm in the shaving camp but have had the full monty done for special occasions and yes.it.HURTS!!! As EB said, the 'landing strip' is brutal lmao....I've also had a few laser session and that also hurts!! The laser treatments thinned my course hairs but I never finished the sessions so I still have normal growth. In the warmer months, I actually like to pluck the bikini area myself with tweezers (yes, my husband thinks I'm nuts...he can't even handle when I take out an ingrown from his neck/beard area!!)...doesn't hurt me at all....and just shave the rest.

 

[SMC]

I think it is partially dependent on how much hair you have in that area - more hair, more pain. When I get one, I remove everything. I prefer sugaring to waxing too, as that's less painful from my experience. I don't have a lot of body hair, so I find the pain manageable. However, my hairier friends have told me they take an Aleve or Advil 30 minutes to 1 hour before their session.

Yelp is your friend in cases like this. I prefer to go somewhere that specializes in hair removal and has lots of good reviews. You want someone who knows what they're doing!