Talk about suffering for beauty—in exchange for a few weeks free of our hairiest responsibility, we’re willing to endure 10 minutes of shock after shock to our most sensitive area of skin (as well as the irritation and dry skin that follow). But there’s actually a much less painful way to get a Brazilian wax, as salons around the country are started to offer skin-soothing, naturally flavored bikini waxes.
We’re not going to go so far as to say alternative waxes are painless. After all, having your pubic hair ripped out is uncomfortable no matter what, points out Jessie Cheung, M.D., director of the Jessie Cheung M.D. Dermatology & Laser Center in Illinois. But hot wax is pretty much the worst. For a point of reference, hot wax is typically a blend of melted wax, including beeswax, rosin, and different forms of glycerin. “Traditionally, hot melted wax is applied to the hairs and after drying, the wax is peeled off against the direction of hair growth. But the hot wax sticks to the skin as well as the hair, so you do have that irritation in addition to the heat and trauma to the follicles,” she explains. (Just beware: A new study found that women who frequently groom their hair down-there are more likely to contract STIs.)
