How Long Does Waxing Last?

Waxing helps in the removal of hair from the roots and may last as long as 3 to 6 weeks. However, how long it takes for hair to regrow depends on many different factors (that vary from person to person).

Hair Growth Cycle

There are 3 main stages of hair growth cycle: growing phase, resting phase and transitional phase. At any given time, approximately 80-90% hair follicles are in the growing phase, 2-3% are in the transitional phase and 10-15% are in the resting phase. Most probably there are always some hair present under the skin which have not reached the surface or are above the skin surface but are not long enough to be clasped.

Therefore, waxing may not remove these hair and in the next few days or weeks you may observe visible resurfacing of those hair on your skin.

Personal Hair Growth Cycle

Different areas of the face and body have different timing and frequency of hair growth and most of the hairs don’t spend the same time in the same phase, or even in the same area of the body. An important role is played by age, season, hormone levels and genetics in the growth of the facial and body hair. Older people have a low rate of growth of hair as compared to younger individuals. Therefore, younger people comparatively need to get waxed more frequently than the older people.

How Often You Wax

Individuals who choose waxing or other invasive processes usually have damaged hair follicles that affects the regrowth potential of hair. Additionally new hair are usually finer and lighter. Continuous waxing can even slow or stop the growth of the unwanted hair.

Other Factors

Temperature and type of food you eat interestingly affect your hair growth. These are two primary factors that may influence the hair growth potential. Hair growth decreases at lower temperature or cold season while it grows much faster in higher temperature zones or warm seasons. That’s the reason why many people prefer to get themselves waxed in the cold season.

Foods that are rich sources of Omega 3 (like salmon, nuts and beans) also promote hair growth massively. If you consume a lot of omega fat-rich foods, you may require to wax more frequently.

Will the Hair Grow Back Thicker?

A lot of people may complain that waxing may lead to thicker hair, which is not true. Apparently you gets used to hair-less skin and even the finer hair appear like a big pain. With continued waxing, the new hair are thinner, finer and lighter. The hair growth may even stop with long-term waxing.

Will I Get Ingrown Hairs?

It may happen because waxing removes the hair from the body (including the root and the complete follicle). In response to waxing, the skin naturally becomes hard and thicker on the areas that are waxed. Therefore, you must keep your skin much hydrated and exfoliated.

Tips:

• A gentle scrub may help in the exfoliation of skin.

• A mixture of tea tree oil and lavender oil helps a lot in exfoliating the skin.

• After wax, some skin care solutions may be helpful in preventing ingrown hairs and bumps by razors.

Does Waxing Hurt?

The level of pain depends on how sensitive your skin is to the discomfort, stretching and pain. It also depends on the thickness of your hair follicles. The pain is not unbearable in most cases, but obviously pulling out a thick hair won’t be comfortable.

Will My Skin Become Red and Irritated?

It depends mainly on the sensitivity of your skin. Some people have no irritation signs at all while others develop noticeable marks or even lesions on the skin. Redness of skin and formation of bumps over the skin after waxing is fairly common in sensitive individuals. These marks and signs of irritation usually disappears within about 24 hours.

How Long Does My Hair Have to Be?

Hair equal to the length of 1/4 inch is mostly preferred for a long lasting result but 1/8 inch would also do fine.

Other Precautions You Need to Keep in Mind

• Always remember that you are in the most sensitive condition before and during menstruation. Therefore it would be better to avoid waxing during that time.

• Being pregnant is one of the conditions that increases your sensitivity in terms of pain and reflex (due to high vascularity of skin). So it is better if you take extra precautions during this phase as well.

• Before making an appointment, let your waxing assistant know if you have a known history of allergies to certain waxing creams or gels. People with diabetes or users of Accutane, Retin or people with certain specific skin problems must speak to their primary care providers before choosing waxing as the preferred hair-removal method.

• Do not drink alcohol or take stimulants like caffeine before getting yourself waxed as these stimulants may affect your skin turgor and eventually waxing accuracy by tightening up the pores.