<\/p>\n
It depends on what feels more approachable to you. Wax strips don\u2019t need to be heated, saving you time and the risk of accidental burns, which is why Dr. Rastogi prefers them for at-home use.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Alba and Coppola make a case for hard wax, which you need to heat up and spread onto your skin yourself. \u201cHard wax wraps around the hair rather than gripping the skin, so you get far less pulling on the surface and much less irritation, especially in delicate areas,\u201d Coppola says. Just remember to test the temperature of the wax on your wrist before applying it to a larger area. If you have any hesitance around trying hard wax at home, visit a licensed hair removal professional instead.<\/p>\n
Finally, regardless of your preferred type of wax, check the kit\u2019s ingredient list before you use it, especially if you have reactive skin. Most waxes use rosin, beeswax, or a combination thereof for their base, but some also contain fragrances, dyes, or essential oils that may cause irritation.<\/p>\n
The week before you wax, stop using products with retinols or retinoids on the targeted area. \u201cThese ingredients can make the skin more susceptible to skin lifting, irritation, and even burns during hair removal,\u201d Dr. Rastogi says. A day or two beforehand, gently exfoliate the area. The day of, keep your skin dry and clear of lotions, oils, or deodorants to ensure the wax sticks and lifts off properly, Alba says.<\/p>\n
For wax strips, your hair needs to be at least two millimeters long in order to effectively wax it. For hard wax, it should be a quarter of an inch long, or about the length of a grain of rice, Alba says. Coppola emphasizes the importance of your waxing technique. \u201cKeep your hand close to the skin and pull parallel to it, against the direction of growth,\u201d she explains. \u201cNever [pull] up and away,\u201d she adds, because that can lead to bruising.<\/p>\n
After waxing, show your skin some TLC. Apply moisturizer to keep it hydrated and support the skin barrier, Dr. Rastogi says.<\/p>\n
When Allure<\/em> tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that\u2019s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.<\/p>\n And for our reviews of the best at-home wax kits, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, cosmetic chemists, and makeup artists with a range of experience studying and using these products. Testers considered performance across four primary categories: efficacy, texture, experience, and formula. For more on what’s involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.<\/p>\n A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure<\/em> wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors\u2014in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon\u2014is essential to reaching that goal.<\/p>\n After all, can we really<\/em> say a skin-care product is the \u201cbest\u201d for people over 50 if the only testers we\u2019ve solicited opinions from are folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it\u2019s never been tested on curls? We\u2019re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Frequently asked questions What type of wax is best to use at home? It depends on what feels more approachable to you. Wax strips don\u2019t need to be heated, saving you time and the risk of accidental burns, which is why Dr. Rastogi prefers them for at-home use. Meanwhile, Alba and Coppola make a case […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beauty"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sasgai.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Our staff and testers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n