With the summer season approaching, it may be time to get out all your bikinis and sleeveless tops so that you can hit the beach and soak up the sun.

The summer is when it is hottest and you might be tempted to wear as little clothing as possible, which could be a problem if you have a lot of unwanted hair on your armpits that may have an unattractive appearance. While armpit hair is something that everyone experiences, it doesn’t make you feel any better for not taking care of it.

If you are tired of shaving your underarms every couple of days and experiencing the little red bumps that shaving leaves behind then it might be high time for you to try a different method of hair removal and one that has longer-lasting effects – waxing.

Why Should You Wax Your Underarms Instead Of Shave?

While waxing may not be as quick of a solution as shaving, the process removes hair from the root which means that the hair will take between 2-4 weeks to grow back, compared to the shaved hair that grows back within a couple of days, if not the very next day. So it might be a good idea to spend a little extra time with one wax than have to endure shaving every other day for the next six months.

Waxing also leaves your skin feeling very smooth since the hairs were removed entirely, instead of only being cut at the surface. The hair that grows back after a few weeks will be new, meaning that it will not have the sharp and coarse texture of a hair that was shaved.

Over time and after several wax treatments, the hair will grow back thinner, slower and lighter in color. This is due to the fact that the constant removal of hair from the root will diminish the hair follicle over time.

The risk of accidentally cutting yourself is non-existent when you wax, not to mention the fact that you don’t have to worry about red bumps that appear after shaving since bumps are unlikely to form when you wax.

Preparation For Waxing Your Underarms

In order to ensure the smoothest outcome, it would be best to prepare your underarms before waxing them immediately. Waxing should not be done on a whim so that you don’t have to deal with any unnecessary side effects.

Firstly, you should gently exfoliate your underarms before waxing, preferably a day or two beforehand. Exfoliation is the removal of dead skin cells around the hairs with a scrub or loofah. Make sure to be gentle when scrubbing because if you are too harsh, you might irritate your skin and leave behind a rash that could make the experience of waxing a more painful one.

Secondly, you should clean and dry your underarms before every wax treatment. Use soap and water to remove a natural oil and sweat produced by the skin, as well as any dirt or residue that could be on the surface. The wax will not stick to the hair if any of these are present, so make sure to clean the area.

Wax will also not stick to wet hair and skin; therefore, you should dry your underarms with a towel before applying the wax. Another thing you can do to make sure your underarms are dry and clean is to apply a bit of cornstarch to absorb any oil or moisture that could have been left behind. The drier and cleaner the area, the better the wax will stick to the hairs for a more successful outcome.

Lastly, if your armpit hair is a little too long, like more than a quarter of an inch, it would best if you first trimmed it a bit before waxing. You can use a trimmer, or small scissors if you don’t have a trimmer, to shorten the hair length. Waxing long hair can be more painful and it can also prevent you from getting the best results.

How To Wax Your Underarms

One of the biggest problems with waxing your underarms is the direction of the hair growth. Unlike other areas on your body, armpit hair tends to grow in different directions, but this is not the case for everyone. If your hair grows in the same direction, you can remove all the hair in one go. However, if your armpit hair is growing left, right, up and down like most people’s, then you will have to apply the wax one section at a time.

Wax should always be applied in the same direction as the hair grows, and then removed by pulling it in the opposite direction. One reason why it should be done in this manner is to ensure that all the hair in that section is removed in one pull. You should never wax the same area twice because this can irritate the skin, so you better do it right the first time around.

Raise your arms up high so that the hair is properly exposed for the wax to stick to them. When you pull the wax off, try to pull your skin taut with the same arm that you are waxing, while removing the wax or wax strip with the other hand. Pulling the skin taut helps remove the hair from the skin.

Make sure that each pull is quick and swift. This is not only to make sure that you get the best results for smooth, hairless skin, but it also reduces the amount of pain you will experience.

When you are done waxing, it is very likely that there will still be a few hairs left on your underarms. As said before, waxing the same area more than once is a big no-no. So, simply grab your tweezers and pluck out those stubborn hairs. It won’t hurt so much as long as you pull your skin tightly.

What To Do After Waxing

Clean any leftover wax residue using wet wipes. It is normal for your skin to have a red appearance and feel sensitive to the touch, so avoid wearing anything for a while. Lastly, continue exfoliating on a daily basis to prevent any ingrown hairs.

And that’s it! Easy-peasy. It might be a bit challenging for first-timers, but you will get the hang of it over time until waxing becomes a normal part of your maintaining your appearance.