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| Sugar wax, finished cooking |
When I was a kid, we had a neighbor, who, according to legend, removed body hair using sugar, lemon, and water. I never believed such a ridiculous sounding assertion until I was much older and read up about sugar waxing- the traditional hair removal method that involves caramelizing sugar with water and lemon to make a taffy, which attaches to your hairs and pulls them out by the roots. I looked up recipes for sugar wax online, but all of the ones that I tried were terrible, and either didn’t harden and I was just left a sticky hairy mess, or they hardened at too high a temperature, leaving me with burns and pulling up layers of skin in my attempt to remove hair.
Miles away from my hometown, I recently bumped into my old neighbor who gave me her famed sugar wax recipe, and lo and behold- it was a keeper! This recipe is sticky enough to pull out hairs, but hard enough that it dries and doesn’t stay on you… and works at cooler temperatures so you don’t burn yourself or pull off layers of skin!
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| Sugar mixture- not ready yet. Note it’s still clear. |
Sugar Waxing
Ingredients
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup water
2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
1. Mix together water, sugar, and lemon juice in a small pot.
2. Heat on a high flame until the mixture boils.
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| Now it’s ready- note the golden color beneath the bubbles. Time to turn off the flame. |
3. Stirring occasionally, heat on a medium flame until the mixture turns a golden brown. This step may take a while. It took me between 20 and 30 minutes when I timed it this afternoon. It will bubble up somewhat while cooking- if it starts boiling over, lower the heat.
4. When cooked, pour into a microwavable container. A silicon baking dish is the best option because it is flexible and non stick and will allow you to work with the sugar wax more easily.
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| Sugar wax, once the flame was turned off and bubbles disappeared. Ready to cool down. |
5. Let the sugar wax cool until it has hardened a drop. This will take a bit of trial and error until you figure out the perfect temperature and texture that is easiest for you to work with. The edges of the sugar wax will cool and harden before the center, so keep that in mind when deciding where to take the wax from.
6. Rub the sugar wax on your skin, let it cool and harden for a few seconds, then rip it up. (Here’s a video of someone waxing. Her recipe is a terrible one though! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK0TOZoAp-8&feature=related)
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| Spread in a silicon dish, cooled and ready to be used. |
7. When your wax hardens too much to be usable, heat it in the microwave to get it to the right consistency again, and repeat.
(You can put the hairy sugar wax back in the microwave to remelt and reuse. It’s ok!)
Notes:
Sugar waxing must be done on cleaned and dried skin. Dead skin cells and or sweat will cause the wax to not work properly. You may want to rub the skin with a small amount of corn starch or baby powder before waxing for best results.
This wax will work on most hair types, from unwanted facial hair to arm or leg hair to bikini lines to underarm hair.
This will hurt a little bit, as it pulls hairs out by the roots, but it will take longer for the hair to grow back, so hair removal needs to be done less frequently. The more often you remove hair from the roots, the less sensitive your nerves will be to it.
If the wax is too sticky, stick it back in the pot to cook a little more.
What type of hair removal method do you use? Do you wax? Have you ever sugar waxed? Would you ever try it?
I have tried it 3 times today!!! So, frustrating! Well, the first time I tried to build the ball and play with the wax so I can use it without the strips and it was impossible. The wax stuck all over my hand and it was more of a use for strips.
The second time, I waiting till it turn to more dark brown and I put it in the fridge. Waited till it is cool and then took it out. Seemed hard enough to play with it and I tried to stretch it. It stucked on my skin but not even a hair got removed. Disappointed as it dried very fast and I throw it away.
The third time, I used brown sugar to see if there is any difference. Did not work at all.
:(((( please help!
Some tips to avoid crystallization: put your water in the pot before the sugar, you don't need to stir but if you want to do as little as possible, can be helpful to have a bowl of water and a pastry brush close by to brush down the splatters on the side (these can crystallize and fall back in causing the rest of the mix to crystallize). Also having a silicone mat is really useful when cooling down sugar (you can get them really cheap)
Ugh…I am not having any luck with any sugar wax that I try. This is the third different batch that I tried in one day and none of them worked. I thought for sure I cooked this one perfectly. I got some hair pulled out, but it wouldn't stay tacky enough to use more then once or twice. Granted I haven't shaved in three years, but it's not thick and fairly sparse. I really hate not having a tub.
I've read that you can use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon but not regular vinegar
My wax turned into stone after cooling 😢😢😢
Hi I'm used to doing eyebrows would this work for upper lip hair Removal? If so how long does it last and how often do I have to do it for? I'm also sensitive skinned.
Hi I'm used to doing eyebrows would this work for upper lip hair Removal? If so how long does it last and how often do I have to do it for? I'm also sensitive skinned.
Mine also 😂
Mine also 😂
What can you do with the batches that don’t turn out right? It feels like a waste to just throw it way or wash it down the drain. Is it safe for animals to eat? I was thinking maybe using it to make a fun little bird feeder
I'm sensitive skinned,is this gonna leave marks or anything?
I'm sensitive skinned,is this gonna leave marks or anything?
If you use cloth strips can you wash them and reuse them another time ?
If you use cloth strips can you wash them and reuse them another time ?
what if the result is really dark in brown?i used white sugar.
what if the result is really dark in brown?i used white sugar.
This worked like an absolute wonder for me, every time. You just have to figure out exactly at which point to take it off the fire, and keep it dry after. Moisture destroys its consistency. There is very little discomfort and a few minutes after completion, no redness on the skin at all either. Thank you so much!!!!!!!
This worked like an absolute wonder for me, every time. You just have to figure out exactly at which point to take it off the fire, and keep it dry after. Moisture destroys its consistency. There is very little discomfort and a few minutes after completion, no redness on the skin at all either. Thank you so much!!!!!!!