The Biggest DIY Waxing Mistakes You're Probably Making

Not Having Enough Hair

Hair growth needs to be about 1/4" long to be grasped and uplifted by wax. Just because you can see or feel the hair does not mean that the wax can get ahold of it. Hard wax may be able to attach to hair a bit shorter, but there's more of a learning curve to getting the application and removal technique down.

You can wait until it gets longer, or opt for threading if it's facial hair. Sugaring paste may be able to lift shorter hairs on the face and body.

Not Keeping Wax Warm Enough

Plenty of at-home waxing kits contain microwavable wax. It's convenient and significantly less expensive than buying a separate wax warmer. Unfortunately, microwaves don't always heat the wax evenly. Since the wax isn't on a continuous heat source, it'll cool off. Wax that isn't meant to be used cool won't spread or remove hair well if it isn't warm enough.

If you're waxing a sizable area, be sure to keep checking the consistency. Microwave as needed. If it gets too hot or runny, let it cool first. If you plan on waxing a lot, warmers are a great investment.

Not Holding Skin Taut

When you're pulling the strip off, the skin should be held taut, which means it should be stretched tight when the wax is removed. When skin is held firm, there's less tugging. Contrary to popular belief, it may not be the actual hair coming out of the follicle that causes pain and redness, it could also be the tugging on the skin.

Hold skin with your free hand when removing the strip, or ask for help when you can't (like when waxing your arms).

Not Prepping Skin

Prior to waxing, skin first needs to be cleaned of dirt, oil, and makeup. First of all, soft wax will be repelled by grime, instead of sticking on hair. Secondly, there may be a greater chance of missed hair, breakage, post-wax irritation and pimples. Fortunately, cleaning is simple to do. If something to clean skin isn't included in your kit, a cleanser like GiGi Pre Hon is easy to find at your local beauty supply store. If not, at least use gentle soap and water.

A light application of powder (for soft wax) or pre-epilation oil (for hard) after the skin is cleansed and dried, is another great prepping step. They both work with their particular kind of wax to buffer the skin, which allows for the best possible results.

Putting on Too Much Product

It's easy to be seduced into thinking "Let me really coat this on so I can get every hair." Really, you should just be applying a thin layer of wax—enough to cover the hair, no more.

If too much wax is swiped on, there'll be ​a greater chance of wax staying on the hair when the strip is removed. It also will probably hurt more or cause bruising, and there's an added chance of breaking hair above or below the skin's surface.

Removing Wax Too Slowly

The strip needs to be removed quickly in one motion from one side, across, and past the other side. Your natural reaction will be to hesitate, go only so far, or pull upwards instead of all the way over to the other side.

Do some practice pulls without the wax—just using the strip—to get the feel of the movement. Or, ask for someone to help. They'll probably have less hesitation when ripping off the strip than you would.

Thinking It Will Be Easy

The process doesn't look that difficult, right? You swipe some wax over hair in the direction of growth, put on a strip and pull it off in the opposite direction. Well, the techs only make it look fairly effortless. In reality, it's not that easy. The techs have gone to school, gotten a license to perform services, and have experience behind them.

You need some practice to get the technique down. If you don't give up, you should be able to learn to wax some parts of your face or body.

Of course, if you would rather not be bothered, then make an appointment. And remember, you should always leave a Brazilian to the pros.