How to Wax Your Chest Hair

Okay, guys. Here's the straight-up truth: Waxing your chest hair is never going to be a *fun* task. It's not like masking or getting a facial, after all. But, if you want to make the process as painless as possible, there are ways to make it more bearable. 

While shaving might be easier, waxing removes the hair from the root itself, thus making it last much longer so you can be hair-free for weeks at a time—which is ideal for summer if that's your jam. 

What You'll Need

• Wax warmer
• Wax for your hair type (note: soft tea tree wax works great for coarse hair and pimple prone skin)
• Pre-wax cleanser
• Baby powder, cornstarch or pre-epilation powder
• Muslin or Pellon strips
• Wooden applicators or popsicle sticks
• Wax remover for the skin (you can also use fragrance-free body oil)
• After- wax lotion, or aloe-based gel
• Tweezers

How to Wax

Once you've got everything you need and you've washed your hands, it's important to make sure your hair is the right length to wax. It needs to be at least one-fourth inch, but no longer than a half-inch. If it's longer than that, use hair clippers with a one-fourth guard so that it trims evenly.

First things first, cleanse your chest with a gentle soap, pat it dry, and then apply your pre-wax cleanser with a cotton pad.

Next, use a wooden applicator or popsicle stick to spread the wax evenly in the direction of hair growth in somewhat small sections. The wax should cover the hair, but you don't want it to be too thick. (Side note: Avoid your nipples if you know what's good for you and use a trimmer in that area instead.)

Now, apply the Pellon on muslin strip in the direction of your hair growth while leaving some leftover that isn't attached to any hair so that it can act as a tab. At this point, remove the wax strip by holding your skin firm with one hand and grabbing onto the tab to quickly remove the strip in the opposite direction. This should be one swift motion, otherwise, it's going to hurt more and create breakage. If a small amount of wax with hair remains, though, simply place the strip back on and remove again. 

Once you've removed the wax, a way to relieve some of the pain is to simply press your hand (clean or gloved) against your skin. From here, you'll want to repeat the whole process and then use tweezers to remove any strays. Do not apply wax over the same area twice or you may end up with severe redness, inflammation, or burns. To help calm the skin, apply your soothing after-wax lotion or an aloe-based gel. 

If you're worried about the pain being too much for you, try applying a numbing spray or cream like the GiGi Anesthetic Numbing Spray for Sensitive Skin; these can be game-changing when it comes to enduring the pain factor of waxing.