For Christmas, Mr. Snow gave me a gift certificate to a local spa. Being the thrifty person, I decided to save it for “pre-wedding pampering” (at least, that’s what Martha Stewart told me to call it in her suggested budget). I imagined an Aveda facial, Caribbean pedicure, or deep tissue massage a few days before the wedding. Ahhhh….
Yeah. That didn’t happen.
While my “pampering” took place in a serene room like this:
source
The treatment itself was anything but serene.
Yes, fellow pampering comrades, three days before the wedding, I “pampered” myself with my first leg+bikini+arm wax.
And I (barely) lived to tell the tale.
No, no. I’m making it sound so horrific for dramatic blogging effect. Honestly, while no Caribbean pedicure, it wasn’t *that* bad.
I will also say that I’m not a total waxing novice. I have had facial and bikini waxes before. I’d always been intrigued by the idea of not having to shave for weeks and even attempted it at home in ninth grade to disastrous results.
I decided the wedding was a good enough excuse to torture pamper myself with the full waxing adventure (minus the excursion to Brazil… I’m brave, but not that brave!).
Now, I’m too much of weenie blogger to ask to take pictures during a waxing appointment (creeeeepy…), but I can tell you all what I learned and offer some information and tips if you too decide to wax yourself into oblivion a few days before your wedding.
1. You have to grow out your hair for AT LEAST three weeks. Longer if you can stand it. Not such a big deal for arms or areas generally covered by clothing, but, because I’m regular leg-shaver, this was a challenge for me (especially when, while attending a BBQ a few days before the waxing appointment, a friend’s one-year-old niece hovered around my legs most of the night, petting my downy leg fuzz… kids keep you honest!).
2. The appointment takes about an hour. Yep. Mentally prepare yourself for having hair stripped from your body for. an. hour.
3. It hurts. But not as bad as you anticipate. The only place that brought tears to my eyes/made me have to stop chatting with my esthetician was the lower half of the calf. Honestly, by the end of the appointment, my endorphins were in such overdrive, I hardly even feel any of it (which is why I can say that arm waxing was the easiest… it came at the end)
4. It isn’t cheap, but it isn’t unreasonable either. I paid around 100 dollars at a very chichi salon for everything.
5. Wear something that covers the waxed area if you’re going anywhere other than home after the appointment. You will look a little like you’ve broken out in the pox for a few hours after the appointment. I forgot this important detail and had to walk around a rather busy section of downtown looking afflicted.
6. Everyone says to take a couple of ibuprofen prior to the appointment, but I didn’t (b/c I forgot). I was fine, but I can’t see it hurting anything.
7. Go to a nice place for your waxing appointment. Not only do you get to have hair ripped from your body while you lounge on a comfy spa bed and serene music plays, but you see the difference in hygiene practices. Hot wax + intimate body parts = not a place you want compromise on safety or hygiene (you can literally lose the top layer of your skin if the wax is too hot).
8. Go to an experienced waxer. I paid a few extra to have an “experienced” esthetician. They know the best directions to pull hair, how to keep the conversation rolling, and how to wax fast. Speed and lots of talking are key in this kind of “pampering”.
9. Exfoliate before and after the appointments. Use a somewhat intense (ie. salt scrub) exfoliant a few days before the waxing appointment (not the day before or the day of… it can irritate your skin too much). Use a gentle exfoliant afterward to help with avoiding ingrown hairs during regrowth (I just use a washcloth, but my hair’s pretty fine and straight).
What do you get after this hour of, uh, intimacy with a stranger and endorphin-producing pain?
Well, I didn’t have to think about shaving during my wedding or my honeymoon. Actually, at three weeks post-appointment, I can still get away with not thinking about shaving because only the teeny tiniest fine hairs have started to grow back. If I could afford it, I think I could become a full-on waxing convert.
Anyone else have waxing tips or tricks?
This article was originally posted onWeddingbee.
