How to Care for Skin After Sugaring

Body sugaring is an ancient method of removing unwanted hair. In fact, it has been around for almost as long as humans have been grooming themselves. In sugaring, hair is pulled out by the root with a thick mixture of sugar paste. The paste hardens over the hair and sticks to it, much like wax. However, unlike wax, sugaring leaves behind no sticky residue. Though it's gentler than waxing, sugaring can still cause some skin irritation immediately after the process. That's why it's important to learn how to care for skin after sugaring.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Body or face lotion
• Icepack
• Towel

1. Look for redness or swelling on areas of your skin that have been sugared.
2. Notice whether you feel any stinging or soreness on sugared areas of your skin.
3. Rub a small amount of body lotion into any red or sore areas. Lotions that have naturally soothing and cooling ingredients work best. Look for lotions containing cucumber, green tea, mint or chamomile for best results.
4. Care for irritated areas on the face with face lotion. This type of lotion is more delicate than body lotion. You should also look for face lotions with cooling ingredients.
5. Use acupressure. Simply press your fingers firmly over irritated areas. Keep the pressure up for 2 to 5 minutes or until you start to feel better.
6. Wrap an icepack in a towel and apply it to any areas that are swollen or that don't respond to lotion treatment. Press the icepack firmly against the skin for a minimum of 10 minutes or until the swelling and discomfort start to subside.
7. Splash some cold water on any sore or irritated areas. This works particularly well on the face and after an icepack treatment.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't simply ignore any irritation or swelling, hoping it will go away on its own. It's important to take proper steps to care for your skin after sugaring, so that rashes and unsightly red bumps do not form. If you experience redness, swelling or irritation after sugaring, that does not go away within 15 to 20 minutes or that seems to get worse as time goes on, make an appointment to see your doctor or dermatologist right away. You could be getting a skin infection or experiencing an allergic reaction to the sugaring. The likelihood for such a reaction increases when you use commercial sugaring mixtures rather than making your own.