Can somebody tell me WHY in the world women go to a salon and get the unwanted hair RIPPED off of their faces with wax--instead of just shaving painlessly and quickly?

I’m niether a woman nor waxer, but doesn’t waxing leave a smoother, longer lasting result than shaving?

Because it lasts longer and grows in less and better with a wax.

You’re talking about the white downy fuzz, right? Why would you even want to shave it; it’s cute! If not, then ^

Shaving it is going to make it stubble just like a man’s face. The more you wax, the softer the hair gets & in time, it thins out. Also, your skin will adapt to the waxing so that it won’t hurt so bad. Hang in there. It really IS the best way to go. Take my word for it. You don’t want to shave it.

Wow, it really did not hurt that much for me the first time. After the first couple of times it didn’t hurt at all. And it does last longer than shaving does.

@eambos Yes, you’re right on both counts.

Like some have said above shaving creates stubble and red bumps where as wax gets it all and quickly. There is pain envolved but after awhile u get used to it.

@dutchess12 I agree w/ miasmom above ^^^^^. Further, I would suggest that it is a waste of money to go to the salon and get this done….A tub o’ wax costs about $4 and you get dozens of uses….all without making an appointment or leaving a tip.

jbfletcherfan is right. There’s no way I would shave at this point. If you take 2 ibuprofen about 20 minutes before you go, it should be a lot better. A skilled waxer with good technique also makes a difference.

After getting fed up with waxing, I tried the shaving route at one point for those pesky chin whiskers and a little patch at the corner of my lip, thinking I was so smart. (Some patches are not just fuzzy and not at all cute, especially as you get a bit senior.) OMG, what a mistake. Not only did I get the visible stubble, and the thicker, coarser growth (because it takes off everything—even those that were not bothersome—and now they grow back with a vengeance) but, horror of horrors, I cut myself and wound up with a little Band-Aid on my chin that screamed shaving cut.

It got worse. I was in the hospital for some surgery, and I couldn’t get out of bed to take care of myself. It grew out to a wicked stubble. Humiliating. Then as soon as I could get up, I wobbled to the bathroom and tried to shave without any shaving cream. I was very weak and clumsy and gave myself not only a raw red rash but also a nasty gash on the chin.

I think it was after having to do a job interview with a sore red patch on my throat that I called “enough.”

So then I went to an electrologist for a long time, never sure if it was a con job or not (if it’s “permanent,” why do I have to keep going back again and again?), in between times just snipping with scissors, which is what she told me to do. Then she moved her office, and it was too far for me. I quit going and instead got hold of a pair of tweezers with a little built-in LED light. I use an enlarging mirror and put on my strongest reading glasses and go to town. I think this method works as well as any, a lot cheaper and with a lot less nuisance, and it hurts less than either waxing or electrolysis.

@Jeruba Wow, I really feel for you.

@Jeruba Oh wow! The things I’ve learned on this question! Thank you. What I don’t understand is why, if it always grows back thicker and thicker, that my legs after all these decades don’t look gorilla-like! I’ve always questioned that. I know it seems like it’s growing back thicker, but I’ve always thought that was because the stubble was easier to feel than grown out hair….I’ll have to check it out! Thanks everybody!!

@Jeruba I’m sorry, honey, but I’m laughing out loud here. What a Kodak moment!

I’ve done my own waxing for years & years. I have the heater for the hot wax. A big can of wax will run you over $15, but it lasts & lasts. And you have to buy the muslin strips, too. I first started out with the wax you microwave, but it kept cooling off & I’d be running back & forth. It you get it too hot, it’ll burn the be-Jesus out of you!

But I’d definately say make the investment in all of this & learn to do it yourself. You’ll be much happier with the results.

@Jayne ;
you must be very young. As we get older we long for that “white downy fuzz.” Wild crazy whiskers began to pop up in my late 20’s and my wax girl has made a fortune every since. Even electrolysis couldn’t kill the stubborn boogers.

@Jeruba ; Now that’s being vulnerable to the whole world, telling that story on the Internet!

@Jeruba And @ all you guys…btw…this whining and moaning and crying over getting waxed—comes from a woman who gave birth to two babies without a drop of drugs of any kind! LOL!! I guess it’s all about how important IS this, really!
@Judi have you seen that funny that shows up every now and again about the gal who wanted to wax her bikini line….and got stuck to the tub and all that? It’s freaking hilarious!

@Judi; I guess I was assuming from the avatar that the questioner was young as well. Perhaps not.

Hair does not get thicker or more dense if you shave it. The reason it appears thicker is because when you have a clean cut across the hair, it has more surface area. Think of it as a tree stump. Waxing or tweezing removes the entire hair instead of just chopping it off. It takes longer for a follicle to produce a new hair. When new hair grows, it has a tapered end, so it isn’t as noticable as a shaved hair.

@Jeruba – major lurve!

@elijahsuicide Excellent info that deserves more than a whisper

:)

@Snoopy Well I just figured since it wasn’t an actual answer to the question, I would whisper. That and I like tiny words.

I think if I shaved the outline of my eyebrows, I’d look silly. I wax them every two-three weeks lol.

Ya know….sometimes, it’s more pleasant to have those little hairs yanked from the face, instead of being at home when everyone is going crazy. Today, would have been a fantastic day to be at a salon, getting whatever unnecessary hair ripped out of whatever place, necessary. Tired, grumpy family. Blah!

Best, silliest and most articulate question of the day! (imho)

Lurves ya!

KrystaElyse just had her eyebrows threaded, and told me it was a great alternative to waxing. My skin is super sensitive, and I have a lot of trouble with the waxing… but I still do it from time to time. Mostly, I just use tweezers. I’m going to look into getting the threading done.

@augustlan : My skin is super sensitive too. But I go to a salon with a special “green wax” that contains aloe vera. The wax is not that harsh on your skin, plus it hydrates it. Ask for it the next time you want to get something waxed. Its definetly worth it.

@May2689 Can you buy it at beauty supply stores?

@augustian what exactly is threading?

Here is a short video that explains it pretty well.

I’ve tried threading. It was the first time I actually let someone do my eyebrows (I prefer doing my own) and she made them too thin. It was pretty painless, comparable to tweezing.

@elijahsuicide ‘eyebrows too thin’ is exactly why I do them myself. Salons make me look like a circus freak. The few times I have had them done, they make them waaaaay to thin, despite my requests not to do so….

Their idea of thin and my idea of thin are two different things apparently. Single hairs in a line is too thin.

I use stuff from Sally Beauty supply. $4. No muslin required. As jbfletcherfan mentions, you do have to be careful how much you heat it in the microwave, before applying….

This is too funny. I’m doing my waxing right now. Anyone want to come & line up???

@jbfletcherfan I wish I was close enough to come get mine done, they really need it.

@chyna Me, too. We’d just have us a party.

@jbfletcherfan I have this image of Lucy and Ethel, but instead of stomping grapes, we’ll be waxing facial hair with all the silly facial expressions they used to come up with.

@jbfletcherfan : Hmmm I dont know… Best if you ask the next time you go to the salon!!!

@chyna Oh, that’s a good one. They must not have done that back then, or they’d have had a show about it, LOL. Lucy would have gotten poor Ricky involved in it somehow, taking off a strip of his hair!

@May2689 I don’t go to a salon for that. I do it right here at home.

@jbfletcherfan : Hmmmm, let me ask around where do they buy this wax and I’ll tel you immediately. Is amazing, I swear!!

@May2689 Great! Hopefully at Sally Beauty Supply.

@jbfletcherfan GET AWAY FROM ME!!!

@elijahsuicide Thank you…those were my exact thoughts. If shaving really made hair grow in thicker, in two weeks my legs should therefore look like Chewbacca’s legs!!