Before you dive in… If you want to find out exactly how to prep your skin to achieve amazing results with at home wax products, check out my beginner’s guide to waxing at home.
Keeping facial hair under control can be a friggin’ nightmare.
I know all about it, with my Middle Eastern genes (the eyebrow game is strong, but so are the sideburns and moustache… *sob*).
I’ll never forget that horrifying day during my 14th year on this earth, when my grandmother of all people brought to my attention the fact that I had a rather noticeable dark fuzz taking root above my upper lip.
Like, wait a minute.
Aren’t grandmothers supposed to be the ones sporting the dodgy facial hair look? Good lord, that was once role reversal game I was not feeling hot about.
Anyway, being the modern, fabulous woman that she was, my grandma drove my sorry 14 year old ass down to the pharmacy in her bright yellow convertible (yes, really. She was 74 at the time) and showed me where to find the wax strips.
That day was, as they say, the first day of the rest of my life.
Since then, I’ve spent years scouring the market for the absolute best facial waxing products out there.
Why facial wax strips might just be the solution to (many of) life’s problems
If you’re the sort of gal whose unruly face has decided- entirely of its own accord- to sprout some obnoxious little hairs, then you’ve probably tried a few different ways of covering them up, disguising them, or getting rid of them entirely.
Let’s run through the options a little bit:
You can do what my 8th grade classmate did and wear an extra thick layer of foundation on your face in the hopes of camouflaging your facial hair (I said that you can, I didn’t say that you should… not unless you want to look like the Wooky figurine at Madame Tussauds).
You can whip out the tweezers and try to pluck the hairs away. But this is only really a viable option if we’re talking about a few single hairs. Any more than that and the process takes way too long and is ultimately pretty ineffective.
You can bleach facial hairs, which makes them virtually invisible (as long as the hairs in question are quite fine and short, e.g. upper lip hairs). But if the hairs are thick, long, or densely packed, this won’t work well.
You can use hair removal cream on your face, but personally I’ve never been a fan of using such strong chemicals anywhere near the part of my body that I use to eat food… Just sayin’. Plus depilatories are definitely not cool to use on your eyebrows.
Then there’s face waxing, my personal favorite method of facial hair removal.
Read this Article: Does Home Laser Hair Removal Cause Cancer?
Here’s why waxing facial hair rocks
No matter what form your facial hair woes are taking- be it chin, lip, nose, cheek, eyebrow, or sideburn hair- facial waxing can sort out the problem.
- It’s an extremely versatile method of hair removal. A single serving of facial hair wax can work wonders on multiple areas of your face. Me? I do my eyebrows and my upper lip in the same session, which means I rock perfect brows and a smooth upper lip for nearly 4 consecutive weeks after!
- That’s the other thing I love about facial hair waxing: the results are so long lasting. Waxing involves pulling hairs out from the root, which for most people lasts anywhere from 3-6 weeks (8 weeks if you’re insanely lucky).
- Not only that, but you also avoid the nasty stubbly effect that comes with shaving. In turn, that usually means you greatly reduce your risk of inflammation, folliculitis, and ingrown hairs.
- But best of all, facial hair waxing is super economical. Once you get the technique down right, you can do all of your own treatments at home with a single product, at a fraction of the price you’d pay for all of the salon treatments.
But if you don’t know what you’re doing, the results can go pear shaped pretty quick.
Thankfully, there’s only a few simple things you need to know about to make the most of waxing your face. Let’s go through them now:
Tips for How to Wax Facial Hair (Like a Pro!)
- Waxing for face starts with skin care: Waxing can be pretty abrasive, I mean- it literally rips hairs right outta their hair holes, and often takes a few skin cells with it. Make sure your skin is in the right condition before you attempt to put any of the hot n’ sticky stuff near your face. That means no broken skin and no acne. If you’ve done a facial peel recently, better wait a few days until the normal thickness of your skin has been restored, otherwise your risk damaging the upper layers of your skin.
- Keep it clean, yo! Thoroughly cleanse your skin, ensuring you remove any excess oil, dirt, or makeup before you start (the same goes for your hands). Don’t do any harsh exfoliating directly before your wax though, try to do this the day before- otherwise your skin might be extra sensitive.
- Apply wax in the direction of the hair growth, and remove in a single sharp motion in the opposite direction.
- The angle that you remove the strip at is extremely important: It should be peeled straight back at an angle close to the surface of your skin. Do not rip it off at a 90 degree angle; you’ll be more likely to break the hairs, when what you really want to do is remove them from the root.
- Don’t be tempted to wax the same area more than once: You can end up damaging your skin pretty badly if you do this. You might be able to get away with it on your legs or your arms, but facial skin is super sensitive, and much thinner than the skin on the rest of your body.If there are still some stray hairs left after you remove the wax strip, you’re better off tackling them with a pair of tweezers. Your skin will thank you!
- Post wax care is simple, but important: Cool down warm, sensitive skin with some aloe vera gel (go for an unscented, 100% organic version like this cold pressed aloe vera gel from Amara). Put it in the fridge the night before for extra cool loveliness!If you’re really prone to sensitive skin and you’re afraid you might end up with some serious redness, you can always opt for the heavy duty pharmaceutical relief. Gently dab on some hydrocortisone cream and you’ll be good to go! (I have a tub of CeraVe’s dermatologically tested 1% hydrocortisone cream in my cupboard at all times- just in case).
Now you know how to wax your face, let’s get familiar with the best facial wax products on the market right now:
5 Best Facial Wax Products that are on the Market Right Now
Comparison Chart
Hard Wax Kit: Face, Underarms, Bikini Hair Remover – Brazilian & Bikini Wax Kit – Wax Hair Removal For Women – Specifically For Coarse Hair – At Home Waxing Kit With Hard Wax
1. Best All-Purpose Facial Wax: BodyHonee All Natural Hard Wax for Face
BodyHonee have been absolutely rockin’ the hair removal scene for the past year with their extensive line of waxes and sugaring kits for the body and face.
I have been having consistently great success with their brazilian sugaring kit for the past couple of months (and have been wearing lots of teeny tiny hot pants to celebrate said success). So when I saw that the same brand have a wax designed especially for facial hair, I was keen to try it out.
In actual fact, the manufacturers claim this wax can be used on the underarms, bikini line, and face. Basically, it’s designed to be great at gripping onto coarse, short hairs- which makes this one of the best face wax kits for gals who are looking to get on top of a couple pesky chin hairs.
It’s a hard wax, which means no strips are needed. You just heat the wax up (in a warmer or microwave) and, using a wooden spatula, spread a medium to thick layer of wax onto your skin. Wait for it to firm up, then swiftly rip it off in the opposite direction of your hair growth.
I used this on my sideburns, and it was literally a miraculous experience. Every. Single. Hair. Came off at the same time. I had never waxed my sideburns before, so I didn’t realize what a difference it would make to the profile of my face. But now, every time I see myself in photos I remind myself to never go another month of my life without doing this!
Two thumbs way, WAY up for BodyHonee.
Pros
Cons
2. Best for Sensitive Skin: Gigi Tea Tree Creme Wax
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of all of Gigi’s products (if you want to know which of their wax kits I think are the absolute best on the market, check out my waxing kits reviews).
This creme wax is honestly one of the brand’s best products, but it’s still not that well known… Yet!
One of the biggest problems people run into when they try using hot wax on their face for the first time is burning. If you don’t have a good temperature gauge on a wax warmer, then you run the risk of heating the wax up too hot… And burning the crap out of your facial skin when you put it on.
That’s what’s so amazing about this creme wax: it melts at a much lower temperature than other waxes, meaning you totally eliminate the chance of burning your skin.
How amazing is that?!
Extra bonus points to Gigi for this tea tree version of their natural creme wax. This one is anti inflammatory and especially soothing on skin that tends to get irritated easily.
Plus the “creme” factor boosts the moisturizing properties so your skin feels amazingly smooth afterwards! It’s easily one of my favorite facial waxing kits for sensitive skin.
Pros
Cons
3. Best for Eyebrow Waxing: No-Tweeze Classic Remover Wax
No-Tweeze is a pretty small scale brand compared with the big kids on the block like Nad’s and Gigi. Nevertheless, this wax pretty much sets the bar for professional eyebrow wax kits that can be used at home.
Actually, this wax can be used all over the face, but I think it works best when used as an eyebrow waxing kit.
The first reason I was drawn to No-Tweeze Classic Wax is because it comes in a little metal tin. I’m big into reducing my own personal plastic footprint this year, and since most wax kits come in some form of plastic packaging, this is already a great alternative.
But as my Momma told me that time when the very weird, very unattractive young man from the supermarket asked me to go to the movies with him… “it’s what’s inside that counts”.
Well, it might not have made a difference when it came to poor ould Benji the checkout guy, but it is true of facial wax.
Good news! Not only is the tin 100% awesome sauce, but the wax inside is A1 too. The formula is totally natural, which you can see as soon as you take off the lid. The wax is a warm, yellow color- the way beeswax is.
All you need to do is heat it up in a wax warmer (or a little crock pot filled with water on the stove) and use it as you’d use any other hard wax. No strips needed!
Pros
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4. Best for Convenience: Gigi Hair Removal Strips for the Face
Overall, I always feel like hot wax is superior to cold wax strips. IMO, hot wax just does a better job of grabbing hairs- from the little wispy fine ones to the atrocious big black ones.
That being said, there’s a time and a place for hot wax- and the front seat of a moving vehicle definitely isn’t it. Nor is it in the bathroom of that guy who took you home from the bar at 3 am.
Sometimes, ease and speed are top of the priorities list- and that’s where these Gigi waxing strips for face play their part.
There are tons of brands that make similar strips, but Gigi is always my go-to. This pack comes with 12 back-to-back strips and a little bottle of soothing post-epilation cream.
It’s perfect for tucking into your cosmetics bag and taking with you on the go! It’s also ideal for girls who travel a lot.
Pros
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5. Best for Nose Waxing: Nad’s Nose Wax Kit
Nose hairs… it’s not exactly the most seductive topic of conversation in the world. But hey, we all have ‘em! For the lucky among us, nose hairs remain inside the nose and out of sight. For everybody else, there’s Nad’s nose wax kit.
Nose waxing can be tricky business. It’s not exactly a great idea to go poking around your nasal cavity with a hot, sticky pokey device in the best of situations (I mean, it is the road to your brain, basically). Thankfully, if you’ve got some ‘stray soldiers’ sticking out of your snozz, this wax kit will sort it out.
The applicator is shaped in such a way that it’ll just remove the long, visible hairs at the base of your nostril, but the important ones further up won’t be affected. It’s super easy to use, and in my experience it’s virtually pain free.
Plus the wax is infused with chamomile and aloe, which is great for avoiding irritation- especially for us sensitive skinned folk.
Pros
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So Which One is the Best of the Best?
Waxing your face might seem like a daunting task at first, but once you know the tips and tricks that we went through in this article, you should already know how to wax facial hair like a pro.
Kitting yourself out with the best products is half the battle! With any of these 5, you’ll quickly be on your way to hairless perfection:
It’s pretty hard to pick a single best facial waxing kit, because each product has its own merits. The best product for you will depend on your own individual needs.
However, if you’re looking for one single product that’ll tackle a mix of facial hair problems, the BodyHonee Hard Wax is the best one on the list, in my opinion. The best part is you might end up using it on your bikini line and underarms too! Win-win.
Happy hair removal!
About the author Alyssa Kaye
Alyssa is a young, professional blogger living in Hoboken, NJ. Thanks to her Middle Eastern heritage, Alyssa is no stranger to unwanted hair. She has tried every laser hair removal product on the market in a quest to find the best!
Check out our other articles on at-home waxing
Full Beginner’s Guide to Waxing at Home5 Amazing At-Home Wax Strips (That Really Work!)Looking for the Best Waxing Kit: My Top 10
