Sugar Wax DIY: Homemade Recipe & Guide

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Hairy girls know the struggle: 

Removing body hair is all about finding the most tolerable balance between pain, cost, and efficacy of results.

IMO, I’ve always felt like waxing was the lesser of the hair removal evils. 

If you’ve read my beginner’s guide to waxing at home you’ll know that I basically walked out of the womb waxing my body hair.

Now that you’ve got that rather disturbing image branded into your imagination, let me tell you why I- yes me, a self proclaimed hardcore waxaholic- have left my treasured wax warmer and hot wax collection in the back on my closet in favor of something much, much better.

Sugar waxing is the word (errmm, words) of the week, my fine feathered friends, and the sugar waxing recipe I’m about to share with you is a total godsend.

I’m about to let you in on all the reasons sugar waxing is so amazing, and I’m also going to share with you an unbelievably simple (but insanely effective) sugar wax recipe that will show you how to make wax.

Read this Article: Is It Safe to Use Hair Removal Cream During Pregnancy?

I promise to have you on your way to silky smoothdom faster than you can say “hair-free hooha”.

Sugar-WHATing? (what is sugar wax)

Although a hollywood fanny wax is most likely a 20th Century invention, experts reckon sugar waxing dates back as far as 1900 B.C.- making it by far the oldest form of hair removal in the world.

Essentially, sugarwax follows the same principles as waxing:

A sticky substance is applied to your hairs, which is then ripped off in order to remove hairs from the roots and leave skin smooth and fluff-free.

That said, sugaring is different to waxing in a number of very important ways (and if you ask me, these are the differences that make sugar wax so superior to traditional waxing).

Keep reading to find out why.

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Why sugar waxing is sweet AF: Benefits (and a lil’ bit of science)

How much money do you reckon you’ve spent on home hair removal solutions over the years?

Bit of a frightening question to ask yourself (I tallied up a gawk-worthy 5 grand worth of epilators, razors, and waxing products since I was a teenager).

The first piece of awesome news about sugar waxing is that it’s so cheap it’s literally almost free- that is, if you follow this seriously great sugaring wax recipe (no strips needed either – extra saving right there!)

If you’ve read any of my other posts, you’ll know I’m completely obsessed with finding natural, chemical-free versions of common beauty products and cosmetics- which is actually what drew me to sugaring in the first place.

I love that the entire process only uses 100% natural, safe ingredients.

This is especially important for gals (and guys) with sensitive skin:

Waxing can be a serious downer for those who are prone to inflammation, redness, irritation, and ingrown hairs.

Thankfully, these problems are significantly reduced when you ditch the traditional wax kits in favor of the sweet stuff.

DIY sugar hair removal is totally safe for sensitive skin. Not only that, it’s also less likely to damage (or remove! Eeeek) the top layers of your skin the way normal DIY wax sometimes does.

But best of all?

Sugar is actually a natural hypoallergenic. Boom!

On top of all this, sugaring is seriously eco-friendly and it’s a great substitute for wax strips.

Why?

Because no chemicals go into the making of it, and on top of that, you can sugar wax without strips- you just need to get the technique right when pulling it off.

The natural, water soluble ingredients are also really easy to wash off your skin afterwards- and if you’ve ever tried at-home waxing you know that cleaning up the aftermath is usually a total nightmare.

Honestly though, all of the above pales in comparison to this last spoonful of awesomesauce:

Sugar hair removal DIY can actually be far less painful and significantly longer lasting than normal waxing.

In a nutshell, the benefits of sugar waxing are many: low cost, natural ingredients, suitable for sensitive skin, easy to clean, eco-friendly, less painful and longer lasting than waxing.

My experience (which is backed up by similar recounts from literally thousands of other people) has shown that over time, sugaring can result in dramatically reduced regrowth, less painful hair removal sessions, and results that last at least 1 week longer than waxing.

My research tells me that this is due to the fact that sugaring can be done at an earlier stage in the hair’s growth cycle (you can sugar wax when hairs are just ⅛ inch long, compared with ¼ inch for standard waxing).

Removing the hair during this stage of the growth cycle has a powerful effect on minimizing regrowth and- in some cases- discouraging regrowth of some hair altogether.

I sugar once a month now, and by the time I’m ready to do a session only 60% of my hair will have grown back- meaning it’s way more manageable and less painful to remove.

Sugar wax ingredients

Yes, I realize just how ridonkulous it sounds to have such a simple ingredients list, but this is seriously all you need for the best sugar wax:

  • 2 cups white sugar
  • ¼ cup of lemon juice
  • ¼ cup of water

…and boom! Your homemade wax is ready to go.

Note: this sugaring hair removal recipe doesn’t require extra strips.

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Hard sugar wax recipe

How to make sugaring wax, step by step

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  1. Take a heavy bottom saucepan and place it on the stove (or burner, or hot plate. Whatever- just make sure it’s something with temperature control).
  2. Pour in your sugar, followed by the water, and lastly by the lemon juice (I have been asked if you can make sugar wax without lemon, but for this recipe it’s totally key).
  3. Turn on the heat on high and stir constantly, ensuring the ingredients are well combined.
  4. Keep stirring until the mixture starts bubbling (or lightly boiling), then turn the heat down to medium.
  5. Continue to stir the mixture, allowing it to bubble away ever so slightly. If it’s boiling, turn down the heat further- you don’t want the wax to properly boil or burn, otherwise it won’t work.
  6. Once the mixture turns a nice golden color, take it off the heat and allow it to cool. Once cooled, it should have the consistency of a very thick honey. You should be able to take a spoonful of it and roll it around in your hands until it turns into a ball If it’s too runny, pop it back on the stove for another 2-4 minutes.
  7. Once you’ve reached the right consistency, allow the whole mixture to cool for half an hour. Then you can scoop out some of the wax and roll it into a little squidgy ball- ready to use. With this hard sugar wax recipe, no strips will be needed!
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Storage of extra sugar wax

Another thing I love about sugaring is that it’s waste-free!

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Any extra wax can be stored in an air-tight jar in the fridge until you’re ready to use it the next time.

Looking for a new set of glassware containers?

Check out this set to the left!

The wax will harden while it’s stored, so in order to loosen it up to be used the next time you’ll need to add a spoonful or two of water and reheat the wax gently.

Do it on the stove (double boiler style) until it’s the right consistency (too hard sugar wax is basically impossible to use).

Tips on how to sugar wax

  • Apply baby powder to whatever area you’re about to wax before you apply the sugar wax mixture. This will encourage the wax to adhere to your hairs, and not to your skin.

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  • Pull skin taut before you apply the wax, and ensure it stays taut while you rip it off. This will reduce pain and make the wax work more effectively.
  • Apply the wax in the same direction as your hair growth and remove in the opposite direction. (Yes, this is the reverse process to normal waxing.)
  • If you get any sugar wax in places it shouldn’t be (or if you have any stuck to your skin after you’ve finished your session) you can simply wash it right off with warm water, thanks to the fact that sugar is water soluble. Finally- a solution to avoid the nasty sticky aftermath of waxing!

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  • Soothe your skin post-wax with organic, cold pressed aloe vera– it’s a natural anti inflammatory and has really powerful moisturizing properties. Alternatively, sprinkle on some baby powder (this is especially good to do if you’ve just waxed your bikini area and you need to put clothes back on straight away).
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Bottom line?

Sugar waxing is an absolutely awesome way to achieve long-lasting, super smooth, hair-free results.

The benefits of sugar waxing speak for themselves:

  • Eco-friendly & totally natural wax (strip free waxing)
  • Easy clean-up
  • Can be made 100% at home
  • Effective on short hairs
  • Cheap to do
  • Long lasting results

I mostly love the fact that with sugar waxing, you don’t need to wait for your hairs to grow as long as you would with traditional waxing. This means you stay totally hair-free like 90% of the time without ever having to shave again- winning! 

Hard sugar wax is also amazing because it doesn’t require strips (a soft sugar wax recipe will need strips though, so keep that in mind).

This sugar wax DIY hair removal recipe will have you smooth and silky in no time at all.

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DIY ain’t your thing?

Don’t sweat it!

If you don’t want homemade, look into this easy made-for-you sugar wax kit!

Happy hair removal!

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The Easiest Sugar Wax Recipe Out There

   About the author Alyssa Kaye

Author Alyssa

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!