Making the Perfect Sugar Wax

For the longest time, I didn’t have to shave. My body hair was there but not at all noticeable. It wasn’t until late high school that I noticed my body hair, specifically my leg hair and how much I had. I distinctly remember wearing shorts to school one day and looking around at my female classmates’ legs. They were so smooth and shiny but my legs were neither smooth nor shiny. In fact theya were hair and dry.

I went home that day and took my dad’s 3-blade bic razor that he used to shave his beard and shaved my legs. Finally, my legs were so smooth and shiny! The next morning while getting ready for school, I lotioned my legs and immediately felt pricks. It was like running my hand up and down a cactus 🌵. Upon closer inspection, I saw that my hairs were already starting to grow back despite having shaved just yesterday.

Frustrated, I started googling different methods of hair removal and stumbled upon sugar waxing, the most affordable and efficient way to remove my long leg hair. The sugar wax itself was made of ingredients I already had at home: sugar, lemon, and water.

I had to wait 2 weeks before my leg hair came back before I could make my sugar wax. I followed the recipe using the video above but I would be lying if I said that it was a success. I set the heat too high and the mixture ended up boiling over. The remaining amount of sugar wax ended up being super stiff, almost like taffy.

Since then I have made a lot of sugar wax and I have found that for my perfect consistency I should bring my sugar wax up to 250°F to 255°F. And while I don't get it perfect on the first try I have definitely learned some tips and tricks to help you make the best sugar wax.

1. Use a candy thermometer but don't rely on it: a candy thermometer can be useful to help you get your wax to the right temperature range but it can also be misleading. There have been times when I have made sugar wax to the exact temperature range that I need, but the wax still sometimes comes out too liquidy or too stiff. I have found that in addition to using the candy thermometer, I also use the water test. The water test is simply dropping a bit of sugar wax into a bowl of room temperature water. This allows you to see what the sugar wax will be like at room temperature. 

2. Don't be afraid to just add more water: as mentioned before, I have overcooked my sugar wax one too many times. When the mixture loses too much water, it the sugar wax become very stiff and difficult to mold onto your skin. When this happens simply add a quarter cup of water and stir on medium high heat.
   
   

3. Oil your container: before you pour your hot wax into your glass container, wipe the inside with a little bit of oil. I use vegetable oil, but coconut or any non comedogenic oil should be okay. This keeps the wax from sticking to the inside of the container, making it easier to remove when you are down to you last bit of sugar wax. 

With these 3 tips in mind, I wish you the best of luck with making your first batch of sugar wax. Happy waxing!