So...Is Sugaring Really Less Painful Than Waxing?

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While some have been embracing their natural body hair over the past few years by growing out underarm, leg, and swimsuit fuzz, others still want silky smooth skin, either from head to toe or just in certain areas. That’s where sugaring hair removal comes in.

Maybe you’ve heard about this technique recently—it’s certainly being offered more frequently in spas, and entire studios dedicated to this service have been popping up alongside standalone waxing and threading centers. The hashtag #sugaring has over 1.4 billion views and counting on TikTok, and all of this isn’t without good reason. As it turns out, sugaring can be a fairly gentle, cost-effective, and natural way to remove body hair, and that’s why the internet’s buzzing about it.

Exactly what is sugaring, though, and why might you choose it as your preferred method of body hair removal? If you’re looking to learn a little more about this ancient-meets-modern practice and understand why it works and how it's different from waxing, you’re in the right place. Here, you’ll find the pros and cons of sugaring, what to expect in an appointment, how to keep up your results, and more, so you can decide whether this method may be right for you.

Meet the experts: Anthea Talamaivao is an esthetician at PENELOPE and the Beauty Bar in Seattle, Washington. Daria Nartov is the founder and CEO of SugaringNYC.

What is sugaring?

“Sugaring is another form of hair removal,” says Anthea Talamaivao, an esthetician from PENELOPE and the Beauty Bar, a Seattle, Washington-based spa. “Instead of the traditional waxing method, the sugaring paste is literally made out of sugar, water, and citric acid (lemon juice) and removes the hair with the hair growth.” Though many people think sugaring is a new technique, some form of this method actually dates back to ancient Egypt.

According to Daria Nartov, founder and CEO of SugaringNYC, each ingredient in the paste, which gets boiled together, has a role to play in the de-fuzzing process:

• Sugar: the main component, which acts as the adhesive that binds to the hair and pulls it from the root.

• Lemon juice: citric acid in the lemon juice prevents the mixture from crystallizing and has natural antibacterial properties.

• Water: this is added for consistency to make the mixture pliable enough for application.

At a sugaring appointment, you can expect the paste to be applied to your body against the direction of hair growth and then flicked off with the hair growth to remove the hair at the root. “This ensures very little hair breakage and less opportunity for ingrown hairs,” says Talamaivao.

What are the benefits of sugaring?

Aside from being a potentially all-natural method of hair removal, sugaring can be done virtually anywhere on the body, including the face, arms, legs, underarms, swimsuit line, and more, and is said to be gentler on the skin than other techniques.

“The best part about the sugaring method is that it doesn’t adhere to live skin cells, making it super gentle on all skin types,” says Talamaivao. “Someone with compromised or sensitive skin can get sugared anywhere on their body and have little to no reaction to the sugaring process.” Nartov agrees. “Sugaring is a great option for individuals with sensitive skin because the paste used is all-natural and contains fewer potential allergens than some waxing products,” she says. “The gentle application and removal process also reduces the risk of skin irritation, making it a more comfortable choice for sensitive skin types.”

For best results, Talamaivao recommends your hair be at least the length of a grain of rice to be sugared. “The longer the hair, the easier it is to remove properly out of the hair follicle,” she adds. The longer the hair, though, the more you may feel the application of the sugaring pulling on the hairs.

In terms of pricing, sugaring is comparable to waxing and much more cost effective than laser hair removal. Nartov says swimsuit and facial sugaring are among the most popular places she sees clients requesting sugaring, likely because of the delicacy of these areas.

Sugaring vs Waxing

“The main two differences are the ingredients and the process,” says Talamaivao. “Sugaring is made up of three natural ingredients—water, lemon juice (citric acid), and sugar—whereas wax is made up of multiple oils, resin, and a lot of additives that can cause damage to the skin,” she says. “The process of sugaring is as follows: The technician applies the sugaring paste with their gloved hand, against the hair growth and then flicks it off, to then remove the hair with the hair growth."

Talamaivao continues, saying that waxing is the complete opposite process. "The technician would apply the hard or soft wax with an application stick with the hair growth and then remove against, making it easier for hairs to break in the process,” she says.

In addition to being gentler on the skin, Talamaivao says sugaring is also faster than the waxing process but that the hair grows back slower than if waxed. You may also experience less irritation or pain on contact than waxing during an appointment, since sugaring paste goes on lukewarm to warm on the body versus the very hot temperatures wax is applied at. It’s still possible to feel some discomfort during a sugaring appointment though—you are, after all, still having body hair removed from the follicle. Regardless, cleaning up after the service is easier than wax, too, since the paste is water-based versus being composed of oils and resins.

How long does sugaring last?

Though results definitely vary depending on individual hair types and growth patterns, Nartov says sugaring typically lasts three to four weeks but can extend to up to six weeks, in some cases. You’ll want to rebook your next service within this time frame, says Talamaivao, “to ensure the root of the hair won’t settle too deep in the hair follicle, making it easier for the hairs to be removed the next time around.”

How to prepare for a sugaring appointment

Prepping for a sugaring appointment is similar to what you’d do for other types of hair removal. About a day before your service, you’ll want to cleanse and gently exfoliate the area getting sugared, as Nartov says removing the dead skin cells can make the process more effective. “It is important, especially for sugaring below the waist, to come in after being freshly showered so that your pores are clean before removing hair,” adds Talamaivao.

Face & Body Exfoliating Gel

Ingrown Exfoliating Hair Scrub

Skin-Smoothing Exfoliant Scrub

Smooth Talk Exfoliating Body Serum

First Aid Beauty Ingrown Hair Pads with BHA & AHA

Salts of the Earth Body Scrub

Nartov also stresses the importance of growing your hair to the ideal length, which is 1/8 to 1/4 an inch long. “Avoid shaving or using other hair removal methods for at least two weeks prior to your appointment,” she adds. You’ll also want to wear loose-fitting, comfy clothes to the salon or spa. “Tight clothing can irritate the freshly sugared skin,” says Nartov.

Before your appointment officially starts, be sure to communicate any concerns with your sugaring technician, esthetician, or dermatologist. “If you are actively taking any medications that may make your skin compromised, your esthetician can do a test patch on your wrist with the sugar to see if you react,” says Talamaivao. “If there is any concern about the hair removal process, I would consult with a dermatologist before trying sugaring.”

Aftercare

According to Nartov, aftercare truly helps with maintaining your sugaring results. “Pores will be open for about 24 hours after your sugaring service and will be more susceptible to bacteria,” says Nartov, so you’ll want to make sure you keep contact with this area light. “Avoid tanning, hot showers, friction, tight clothing, exercise/sweat, and open water for 24 hours.”

To that list, Talamaivao adds makeup, scented soaps, and in certain cases, sexual activity. “After that 24 hours, I always recommended clients use a chemical exfoliant three times a week to prevent ingrown hairs,” says Talamaivao. Nartov likes her own line of exfoliators for ingrown prevention, too. At this point and after, you’ll want to cleanse and hydrate the area regularly as well.

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