Body Sugaring to Remove Unwanted Facial Hair

Mom of 2, Rosa has worked with non-profits to provide educational and health programs for local children, and improve the local workforce.

What is Sugaring?

After years of frustration and embarrassment, I found that the best method for removing unwanted hair on my face is "sugaring".

Body sugar is made with all-natural ingredients from recipes that date back to ancient Egypt.

Similar in method to waxing, I have found body sugaring gentler on the skin and easier to clean because it is water-soluble. Body sugar kits can be purchased in pre-prepared strips or in liquid form that you can apply where and how you wish.

I personally use the liquid form, which comes with applicator sticks and several cloth strips. It is a great method for shaping your hairline, removing "peach fuzz" and other unwanted hair from your face.

It is also quick and easy to clean up after. The applicators and strips can be run under water to clean off the sugar and hair for reuse. You can wash your face with warm water to be rid of any excess sugar.

The following instructions are for sugaring with the liquid form.

Step 1: Preparation

When you open the jar, you’ll notice that the sugar is stiff and difficult to scoop. Before using the body sugar, it must be warmed up to make it more malleable. While some prefer to heat the sugar in the jar it comes in, I do not recommend it. I've found that if you reheat the whole jar, you have less control over the heating process. Plus, by sugaring directly from the jar, you contaminate the sugar with stray hairs, dust, skin particles, etc. Over time, your sugar will go “funny” and won’t be as effective. I’ve had to throw out a jar that was still a quarter of the way full and decided to find a better method.

I use the larger applicator to scoop out some of the liquid sugar into a smaller container that can be used in a microwave. My preference is those tiny take-out containers that hold salad dressing. They’re the perfect size for my needs.

Microwave the sugar for approximately 7–9 seconds to make it more liquid, yet not so hot that it would be uncomfortable on the skin. You don't want the sugar to get runny, or the process won't work. You need to find that happy medium of liquid, yet firm.

Step 2: Application

While looking in the mirror, I use the applicator to apply the sugar to the hair that I wish to remove. I start with the larger areas and eventually work my way to the areas that need more finesse.

It is important to only do one section of your face at a time. If you cover all the areas and then try to remove the hair, your sugar will cool too much to work correctly. Also, be very careful not to spill over onto hair that you need to stay on your face.

This can be tricky when doing your eyebrows or sideburns. The smaller applicator is very useful for these areas when you get to them.

Apply sugar in a thin, even layer. For beginners, it may take some practice to find just the right amount to use. Too much, and you have a big sticky mess that doesn't remove the hair. Too little, and you won't have enough to bind the hair for removal.

Step 3: Removal

Once the sugar has been applied, take a cloth strip and put it on top of the sugar, leaving enough room at the ends to be able to grab for removal. Rub the cloth into the sugar in the direction of the hair growth. This will ensure the sugar and cloth have a good hold of the hair.

When you remove the strip, you will have to pull it off in the opposite direction of the hair growth, so the hair doesn't just slide out of the sugar. Our goal is to pull the hair out by the roots, so it doesn’t grow back as quickly or as thick. This means, if your hair is growing in a downward direction, you will grab the bottom of the strip with one hand and firmly hold your skin under it with the other to prevent your skin from being pulled with the strip.

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Once you have the strip and are firmly holding the skin, pull the strip off with one quick motion in the opposite direction of the hair growth. If your hair is growing from left to right, you will be pulling the strip off from right to left. This means you will take hold of the right end of the strip and place your other hand on the skin directly to the right of the strip before you pull towards the left.

You may have to pluck a few stray hairs that were left behind, but that's the whole sugaring process. You would then move on to the next area, applying the sugar, affixing the cloth strip and removing the hair from that spot.

Step 4: Clean Up

Once you’re done, clean up is quick and easy. The sugar is water-soluble, so rinsing the applicators and cloth strips under warm water will wash away both the sugar and hair that has been removed. Put them somewhere out of the way to dry, and you’re done.

It’s just as easy for your face. Use warm water and your favorite face cleanser to remove any excess sugar that was left behind.

Some kits have a little bottle of “calming oil” to apply after sugaring. Some people don’t like the smell or find that it makes their skin break out. Other people don’t seem to have this problem. It depends on your skin type.

I personally don’t use the oil. I clean my skin thoroughly with the skincare system I’ve found works for my skin type.

Tips

1. Never get water in sugar or it will break down and become unusable. If your skin, cloth strip or applicator gets wet, you will have trouble with your sugar compound. Keep things as dry as possible.

2. If the sugar is too runny or you find that it is melting before you can pull your strip off, it is because the sugar has become too warm.

Three reasons for this are:

• The sugar was heated too long and now needs to cool for a few minutes.
• The room temperature is too hot, and you need to wait until a cooler day.
• Your skin has become too warm, and you need to apply a cool cloth or ice pack to bring down your temperature.

3. Make sure to test the temperature of the sugar before applying on your skin to avoid burns.

Brand of Sugar

I’ve been asked which brand I prefer. I started with Alexandria Body Sugar, however over the past few years, I have not been able to find it in stores. After checking out various options, I switched to Parissa Body Sugar and am very happy with the product. To learn more about this product, you can read my article title, Product Review: Parissa Body Sugar.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2011 Rosa Marchisella

Comments

Shamala on December 12, 2017:

I'm gonna try dis simple steps sounds easy and mess free

Vi on April 30, 2017:

Aren't you supposed to pull IN the direction of hair growth with sugaring?

Rosa Marchisella (author) from Canada on October 30, 2012:

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the vote and for becoming a follower!

GlstngRosePetals from Wouldn't You Like To Know on October 30, 2012:

Sounds good and a easy step be step instructions with a easy clean-up at the end. Great article. Voted up!!

Rosa Marchisella (author) from Canada on September 29, 2012:

Hi naina; Not as far as I know. One of the reasons my instructions say to hold the skin with one hand when pulling the strip off is to prevent the skin from being pulled or stretched.

naina on September 29, 2012:

does that lead to loose skin on face?

Rosa Marchisella (author) from Canada on August 24, 2011:

Hey Recipe Gal! Thanks for the follow and for reading. I definitely like how easy it is to clean up after. Happy "de-fuzzing" :-D

Recipe Gal on August 24, 2011:

Interesting! It looks very similar to waxing just with easier clean up. I use wax right now, so I might have to try this.

Rosa Marchisella (author) from Canada on August 15, 2011:

Thank you so much for your support, Binaya! I hope it is of benefit to your friends.

Binaya.Ghimire on August 15, 2011:

Though the content of this hub is not related to me but I read because I wanted to find if this can be useful for others. I have referred to number of friends. Thanks for this wonderful tips. You write on different genres and seem to be really good in all.

Rosa Marchisella (author) from Canada on August 14, 2011:

Shruti; Unfortunately, there is no natural way of permanently removing hair. The only two permanent solutions are 1) laser hair removal and 2) electrolysis. Both expensive and time-consuming processes where you go into an office and the technician uses equipment to basically destroy the hair root so it doesn't grow back. For both options, you will need several treatments before there is no more growth. I'm not well versed on these two methods, so perhaps another hubber will have an answer for you.

Shruti Garg from Mathura on August 14, 2011:

Thanks a lot for this.............but the problem is it will grow up back........i forgot to mention it that i need to get rid off them permanently.................plz if you can suggest me ...............