Top 10 Tips to Stay Smooth Longer After a Bikini Wax

You may have already read the article, Top 10 Tips to Prepare for a Bikini or Brazilian Wax. Today, I'm giving my top 10 tips to help care for your skin after.

Immediately after a bikini wax, your skin is often swollen, irritated and red. You can also develop ingrown hairs in the weeks that follow. However, there are steps you can take to fight all this!

Keep reading all the way to tip number 10 to see how you can stay hair-free longer after a wax. You want that bikini wax to look beautiful longer don't you? Then keep reading!

Top 10 Tips to Stay Smooth & Hair-free Longer

1. Apply ice or a cold compress after - This step will help calm down your skin. It will also help reduce swelling, irritation and redness. You can use ice, a cold compress, or even just a cold wet cloth.

2. Hydrocortisone creams can help to soothe your skin after - one of the fastest ways I've found to calm my skin post-waxing is to apply a hydrocortisone cream. I've found it to calm swelling, redness and any irritation. 

3. Avoid any harsh soaps or moisturizers after your appointment - Immediately following your appointment you have to be extra kind to your skin. Your skin is probably irritated and your pores are wide open. In the shower, that night, wash your skin with just water. The next day, use a gentle soap.

4. Run a dull razor in the direction of your hair growth - Only do this after all irritation has gone down. This step is not shaving (you have no hair after all). Rather, this helps to close your pores. I find this also helps with ingrowns. 

5. In the weeks after your appointment, keep the area moisturized - Hair has trouble poking through dry skin. This is when ingrowns can form. Moisturized skin helps to keep ingrown hairs at bay. I like to use organic coconut oil or a really light, gentle moisturizer. 

6. Exfoliate after your appointment, but wait at least 24 hours - your skin will be irritated after a wax. Make sure all irritation and redness has subsided before you exfoliate, but make sure to keep up with exfoliation. By exfoliating 1-2 times a week, you will reduce any ingrown hairs that may be forming under the skin. If you do get some ingrown hairs after, do your best not to pick! This can lead to bleeding and scaring (never pretty). Use products instead. 

7. Toner can help reduce and get rid of ingrowns- You may be using a toner on your face every day, but did you know that toner can soothe and treat ingrown hairs, too?  Don't do this step until the day or two after your appointment as your skin will be very sensitive. Once a day, you should wipe your bikini area with a cotton ball dipped in toner that includes salicylic acid, like this one from Neutrogena.

8. Products specifically for bikini ingrowns- There are specific products out there specifically for ingrown hairs on your bikini line. I have used them before and find them to be helpful. My favourite is tend skin!

9. If you have ingrown hairs, wear the correct underwear - If you're struggling with some tough ingrowns, you have to wear the right underwear to help with healing. You should wear smooth, non-textured, 100% cotton underwear. They may not be the cutest, but they will help.

10. If you like getting waxed, stick to a routine - This is the tip that will help you go longer between your appointments and keep you hair-free longer. There was a time when I would wax, then shave, then wax, then shave. This was very counter-productive and made my appointments way longer and more painful. Why? When you shave, your hair grows back in all sorts of directions. It makes it more difficult for your waxer to get all the hair out in one swipe. They may have to go over the same area 2-3 times to get the hair fully removed.

If you wax consistently, you will grow less hair and the hair grows back thinner. Your appointments will be done quicker and your waxer will typically only have to swipe once over every area. If you want to commit to waxing, commit to every 4-6 weeks and don't shave in between.

There you have it, my top 10 ways to care for your bikini wax after your appointment to help you stay smooth and hair-free longer! 

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