What Should I Put On My Skin After Waxing?

How to Care for Just-Waxed Skin

Waxing (a hair removal process) may leave your skin soft and smooth, but it may also leave it red and sensitive due to irritation. Be extra careful not to put anything on your skin that could exacerbate irritation to reduce swelling, redness and irritation immediately after waxing. Wearing the right type of clothes, using approved lotions and cleaners and applying cold compresses can all help you feel better after your waxing appointment in the first few hours.

Ask your salon professional what kind of lotion she suggests directly after the waxing. Some salons use a lotion that can help soothe and relax the skin directly after the session. A lotion that has aloe or lavender as one of the main ingredients may help alleviate any pain or burning, and may also calm redness.

For the first 24 hours immediately after your waxing appointment, do not scrub the area with harsh soaps or exfoliating creams, These can irritate the skin, and can even cause pain to you. Simply take a cool shower to cleanse your skin, without scratching it. Exfoliating your skin with scrubs can cause redness and even bleeding to your just waxed skin.

If it feels hot or painful, apply a cold compress to the area that has been waxed. Just fold a washcloth and hold it down from your tap under the coldest water possible. Squeeze the excess moisture out and apply it to the waxed skin for immediate relief and reduction of the swelling.

Avoid touching the field as much as possible. While you may want to show off your new smooth skin or keep rubbing it to see how good it feels, you may move the bacteria from your hands and from the hands of other people to sensitive skin that is already prone to infection. Wait 24 hours before touching your skin or running your hands over it, and make sure your hands are clean.

Wear loose undergarments or clothes around your waxed area. Tight clothing constrains the area, trapping sweat below. The tight clothing rubbing can irritate the sensitive skin, and the sweat provides the perfect breeding ground for germs.

Soothe Your Skin

Use an after-wax cooling product like the long-time favorite GiGi After Wax Cooling Gel ($8) or an aloe-based gel to help soothe the skin and subdue redness and irritation after removing hair and removing wax residue. Brewed and then cooled tea bags placed on the eyes also help after the brows wax. Ice, an ice pack, or a bag of frozen vegetables can help to reduce inflammation as well. If you have to go out and don’t want everybody there to know that you’ve just been waxed, try applying some light powder makeup. Because it’s light on the skin, it helps more than just liquid foundation and concealer to breathe.

But when it’s not normal, it’s not normal. If the skin is extremely painful for days, bleeds or is torn off or scabs, then something isn’t right. Waxing is not for everybody or facial region, read the full list of waxing precautions. If your skin is not healing on its own see your doctor. To some men, waxing is too much for them to handle. Threading and sugaring are two alternatives that also remove the hair follicle from the root, but on the skin, they are much easier.