The thought of waxing down there scared the crap out of me. When I booked my first Brazilian, I think the last time I had anything waxed was 5 years prior and despite being an okay experience, I was still terrified. But I was getting sick of shaving myself daily and I was sick of the upkeep.
The more I thought about it, the better a Brazilian wax sounded, but I wasn’t sure what to expect — what was the proper etiquette? How should I position myself? Will it hurt? When do I need to come back again? Is it expensive?
So I booked my first Brazilian and continued getting it every month for the next two years. Here’s what to expect:
PREP
Go to a Brazilian specialist
My first wax was horrible at a Burke Williams (I found out later that did not do Brazilian waxes very often), a high-end spa in San Jose. They used the wrong wax and took an hour to remove all my hair. My skin felt raw and I even screamed a few times as they pulled the wax off me. I ended up finding the European Wax Center where they do Brazilians all day long. They have the technique, they use hard wax (run if your salon uses a soft wax with strips!), and it only takes 10 minutes. After going to them for over a year, getting a Brazilian was easy-peasy.
You need to grow out your hair
This is the shitty part about getting Brazilian waxes. For the next 2 weeks or so, it’s amazing, but as soon as the hair starts growing back, it’s a pain. Not going to lie, it also gets really annoying and itchy.
In order to get your next wax, you have to grow out and trim your hair to at least a quarter of an inch so that the wax will be able to grab on to your hair. I’ve come in with my hair too short and they’ve had to reschedule me.
It can be expensive
I’ve seen prices in my area for Brazilian starting at $60+, so I suggest finding a salon that does a package deal. At European Wax Center (not sure what the prices are anymore), I was able to get a year package where it equaled to ~$30 per wax and I think they have student discounts too.
THE WAX
Your esthetician will see everything
This is something that you’re going to have to get over, no matter how embarrassing it is. Wearing a dress or skirt was the best way for me to feel comfortable. I just needed to take off my underwear and lift up my skirt.
It’s going to hurt
A good esthetician will use hard wax and be very quick about the entire thing. I found that after the wax is peeled off, applying pressure to the area helps the pain. Taking aspirin helped if I got waxed right before my period.
Bring wipes and come trimmed
I also made sure to come clean and trimmed to make the experience as easy as possible. You’ll most likely start off lying down – my esthetician always started with the bikini area, then the area below my navel, and then towards the back. Depending on the esthetician, she’ll tell you which way to move. As soon as my esthetician finished waxing, she sprinkled baby powder to the area and I was good to go.
AFTERCARE
Ingrowns are possible
I’ve never gotten an ingrown hair until I started getting Brazilian waxes. Make sure to exfoliate the area often and use a product that exfoliates like this serum or these wipes.
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Expect longer results
Out of all the temporary hair removal options, waxing was the longest lasting for me. Hair removal creams were too messy, shaving was too temporary, and I was too scared to epilate myself. For me, the Brazilian wax would last about 2-2.5 weeks before I started to see regrowth.
Have you gotten a Brazilian wax before? What are some of your tips?
