Most women who try waxing to remove unwanted hair never return to the method they used previously after doing so. It's a great way to remove unwanted hair. Not only is re-growth slower after waxing, but over time the hair becomes finer making it easier to remove long term. Furthermore, continued waxing can result in patches of completely hair-free skin, as repeatedly pulling hair out of the follicle can damage the follicle enough to prevent it producing new hair. Waxing takes a little practice, but once you've got the hang of it, you can use it to remove hair on your legs, under your arms, around your bikini line, and on your face.

Some years ago, the only option for women who wanted to wax was to use warm wax. This had to be heated in a microwave and applied with a wooden spatula. However, nowadays, cold wax strips are available. These are much less messy, require no heating, and are more convenient to use. You can take these with you on holiday and use wherever you happen to be without the worry of having to heat the wax. Each full strip is made up of two waxed strips stuck together. You just gently pull each full strip apart and use each side of it in turn, simply placing the strip onto the area needing treatment on your leg, press firmly, and then removing against the direction of the hair growth. You can use each strip more than once.

When it comes to using the strips on your bikini line or under your arms, cut the strips so you have smaller sections as this way they will be easier to manage.

Some tips for using cold wax strips include:

*Before use, rub each strip between your hands for a few seconds to warm it a little as the strips will separate better and the wax will be more effective in removing the hair.

*Before placing the wax strips on your skin, pull the skin taut. When removing the strips, do so quickly and pull backwards against the growth, not upwards.

Don't worry if you can't remove every single hair. The few remaining hairs can be taken off with a quick flick of a disposable razor. This will also work for any stray hairs left under your arms. However, it's not advisable to use a disposable razor on your bikini line. Here, use tweezers instead to get rid of any hairs the strips might have missed.

Once you've finished waxing, use the oiled sheets that come with the strips to moisturize your legs, and any other areas you've waxed. In between waxes, always exfoliate with a "body polish" sponge or a similar abrasive product. This is important to prevent in-growing hairs. It's common to get in-growing hairs when you wax, as unlike re-growth with other hair removing products, with waxing the hair takes that bit longer to reach the surface of the skin, and by the time it has, skin cells have been replaced. Therefore, the hair has to penetrate the new skin.

Exfoliating helps the hairs break through the skin and will not only make your next waxing session easier, but will prevent any infection occurring. You can forget about removing any unwanted hair for around three weeks after waxing. And with each waxing session, the process will become easier and quicker.

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