At first glance, you may think that there’s only one type of wax that’s used for hair removal. If you dig deeper, however, you will learn that there are actually several types of hair removal wax and they each have their pros and cons. This article will help to explain these types of wax, their variations, and which ones you should avoid.

Types of Waxing Procedures
There are, of course, many different places on the body that can be waxed to remove hair and each of these areas require certain precautions. Read through the following list to gain some extra insight to waxing that you may need later on.

Eyebrow waxing
Eyebrow waxing is usually rather quick because there’s not a lot of hair to be removed in the first place. The main problem with eyebrow waxing, though, is that if the person applying the wax doesn’t do it exactly right then the error will be extremely noticeable and the cosmetologist will usually have to make the eyebrow on the other side match the one that’s been screwed up which can often leave the person with very thin eyebrows. Your procedure that’s meant to make your eyebrows more appealing may backfire and make them downright scary.

Bikini, Male genital, & Hollywood/Brazilian Waxing
A very common procedure now-a-days is the bikini or “Brazilian” wax. On adults, it’s not that bad. But today’s society applies more and more pressure to teenage girls and even younger to have their pubic region waxed to prevent hair growth later on in life. The people who do this to their children or allow their children to get this type of procedure are outright disgusting individuals. Studies have also shown that pubic hair is the epicenter to pheremone production which attracts the opposite sex and that pubic hair also protects the sensitive skin in that region. Removing that hair is not only painful and demeaning but it is also unsanitary. So ladies (and gents), don’t be pressured to wax off that hair, but instead just trim it up a bit. Some good old fashioned comb and scissors never hurt anyone.

Leg Waxing
Leg waxing is also a very common procedure, mostly performed on swimmers and women, to remove that unwanted accumulation of hair on the legs. Legs are uncomfortable to shave and requires a lot of time and effort that many people just don’t want to have to put up with every week. Leg waxing may be slightly painful depending on your level of pain tolerance but is usually a rather quick procedure compared to some of the other areas of the body.

Arm/Underarm waxing
Once again, its mostly swimmers and women who get their arms and underarms waxed. Arm hair waxing shouldn’t be a problem but underarm waxing is, understandably, extremely painful. The procedure is uncomfortable, embarassing, and painful, but you should achieve the desired effect with minimal *bumps* in the road.

Back Waxing
Some people have extraordinary amounts of hair on their backs (usually accompanied by hair on the chest) that they would rather not be there. Back hair is generally considered unsightly when it grows in thick and waxing may be the preferred way to get rid of it as shaving would only relieve you of the hair for several days. The main con to back waxing is that its such a large area but the pro is that if anything goes wrong then you can simply slip a shirt back on until the area returns to normal. Some may find back waxing less painful than other types of waxing because you don’t have to actually look at the procedure while its happening.

Foot Waxing
No one likes to admit it, but many of us have hair on the top of our feet that we’d rather not be there. Foot waxing is obviously a good method to get rid of that hair (especially if you’re the kind of person who loves sandals) as it removes the hair for up to 8 weeks. Obviously, foot waxing is one of the more painful waxing procedures as the hair is connected to sensitive skin. Proceed with caution.

Chest Waxing
Many men (and some women) have excessive chest hair that they’d like to have removed. Chest waxing is one of the most often used procedures to remove such unwanted hair. Beware, chest waxing can be very painful and can often leave unsightly red blotches all over your chest which will fade after a few hours but you may find it rather uncomfortable. Never get your chest waxed (or any other part of your body, for that matter) on the day you need your chest looking good for some special event, for obvious reasons.

Entire Body Wax
An entire body wax may be desirable by some, specifically swimmers and models, to completely remove all hair from the body (except from the head, of course). With a full body wax, you may feel cleaner but it leaves your skin more sensitive to sunlight, heat, and germs. It also removes the odor that normally gets trapped in hair so you’ll smell nicer but that odor is what makes us attracted to each other. Odor contains pheromones that make men attracted to women and women attracted to men. If you remove that odor, you may actually be getting the opposite results to what you were going for in the first place.

Pros of Waxing
Waxing can have many benefits that other hair removal methods don’t. Waxing rips the hair follicles out at the root rather than just skimming it off the top of the skin so that it takes several weeks before it even begins to grow back. Other hair removal methods cause the hair to grow back in a matter of days and when it does, the hair is patchy and in several directions. Waxing doesn’t have those problems. When you wax, your hair will grow back softer than it was before and studies have shown that prolonged routine waxing can cause hair to grow in less and less and eventually may not grow back at all.

Cons of Waxing
As with everything else, waxing does have its drawbacks. For one thing, it hurts – alot. With waxing, you’re literally ripping hairs out of the skin and you can’t expect that to be painless. Waxing often leaves the area swollen and red which is definitely not a pretty sight, not to mention the itchiness and pain that comes with it. Another problem with waxing is the fact that it can be rather expensive. I don’t have the exact figures but waxing is most always performed by a licensed professional and it can get very pricey. There are do-it-yourself kits on the market but, as you can imagine, it hurts a lot more when you’re inflicting pain on yourself, especially in sensitive areas such as armpits and the pubic region. Another problem is that waxing is not permanent – as in, you have to keep going through this gruesome process. Moreso, when hair is ripped out in the wrong direction, hair follicles can jab into your skin and even ruin the whole thing. These risks are often minimal considering that the procedure is done by a professional but you may end up with in-grown hairs and the follicles may be disrupted in a way that can make it grow in thicker and make future hair removal procedures more difficult. People with sensitive skin, especially in areas with thick amounts of hair, may also experience red bumps, rash, and sometimes mild bleeding.