It is important to allow enough grow out for your hair to be sugared. Hair must be at least 1/8 for the sugar to be able to hold onto it and pull it out. This comparable to a grain of rice in length.
If you've been shaving please allow at least two weeks of growth (three weeks for legs if you can stand it) between now and your appointment. If you've been waxing/sugaring please allow 4 weeks. It's best if you don't trim.
It is important to come to your appointment with as clean and dry skin as possible, avoid using oils or lotions immediately before your appointment time as this affects the sugar texture and makes it much less effective. The cleaner your skin is prior the less bacteria can settle in open follicles and therefore reduces the chance of irritation and ingrown hairs. I always clean skin first with an aloe-based toner as well.
To help mitigate pain you can take ibuprofen an hour before
and make sure to drink plenty of water day of. :)
Proper aftercare sets you up for a longer-lasting, smoother and overall better result with fewer or no ingrown hairs.
For the first 12-24 hours after your sugaring service plan to be gentle with the skin that was sugared. This means avoiding extreme temperatures and excess friction. So ideally you would avoid working out right after as clothes can rub and sweat can sit and build up bacteria. It's best to avoid sexual activity for the first 12 hours so your skin can have time to calm down. You can shower but just avoid taking a super-hot shower within the first 12-24 hours, keep it warm and gentle. It is beneficial to wear looser clothing to and from your appointment to let the freshly sugared skin breathe. Avoid fragranced lotions and products with alcohol for 24 hours. If you choose to take an epsom salt bath make sure it is pure epsom salt weith no fragrance or added ingredients.
I recommend keeping clean sugared skin moisturized with a simple noncomedogenic (non-pore clogging) oil daily such as jojoba oil with a tiny dash of tea tree mixed in to help fight bacteria. Coconut oil can also be a great soothing, protective balm for day-of and day after. It can be a little comedogenic when used regularly on the face or bikini area but for a day or two after I still love it. (I also make a jojoba based oil blend you can purchase from me at your appointment. )
After 3-4 days I recommend starting a gentle exfoliation routine. Exfoliating plays a huge part in keeping ingrowns out of the picture. With a mitt, exfoliationg cloth or a dry brush use gentle, upward sloughing motions, not hard scrubbing motions 3-5 times a week. A very gentle sugar scrub can also be used but make sure its not too sharp or scratchy. Using products that are too sharp or scrubbing too hard can actully exacerbate the issue.
If ingrowns are a struggle for you please ask me for exfoliating toner recommendations at your appointment, I can help! Some people's hair and skin are more prone to ingrowns than others and any form of hair removal, no matter how gentle or well done, can open up the possibility for ingrown hairs. If this is something you find to be true for you there are aftercare routines that can greatly help. I find salicylic acid or mandelic acid toners with no alcohol to be highly effective in the prevention of bumps, ingrowns and hyperpigmentation and I have several product reccomendations I have personally vetted. You dont have to live with these issues as a part of your hair removal journey.
Please always feel free to reach out to me personally with any aftercare concerns or questions!
Sugaring exfoliates the skin in the area of the service. It is important to read these contraindications before getting a service.
Please have a doctor clear you if you pregnant or nursing or if you are taking prescription medications that thin the skin (such as Retin-A), blood thinners, or that cause you to be sun-sensitive.
Flora Sugaring & Esthetics
Smooth Skin & Fluffy Brows. Self-care in the heart of NE Portland. 2306 NE Glisan St. #103
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