Latoya Grindley, Gleaner Writer

The hard wax comes in the form of pellets before it is melted in the wax warmer. - Photos by Winston Sill/freelance photographer

To wax or not to wax? While the advantages surpass shaving, the thought of hair being pulled from the skin with one quick snap sends chills through the body and sometimes brings tears to the eyes.

It is believed that beauty often has a painful price but it doesn't have to, and that includes waxing.

Marie Hall-Smith, managing director of the Face Place Salon, has been using hard wax which is less painful than the commonly used soft wax for decades. "We have used hard wax for over 20 years. It has just recently become more popular with increased requests for Brazilian waxing, for which hard wax is ideal," she said.

Soft wax when applied to the skin is removed with a swift peel. However, according to Hall-Smith, when the hard wax is applied to the skin, it's given a few minutes to dry and then removed. When applied to the skin, the wax becomes hard and a piece is lifted from the now-dried wax, giving the aesthetician leverage to pull it off.

She noted that this type of wax is quite beneficial for persons with sensitive skin, as well as for removing troublesome or unruly hairs since it doesn't hurt as much as soft wax. "One of the benefits of using hard wax is that it is less abrasive to the skin in delicate areas and, most notably, it removes coarse hair very efficiently."

latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com

Specific areas

While hard wax can be used on the entire body, for best results, it is recommended for specific areas. "Hard wax is recommended for hair removal in delicate areas, as opposed to using soft wax. However, soft wax may be also used but ideally the aesthetician should have a choice. Clients' needs must also be considered. Hard wax may be used on the entire body, but is strongly recommended for the underarm and bikini areas," said the beauty expert.

Clients have an option to choose the type of wax they prefer but the decision has to be mutual between client and aesthetician.

The pellets are melted in the wax warmer a few minutes before application.

Aesthetician Kerry-Ann Bernard of The Face Place Salon preps the skin before wax is applied.

The spatula is used to apply the hard wax to the area.

Bernard gets ready to pull the hard wax from the skin to remove the unwanted hair.

When dried and taken off the skin, the hair comes off on the wax which resembles a piece of rubber.