Fitness
"Ouch Free Home Waxing"
August 2004
By Gwen Flamberg

Our 5 step plan will get you smooth and fuzz-free for up to a month. If you've shed away from Do-it-yourself waxing because you feared it would be messy and masochistic, it's time to reconsider. "The creamy formulas used in spas are now available for at home use, making the process easier and less painful for sensitive skin," say's Ileana Cerga, an aesthetician at New York City's Sweet Lily Nail Spa. Cerga's five step home waxing plan will keep you smooth and fuzz free for up to four weeks.

1. Prep. Take an ibuprofen tablet about a half hour before waxing to help alleviate pain. Next, exfoliate with a grainy scrub to clear hair follicles of dead skin that can cause ingrowns

2. Powder. Once dry, sprinkle skin with baby powder to absorb excess moisture.

3. Wax. Melt a gentle wax, such as Sally Hansen Lavender Spa Wax Hair Removal Kit, $11.99 or Bliss's Poetic Waxing Kit, $40, until it's warm, not hot. Working in small sections, apply wax in the direction of hair growth. Cover the area with a muslin strip. Take a deep breath, then quickly pull the strip back in the opposite direction while exhaling. Repeat until every area is hair free.

4. Finish. Remove stickiness with an unscented body lotion or a swipe of a skin calming botanical oil, such as Eliza Soothing Blue Oil, $32.

5. Treat. Coat skin with an antiseptic ointment, such as L.M. X4 $47.99 a new brand that contains a mild anesthetic to stop stinging. Prevent ingrown hairs by dabbing skin daily with a salicylic acid based solution. We like Completely Bare Bikini Bump Blaster Pads, $32.