Sugaring is an ancient art of hair removal that was popular thousands of years ago in Egypt, Greece and Mesopotamia. The technique is described in Egyptian hieroglyphics and in writings from the Turkish Empire.
The technique is not more commonly available because it is a true art that takes much practice to perfect – watching the finger dexterity and curvaceous hand motions is fascinating! And all of our licensed estheticians are highly trained sugarist “artists”! The pure, 100 percent natural sugar “paste” – consisting of sugar, lemon juice, guar gum and water blended into a substance that looks and feels like honey – is more effective, more sanitary and less painful than any other hair removal process. Sugar paste at lukewarm temperature is massaged onto the skin by a gloved hand and then molded against the natural direction of hair growth. With a flicking motion the hair is gently removed in the direction that the hair grows. Sugaring removes hair while it is in the early growth stage – as young as 12 to 14 days – which minimizes unnecessary discomfort, irritation and ingrown hairs, all while exfoliating dry skin cells. The result is beautifully smooth skin. For most areas we recommend about 12-14 days worth of growth. For the legs we recommend at least 14 days worth of growth for your best results. There is hardly an inch of the body that can’t be sugared from the eyebrows to the ankles.
Before sugaring, the skin is cleansed and powdered. After sugaring, there is care for you to do – such as exfoliating regularly – in order to keep your skin safe and smooth for the next few weeks. Sugaring is often compared with waxing because both are spread onto the hair and then pulled off. But that is where the comparison ends, and in many ways sugar is the opposite of wax! Sugar pulls in the natural direction of hair growth; wax pulls the hair against its natural growth pattern, often causing rashes and ingrown hairs. Sugar is 100% natural, with no resin or chemicals; all wax products contain resins. Sugar is applied with the gloved hand — no spatula or cotton strips required.
Sugar will never burn the skin, as it is barely lukewarm; hot wax can burn and bruise the skin.
Sugar does not stick to live skin cells; wax adheres to live skin cells and when removed pulls the skin, increasing the risk of tearing and redness. Sugaring is so gentle it can be used to remove the vellus hair that grows on some women’s faces. Sugar is a hypoallergenic natural healer of the skin; wax can damages fine tissue cells on sensitive skin. Sugar is water soluble so cleanup is easy; wax requires oils to clean.
Bottom line, Sugaring is a great alternative for those with sensitive skin that does not respond well to standard wax. At Allure Skincare and Lash, we have estheticians that specialize in sugaring. We also use a hybrid hard/soft wax that is much more gentle on those that want standard waxing.
