Frequently asked questions
What type of wax is best to use at home?
It depends on what feels more approachable to you. Wax strips don’t need to be heated, saving you time and the risk of accidental burns, which is why Dr. Rastogi prefers them for at-home use.
Meanwhile, Alba and Coppola make a case for hard wax, which you need to heat up and spread onto your skin yourself. “Hard wax wraps around the hair rather than gripping the skin, so you get far less pulling on the surface and much less irritation, especially in delicate areas,” Coppola says. Just remember to test the temperature of the wax on your wrist before applying it to a larger area. If you have any hesitance around trying hard wax at home, visit a licensed hair removal professional instead.
Finally, regardless of your preferred type of wax, check the kit’s ingredient list before you use it, especially if you have reactive skin. Most waxes use rosin, beeswax, or a combination thereof for their base, but some also contain fragrances, dyes, or essential oils that may cause irritation.
What are common waxing mistakes to avoid?
The week before you wax, stop using products with retinols or retinoids on the targeted area. “These ingredients can make the skin more susceptible to skin lifting, irritation, and even burns during hair removal,” Dr. Rastogi says. A day or two beforehand, gently exfoliate the area. The day of, keep your skin dry and clear of lotions, oils, or deodorants to ensure the wax sticks and lifts off properly, Alba says.
For wax strips, your hair needs to be at least two millimeters long in order to effectively wax it. For hard wax, it should be a quarter of an inch long, or about the length of a grain of rice, Alba says. Coppola emphasizes the importance of your waxing technique. “Keep your hand close to the skin and pull parallel to it, against the direction of growth,” she explains. “Never [pull] up and away,” she adds, because that can lead to bruising.
After waxing, show your skin some TLC. Apply moisturizer to keep it hydrated and support the skin barrier, Dr. Rastogi says.
Meet the experts
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
And for our reviews of the best at-home wax kits, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, cosmetic chemists, and makeup artists with a range of experience studying and using these products. Testers considered performance across four primary categories: efficacy, texture, experience, and formula. For more on what’s involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from are folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
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