Should you try sugaring?

We need only look at any fashion week season to appreciate that style and beauty trends are cyclical. But one beauty treatment currently experiencing a quiet resurgence doesn’t just ‘throw back’ decades – it goes back centuries, perhaps millennia. “It’s thought that sugaring began as early as 30 or 40 BC,” says Danielle Correia, founder of specialist clinic Sugaring LA. “The practice goes back some 2,000 years to ancient Egypt.”

This form of hair removal is so named because of the paste it uses, which is a simple mix of sugar, water and lemon. Before applying the paste, the skin is lightly dusted with powder (to make the hairs stand up and to create a barrier between the skin). Then, the warm paste – not hot, like wax – is molded in your esthetician’s hand and applied against the hair growth. “The paste is so soft that it penetrates the pores, then we flick it off in the same direction of hair growth,” explains Gunna Covert, master trainer at New York’s Daphne studio.

There are many reasons why sugaring is a smart option. Hair can be removed while it is shorter than it has to be for waxing (the length of a grain of rice); the ouch factor, while existent, is less intense because sugaring only sticks to hair and dead skin cells, not the skin underneath; and regrowth is slower. “Plus, there’s a greater risk of the hair breaking when it is waxed as it is pulled against its direction of growth,” says Covert. “Sugaring is more likely to pull the hair out at the root; when hair is removed at the root, the follicle receives less blood supply to it which, over time, will weaken it. Regrowth is then less frequent, finer and sparser.” It’s also preferable for anyone with reactive skin, as “the chemicals and preservatives used in most waxes are usually the ingredients that lead to skin irritations and inflammation,” says New York dermatologist Dr Shereene Idriss.

Between sugaring appointments, exfoliate (though not for the first 48 hours afterwards) and moisturize. “The salons we work with apply a bit of Fur Oil on clients’ skin before sugaring and then immediately afterwards to soothe and prevent ingrown hairs, which occur when hair is trapped beneath the surface,” says Lillian Tung, co-founder of bodycare brand Fur. After an appointment, wear loose clothing, advises Covert: “I tell people to find their ‘sugaring underwear’, something loose made from cotton,” she says. You should also refrain from taking baths, hot showers, or working out for at least 24-48 hours. “I recommend using a moisturizer that contains lactic acid for areas like the legs, because they tend to keep the skin smoother for longer,” says Idriss.