In my humble opinion, there are few things better than silky, smooth legs. I love having smooth legs, I hate the actual process of shaving, though. Why must one do it so often?! Why are your knees so hard to shave without cutting? So many angles! I’ve contemplated laser hair removal over the years, especially when it was thought to be a permanent solution, but what has been learned now is that it’s not. Hair will grow back lighter and not as fast the more you do it (which is actually true for waxing, too), but it will eventually grow back, so I’m not sure it’s worth the hassle of going into a clinic to do it. (Plus, it’s also not cheap.) I’ve always been intrigued by waxing. Once waxed you can usually go three weeks before hair begins to grow back which sounds like a dream. However, with limited disposable time, if I’m booking an appointment at a spa, you better believe it’s going to be a massage or a facial. That’s why when Parissa, an at-home waxing brand based in Vancouver, asked if I would be interested in trying out their wax strips, I said yes right away. In fact you’ve likely never seen someone so excited about wax! First here’s what you need to know:
Parissa was founded by a female engineer and is still family run in Canada to this day. Also, Parissa waxes are derived from natural, sustainable sources and made from ingredients like tree resin, cane sugar, beeswax, vegetable oils and plant extracts and don’t use any petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances, colors or preservatives. So how does it work? Here’s how it went for me and what I learned…
1. First things first: Does it work? YES! I am a total convert! It does take a little practice with the technique. I got more efficient and more effective as I kept going. I’ve done it twice now and I feel like the more I do it, the faster and better I will get. (This is the face wax that's great for face and bikini. These are the leg strips that I used.)
2. Make sure that your hair is long enough. The packaging says at least an ⅛” but I found that it needed to be closer to ¼”- ½” for me. The first time I tried it just didn’t have enough to grab onto. I think this will vary and the thickness and texture of your hair, but just know that if the wax isn’t removing the hair, it could need to be longer.
3. When pulling off the strip, you want to peel it back in such a way that the top of the strip from where you’re pulling stays close to the skin. You don’t want to pull the strip up, you want to pull it back towards you. HUGE DIFFERENCE! (Not like this below...)
4. I got the best results when warming the strips between my hands a bit before separating them and attaching to my skin.
Have you ever tried waxing at home? How did it go!?
Photography by Katie Jameson
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