Homemade Depilatory Wax?

Hi, the best depilatory wax made at home is take HONEY with a little karo syrup, heat till mixed. If you want, reduce this mixture down a little, till it is really thick. Let this cool slightly, because you don't want to burn yourself, then spread VERY thin on a strip about 3" wide by 6 or 8 " long, put on where you want to remove hair, let cool completely, & pull in oppsite direction of growing hair. Around the chin, lip, eyebrow or neck area, of course, use smaller strips. This is basically what Honey Wax is made of.
Cricket Girl
40 years of Cosmetology expierence

leslie

January 15, 20060 found this helpful

Interesting...Cricket Girl, what would a person use for the removal strips? I've tried using wax years ago and for all the preparation and trouble it was, for such a poor job, it wasn't worth the money or time.

Anne

January 15, 20060 found this helpful

Here's a recipe, it works great!!
I cut up old shirts for the strips to use.
1 cup sugar
Half a lemon for the juice
1/4 cup honey
A little bit of Molasses if you have any like a drizzle
Cornstarch (to powder with for tautness making it more effective)
Something to spread the mixture with like a tongue depressor, popsicle stick, cheese spreader or spatula.
Cotton fabric (any old thing you can find or buy some strips at a store)

Mix lemon, sugar, and honey in a bowl. Microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes, until it bubbles into a smooth consistency. I find this a lot simpler then turning on the stove, but it would be safer if you watched over the heat on the stove. If you use the stove use LOW heat.

well the RECIPES are fine - even just plain sugar-syrup with a big shot of lemon juice added (loads of sugar cooked in the water till it thickens to a consistency of 2 strands i.e. you touch the wax with a spoon and pull it upwards - it will first strech as 1 strand between spoon and pan, a little while later it will leave 2 stretchy strands, now is a good time to turn the heat off).

SPREADING INSTRUMENT: Butter Knife is the best. The flat spatula looking kind. It's made of metal, it's wide and flat, but not sharp like a real knife, but it's thickness is not annoyingly thick like a plastic spatula or something. The key to proper effective waxing is a THIN LAYER of WARM wax. Try to cover as much area as you can, the smaller you make the area, the more pulls you will have, therefore more unneeded suffering...

The STRIPS: Yes, you can use any old cotton bedsheet/pillowcase BUT even better is (I speak from experience) cellophane (polypropylene). You can buy supercheap rolls in the drugstore or where ever - one roll goes for atleast 3 full arm+leg+bikini waxes. The biggest advantage - when you finish with one strip (you can reuse the same strip for several spots) you just fold it over thereby trapping all the hairywax inside it, and toss it in the trash. No mess, no fuss, and NO WASHING UP YAY. I used cloth for years, and often I put the cloth strips to soak and you know...they just lay there for several days coz I forgot about them. For this reason, cellophane is also more hygenic.

A GOOD BRAND: There are 3 major wax brands I have used - Nair (HORRIBLE, don't bother, it's more chemical than wax), Veet (also pretty chemically, leaves some funny film, and doesn't grab properly so the hair grows back faster) and SNÄ (i don't know if u get this in your country) is *perfect* - it's totally organic, you can eat the stuff and it does a great job. Don't bother using the cottony strips these waxes give for free, they aren't really very good. Use cellophane.

HEATING: don't bother microwaving, it just makes the wax cool-down and harden up faster...much better to heat in a small pan of water, then put the pan including waxbottle/can onto a tabletop warmholder (you know those metal things with a teacandle under it). This keeps it at an acceptable warm temperature all thru the waxsession without having to reheat...

I usually buy the largest bottle of wax, and transfer the reqd. amount to another glass bottle or an old can for that session. If heating in a pan, be sure to cover the bottle/can so the steam from the hot water doesn't get in (don't screw on the lid though, just place it on top). Moisture is your enemy while waxing. Be sure to soap-wash and dry your skin before waxing and if the weather is humid/hot, dust on talcum powder or flour before you start.

Finally - do the back of your legs and thighs FIRST coz this is the hardest part (acrobatics) and you will have the energy to do it right. Then do the fronts, with extra focus on the knee...Then the armpits, then the bikini zone. After this, arms are a breeze ; )

For the upperlip and eyebrows use smaller strips about the length of a cigarette lighter and 3 times as wide. For the thighs, cut strips that are the size and shape of a paperback novel, for the legs 2/3rds as wide and twice as long. Spread wax from knee to ankle for 1 stretch, press strip on lower half, pull, then repeat with upper wax bit. 2 pulls and one entire side of the leg is done!

Well now you know more than you ever wanted to know about the trials and tribulations of the waxing woman. I need to get a life hehe

do you have any waxing ideas that don't involve, hydrogen peroxide, honey, or baking soda?

i'm a 13 year old girl who lives on an island.
i shaved my arms once in my life,
and i was totally embarrased when it grew back
DARK and VERY THICK and i have
been hiding my arms ever since. should i wax
them? and also, i want to bikini wax
since i'm going to the beach with my boyfriend
this weekend, good idea or bad?

THANKYOU! :D

I am a trained cosmetologist. The one thing that you really want to remember is when you spread it on, it has to go with the growth of the hair, when you peel it off it has to go against the growth. If you have tried waxing before and had good wax but it did not work, this is probably why. It is key to success.

do u have to use cornstarch? or is that ok?

Hi, I'm a girl who has a little problem with facial hair. I just want to make my own home made wax without having to buy an expensive wax that won't help. I would rather make a honey wax that doesn't require many ingredients and that takes the hair away for more than a week.

I don't see enough temperature warnings here. I have burned myself twice and it is quite easy to do. I recommend a metal thermometer and do not heat the mixture more than 140 degrees AT THE MOST and it will work quite well at 120 degrees.

Editor's Note: Good point sistersusan! Be careful with hot wax and make sure it isn't too hot before applying.

Do you have to use lemon juice can you use lime juice instead?

I'd like to do my bikini area...but...and I'm sorry you have to read this. When I was pregnant my stretch marks went past the hairline. They are very big and deep...should I not even bother? I don't know if you can wax over stretch marks.

Hi, I was just browsing and I came across this post, funny you ladies talking about making your own wax, I actually started making wax 30 years ago, as there was nothing good out there that did the job, so I just used my stuff. Then eventually friends where interested in it and loved it, and has grown from there. It's made from all natural ingredients and it lasts forever. If you guys are interested in knowing more or want to try some just drop me an e-mail at golden.wax AT hotmail.com. I hope I can help in some way. Merry Xmas.

Do you have to use lemon? Cause I wanna wax but I'm allergic to citric acid.

I've tried the karo syrup and honey on my facial hair, but when I pull the strip off (in the opposite direction of the hair growth, I might add) the hair is still there... am I doing something wrong? Oh, and another question if anyone can answer it. If I wax facial hair above the lip, will it grow back darker?

Hi Ladies,

Do you think there is still a market for homemade wax or waxes in general. I mean all I see in the market is laser treatments, easy to use hair removal creams, etc.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

smoothlegs!

I strongly recommend professional waxes. They can come as low as six dollars, and it will be even every time. I wouldn't risk making your own.

I also want to point out that if you don't hold the skin tight before ripping, you can bruise yourself pretty badly.

Hot wax