I Let My Boyfriend Film My Reaction To Getting My Pubic Hair Removed Using The 'Sugaring' Technique
Not as sweet as it looks.
Courtesy of the author What is sugaring you might ask? And why would I want to try it? Well, to be honest, my skin is incredibly sensitive and I do not look forward to getting my bikini area waxed using regular hot wax, so when I heard of women sugaring their vaginas (or vulvas, to be more precise) as their favored method of pubic hair removal, I was intrigued.
I mean, even people with thick skin who have been doing it for years will tell you, getting a brazilian wax (aka removing all the hair from around your vagina and anus) is never something you look forward to doing.
If you were to describe the exact process of getting waxed to someone who had never done it before, it sounds downright medieval.
Wax is melted and applied to strips or directly to your skin and then ripped off quickly to take away as much hair as possible.
It sounds like something you'd do to torture a serial killer, not a cosmetic procedure many adult women consider to be part of their standard beauty regime.
While there are special waxes for people with sensitive skin, I have found that those waxes don't make much of a difference for me.
For a few days after a wax I am always swollen and covered in bright red bumps. If I'm not bleeding, it's a good day, that's how awesome having your vagina waxed is.
That's why I was so excited to try out sugaring.
What is sugaring?
Sugaring is a hair removal process that uses (you guessed it) sugar to get rid of your pubic hair (and any hair on your body). It's supposed to be less painful than waxing, and the all natural ingredients of lemon, sugar, and water are supposed to be great for people with sensitive skin.
I decided to try it out and I shared that experience on Facebook with our readers.
I brought my boyfriend Buddy in to film the process — a fact I deeply regret because the room was small and sweaty and no man should have to see the awkwardness of a bikini wax.
My technician Jenis at Sugaring NYC was awesome. If I hadn't already been immediately soothed by the bright pink colors of the place or the clean surfaces and the tower of candy they have waiting, I would've been by her. She is just really great.
The sugar solution is melted until it forms a gooey paste, like a thick wad of honey. Jenis twirled a blob around her gloved fingers and got to work.
Here's what you need to know if you're considering getting sugared instead of waxed.
The ripping-off part feels about the same, but before that ripping off part, something ungodly happens.
The technician has to spread the sugar out onto your pubic hair.
Imagine getting something sticky caught in your hair and instead of washing it out, you just pulled it around. That's what sugaring your vagina is like, and that feeling is deeply unpleasant.
I tried to make funny faces for the camera, but eventually I forgot it was there and just did what I always do when I'm in pain: say nonsense words and begin sweating profusely and/or whimpering.
When we were done I felt like I'd been through a war.
But I was also completely hairless in a way that I never really am when I get my bikini area regularly waxed.
Plus, the salon itself was so clean and sterile feeling, not like a lot of those waxing dungeons you stumble into from time to time.
I also got a complimentary glitter tattoo of my choice on my vagina. Since Halloween is coming up I picked the bat in a sparkly purple.
Because nothing says class like a vagina tattoo.
I have to say, in spite of the pain implicit in the spreading-on-process, I think I'm a convert to sugaring.
Why? Because my skin looks and feels amazing. I have not one ingrown hair. The only redness remaining is from past ingrown scarring. The hair that is coming back? It is finer and softer to the touch. They say that if you keep sugaring this will continue. I don't know if I believe it, but I know I'm willing to keep going and find out for myself.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. Her writing focuses on relationships, pop culture and news.