Brazil waxing FAQs

Here are some of your frequently asked questions that relate to Brazilian hair removal wax treatments for the bikini or thong pubic area for both men and women:

If possible get a recommendation from someone else that has had a Brazilian wax. An experienced professional will minimise the discomfort that you are likely to experience. Selecting an unknown professional from a list of adverts is a more risky strategy.

Go to the hair salon beforehand to make sure that it is hygienic and that the practitioner has the correct qualifications and experienced. View the treatment room to satisfy yourself that the room is bright, the bed linen is clean and that the equipment and waxes are sterile.

For females, the ideal time to have a Bikini area waxing is about a week after the menstrual period. Before and during a menstrual period is when the skin is at its most sensitive and should be avoid if possible.

The thong area hair to be treated should be trimmed to about 1/8th of an inch before the Brazilian treatment. Do not apply any oils and greasy lotions as this will make the hairs more difficult to remove.

Once the patient has removed his or her underwear the practitioner will sprinkle talcum powder on the Bikini area to be treated. This powder is necessary to prevent the wax from sticking to the skin. Some patients may require an application of anaesthetic cream to minimise the pain.

A hot wax is then spread over the area to be treated and a cloth is pressed into the solution. The solution is allowed to harden and then the cloth is pulled away. More experienced Brazilian hair removal practitioners will know not to apply wax to a previously treated area during a single session as this can cause a lot of pain and increase the chance of infection. They will also pull the cloth and hairs away quickly in the correct direction to minimise discomfort.

Once the area has been waxed any stray hairs are then removed using tweezers. And finally, the Bikini thong 'landing strip' is trimmed with scissors if the client requests this service. The landing strip is often just a narrow strip hair but other more creative patterns are sometimes requested, such as hearts and diamonds. Once the treatment is complete a soothing cream such as Aloe Vera is applied to the thong area.

The bikini or thong area that has been treated is likely to be sore for a few minutes. The application of a soothing cream is recommended to alleviate the soreness. Hair inhibitor creams are often used by patients to keep the hairs at bay. This also means the patients will require less frequent Brazilian waxing hair removal sessions.

If the salon doesn't follow safe working practices, the patient could contract a fungal or yeast infection, or even herpes. Also, if the patient has a weakened immune system then they have a greater chance of infection. To decrease the chances, check that the practitioner has an appropriate qualification to wax, wears protective gloves, and never waxes the same thong area twice in a single session (touching the wax applicator to treated skin can contaminate the entire tub of wax).

Most patients will experience quite a bit of pain but this can be reduced by choosing an experienced hair removal practitioner and using anaesthetic creams.

Due to the pain involved, the sense of embarrassment of exposing the bikini thong area, and the need for a specialist to perform the waxing, some people resort to shaving the area to achieve similar effects to the Brazilian wax.