Waxing 101

[Julia1996]

I've seen a lot of talk about waxing. I have done waxing on a lot of clients and myself so I thought I would share what I know about waxing. A lot of you are curious about waxing facial hair. I've heard that waxing can make future electrolysis harder. I don't know much about electrolysis so hopefully someone who knows more about it will comment on this thread.

If you do decide to try waxing your face, use Brazilian hard wax. This is thick brown wax that doesn't need muslin strips. The wax hardens and you rip off the wax itself. This is what you need. Honey and sugar waxes are pretty useless for male facial hair. They aren't going to grab the tough hair of a male beard very well. It might grab onto some hairs but it's going to leave most of it behind. Each time you rewax an area your ripping off skin as well as hair. Brazilian wax is made for pubic hair so it works very well for facial hair.

If you're going to wax spend the extra money for a waxing kit with a heater.  Amazon has them for $60.00 gigi is the brand I use at work. The kit comes with a pot of wax that should be enough for 4-6 facial waxes. You can get the refil pots of wax for $30.00.
I'm not promoting that brand, it's just the one I have personal experience with. A lot of wax kits come with microwave wax. Don't get those! I don't care if they are made for the microwave. Microwaves are different and they don't heat evenly. You could end up burning yourself. Burning wax on your skin, goodbye skin. The wax warmer keeps it at a constant temperature.

Don't try waxing too large of an area. Do small sections at a time. As for the pain, I can't tell you from personal experience but I have waxed a male beard before. I know it had to hurt a lot. The guys eyes teared up. He also bled a little. Not gushing blood or anything, just pin points of blood from some of the hair follicles. As soon as you rip off the wax press your hand on the area.  That helps make it stop hurting. If a couple of hairs do manage to survive, use tweezers to deal with them. Do NOT rewax the area. Hard wax is excellent for removing tough hair but it also rips off more skin than honey wax. A wax warmer has 2-3 settings. Always use the lowest setting. And don't put wax on your face until you test the temperature. Put a little of the hot wax on your wrist first.
Before you start to wax, make sure your hair is out of the way. Any hair that gets wax on it will have to be cut off. Wax doesn't come out of hair.

I would suggest you go to a salon to have your eyebrows waxed or just use tweezers. Waxing your own eyebrows is harder than you think. I wax peoples eyebrows all the time but I don't do my own. I have one of the guys I work with do it. It's easier for someone else to see where your brows should arch than you seeing it in a mirror. And waxing leaves no room for error. If wax is on hair, that hair is coming off. And also if you're not experienced using wax you could accidentally drip it in your eye or on your lashes. Goodbye lashes if wax gets on them.

The pretreated wax strips are pretty much useless except for very soft hair. They also make roller wax. Than stuff is awful. The first time you use the roller wax is going to get all over it and make a sticky mess.

I hope this is helpful.

[Jenntrans]

OMG please get laser on facial hair if you are MTF. Waxing sux. I have done my legs and chest and underarms and it itched like hell growing back.

I mean I shave and it is everyday so my legs are smooth and everywhere else too. Even my face is still smooth enough. But you have to decide because trans women will always be trans women. I will always be a trans woman so I want my lover to know that up front and then if he is cool with it then I can let my self go fully. If he would not be good with it then I don't need to love him or even consider him  anyway as a potential lover.

OK I have been drinking too much Chablis but I have been screwed so many times by family and friends that it ain't even funny. That really sux that family would screw you over. But they will if given the choice. LGBT or not, they don't care. All they care about is what you can do for them. It sux because now I have to pay about 4,000 dollars to get pine trees cut when who I let live there for free spent about that much for a cruise to Cozumel. That sux.

I am a little bitter now so what I say take with a grain of salt.

Sorry to sound so bitter but I am hurt.

[Lady Lisandra]

I'm sorry to hear that Jenn. If you feel down, you can always send me a PM and spit it out.

Regarding the wax, I wax most of my lower body. Last year I bought a heater and never again had to worry about finding a place that would wax men, or maintain the temperature of the wax using a pan. I bought the green wax, can't remember the proper name.

I have a lot of leg to wax, so to optimize time I use long, thing stripes. Wide stripes don't work well, they tend to tear and are harder to pull, which means more pain for you.

[Lady Sarah]

Let me tell you of some "Do Nots" that a trans friend actually did.

She got the Brazilian wax, and heated it up in a pot on the stove. She would wax, and then put the used wax back in the pot for future use. A couple of times, she left it on the stove and forgot about it until she smelled smoke. She enlisted my help in repainting the kitchen to cover the fire and smoke damage. She also got annoyed at the stickiness left behind after waxing, and did not feel it necessary to wash her face after waxing.
She was a good enough friend that she paid for my tracheal shave, but was none too bright about waxing.

[MaryT]

As for the pain, I can't tell you from personal experience but I have waxed a male beard before. I know it had to hurt a lot. The guys eyes teared up. He also bled a little.

OMG I think I'll stick to brushing on Nair facial hair cream, although it isn't ideal.  I wish I could afford electrolysis.  I've seen Chinese home laser kits on eBay for only a few dollars, but at that price I'm sure that they would nuke my head.  In any case, I'm 61 now, and although my facial hair still looks dark to me, laser probably wouldn't get all of it.  Fortunately, I've never been able to grow sideburns and my beard hair is sparse.

[Jenntrans]

I'm sorry to hear that Jenn. If you feel down, you can always send me a PM and spit it out.

Regarding the wax, I wax most of my lower body. Last year I bought a heater and never again had to worry about finding a place that would wax men, or maintain the temperature of the wax using a pan. I bought the green wax, can't remember the proper name.

I have a lot of leg to wax, so to optimize time I use long, thing stripes. Wide stripes don't work well, they tend to tear and are harder to pull, which means more pain for you.

Thanx Lady Lisandra. And vice versa. 

But the waxing thing does not work for me at all. I always get ingrown and that sux. So I just stick with shaving. I don't have to wait until the hair grows back enough to rip it out again but shaving sux too. I am used to it though but in the beginning OMG! because it was a pain in the butt.

[Julia1996]

Let me tell you of some "Do Nots" that a trans friend actually did.

She got the Brazilian wax, and heated it up in a pot on the stove. She would wax, and then put the used wax back in the pot for future use. A couple of times, she left it on the stove and forgot about it until she smelled smoke. She enlisted my help in repainting the kitchen to cover the fire and smoke damage. She also got annoyed at the stickiness left behind after waxing, and did not feel it necessary to wash her face after waxing.
She was a good enough friend that she paid for my tracheal shave, but was none too bright about waxing.

Heating wax on the stove is a really bad idea. Technically Brazilian wax can be reused if you boil it until its liquid and poor it through a mesh strainer. But I've never known anyone who did that. And you certainly don't want to put wax with hair on it in your clean wax. Some baby or mineral oil will take off the sticky residue on your skin.

[Dena]

Let me tell you of some "Do Nots" that a trans friend actually did.

She got the Brazilian wax, and heated it up in a pot on the stove. She would wax, and then put the used wax back in the pot for future use. A couple of times, she left it on the stove and forgot about it until she smelled smoke. She enlisted my help in repainting the kitchen to cover the fire and smoke damage. She also got annoyed at the stickiness left behind after waxing, and did not feel it necessary to wash her face after waxing.
She was a good enough friend that she paid for my tracheal shave, but was none too bright about waxing.

Heating wax on the stove is a really bad idea. Technically Brazilian wax can be reused if you boil it until its liquid and poor it through a mesh strainer. But I've never known anyone who did that. And you certainly don't want to put wax with hair on it in your clean wax. Some baby or mineral oil will take off the sticky residue on your skin.

I looked up Brazilian wax and the melting point is below the boiling point of water. It should be possible to melt it with a double boiler or water bath but heating it directly would be best done with a heater designed to do that task.

[Fivedogs]

When in the Navy some guys had a $100 bet no one would get their face waxed. I agree to try it if they paid for someone to do it.  I have really coarse facial hair that grows back 2 hours after shaving.  I also have multiple hairs from the same the same pore. Wow was this a horrible idea.  The first strip was mind blowing lay painful.  Even for $100 all I could force myself through was half my face.  If this is something that you are really thinking about doing please watch YouTube.  Once the was is on there it is on there.