Waxing at home can be an intimidating task, especially if you have sensitive skin. The best wax for sensitive skin removes hair with the least amount of pain and irritation. When selecting the best waxing solution for your sensitive skin, keep the following tips in mind.
Types of Wax
- Hard Wax: Hard wax is often less painful than soft wax and is heated to prep follicles for hair removal. It saves time and money by pulling out coarse, short hairs without needing separate woven strips. Unlike soft wax, hard wax does not leave a sticky residue behind and is easier to clean up, but it can get hot fast. For that reason, I also included in this roundup a wax warmer with a digital temperature display that can prevent burns.
- Soft Cream Wax: Soft cream wax heats at a lower temperature than hard wax, which prevents burns, and is most effective at removing fine hair. It may feel sticky and requires separate woven strips to pull out hair.
- Sugar Wax: Sugar wax is similar to sugaring, which is a wax alternative that uses natural ingredients like cane sugar and flower extracts to remove hair with less pain. This wax type is heated, requires woven strips, and isn't as sticky as soft wax.
Below you'll find highly rated wax options that are ideal for sensitive skin.
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1The Best Hard Wax: These Non-Irritating Lavender Beads
These hard wax beads are infused with lavender to calm skin and prevent irritation during waxing. These beads are portable and easier to store than traditional hard wax tins, too. To use: melt them in a wax warmer (not included), apply to your skin, wait a few seconds for the wax to dry, and swiftly remove the wax. The wax works for fine to coarse hair and can be used on all parts of the body, from brows to legs, but is most effective on short, coarse hair.
This is a refill bag and doesn’t require you to buy waxing strips, however, you will need wax applicator sticks and a warm wax device to melt the beads. Reviewers say this "creamy" wax takes a little longer to dry than other options, but that just one application can remove all of the hair in an area.
Helpful Review: “I love that I save money not using wax strips now. This is a huge refill bag for the warmer I purchased. The wax beads are a great value for the money and work well. I tend to wax more often than shaving because my skin has issues when I shave. My sensitive skin seems to do well with these wax beads. The wax is pliable and efficient and the smell is nice.”
2The Best Soft Wax: A Creamy Formula For Ultra Sensitive Skin
This soft cream wax works on all hair types and is made with anti-inflammatory titanium dioxide that soothes sensitive skin and helps prevent irritation. Reviewers say this wax melts at a lower temperature (which means you’re less likely to burn yourself), and is one of the least painful option they’ve tried, but it can feel sticky and is not the easiest way to remove with water (using an oil cleanser will help). You can use it on any area of the body and reviewers say it works equally well on brows, facial hair, and legs. Keep in mind you will need to separately purchase a wax warmer, applicators, and non-woven wax strips to use this product.
Helpful Review: "We tried so many other type of GiGi creme wax. My daughter has very sensitive skin and [is] afraid of pain. This is the only creme was that we repeated to buy for the past couple years. it is very easy to spread, remove and [it is] painless."
3The Best Sugar Wax: This Organic, Sustainable Kit
This sugar wax kit is made of sustainably sourced organic wax from tree resin and beeswax, organic cane sugar and organic chamomile extract and the method itself may be less painful and more nourishing to sensitive skin than traditional wax. This kit comes with 30 washable, reusable wax strips and wooden applicators and is ideal for removing all types of hair. You can heat this wax in the microwave, directly in the jar it comes in and reviewers say this makes cleaning up much easier. Unlike some other wax types, this one washes off easily with water, without leaving sticky residue behind. This is an excellent kit for both seasoned at-home waxing pros and beginners (reviewers say it comes with clear instructions).
Helpful Review: “It is not tacky, sticky, messy, and the fact it removes my hair just as good as any wax, but can literally be cleaned off by warm water, is amazing. I love [that] the strips are reusable too because I always seem to run out of strips before wax. I do not know how well it works with extremely coarse hair, but I was able to easily remove the hair from my legs, arms, and pits!”
4Nice To Have: A Wax Warmer
This wax warmer features an adjustable temperature dial and easy-to-read digital display that can cut down on the risk of burns from wax that is too hot. The kit also comes with five hard wax bean bags, 20 waxing sticks, 10 eyebrow waxing sticks, one pre and one post spray for prepping and comforting skin, 10 gloves, and five protective rings. If you'd prefer a budget-savvy wax warmer without all of the bells and whistles, this is another great pick that offers fewer temperature control options, but boasts more than 2,300 reviews.
Helpful Review: This is an amazing waxing [kit] ... I used it on my underarms and bikini areas and worked amazingly, was worried it wouldn't get the job done because it was so cheap but exceeded my expectations ... melted so fast on high then I lowered it all the way down like 5 min before I used it just to be safe ... my skin is very sensitive and I didn't have any problems. I am a cosmetologist and I wouldn't double think using it for my clients as well."
5Also Nice To Have: A Pre-Wax Exfoliating Scrub
It helps to prep pores before wax with an exfoliating treatment, but some exfoliants are too harsh for sensitive skin. This exfoliating scrub is made with jojoba, sweet almond, and argan oils, as well as Dead Sea salt and soothing lavender, all of which are gentle enough for sensitive skin. It's free of parabens, synthetic chemicals, alcohol, and fragrances that can irritate skin.
Helpful Review: "I have dry skin and am forever searching for a moisturizer that lasts and actually does something for my skin, but now that I use this I don't have to moisturize AT ALL. This makes my skin look so healthy and keeps it smooth and glowing all day long. That's not even the best part, I have keratosis pilaris, those annoying bumps on the back of my arms and legs. After just ONE use of this stuff, They are noticeably smoother and less visible."
