Why Sugaring?
The practice of Sugaring which originated in Persia is considered to be the oldest method of hair removal and dates back to around 1900 BC. This completely natural method uses a simple paste made by us from only three natural ingredients; Sugar, Water and Lemon. The sugaring paste used by Shugr.me is made in-house and because the paste is pure and gentle on the skin, sugaring can be performed anywhere on the body.
The warm but not hot, paste is applied to the skin against the direction of the growth of your hair which fills each hair follicle lubricating it for when it is removed with a flicking action in the direction of your hair growth. Unlike any other method of hair removal, this removes the hair at the root while it is still attached to the blood supply which weakens the hair follicle and results in less growth in the long term.
Because sugaring paste is made using only natural ingredients, it is hypoallergenic and kind to the most sensitive of skin including those who suffer with Eczema or Psoriasis - in fact, sugaring can even help with improving some skin conditions by removing unwanted dead skin therefore allowing any topical creams applied to penetrate the outer layers of the dermis.
Sugaring, while relatively new to Europe, is making steady inroads and is fast becoming the preferred method of hair removal thanks to its many advantages over alternatives such as waxing, shaving and epilating.
Why is Sugaring better than Waxing?
Unlike waxing - sugaring uses only 3 natural ingredients in its paste - sugar, water and lemon juice. The sugar paste is applied to the skin against the direction of growth and removed with a flicking motion removing the hair at the follicle without lifting your skin. Waxing is done in the opposite direction using a hot wax, which sticks to the skin and removed against the direction of growth often breaking the hair and not removing it completely while also causing a lot more pain as the hot wax sticks to the skin.
Sugaring paste can be simply removed from the skin using warm water if applied to any areas that are not required, however the only method of removing wax once applied to the skin is to pull it off.
What about Shaving?
Shaving, while convenient, has to be done more often - ideally every day in order to maintain the appearance of smooth skin. Regular shaving will make the hair grow back thicker and coarser, and therefore will become more noticeable. 2–5 hours after shaving, you will also experience an unpleasant 'roughness' if you stroke your skin in the opposite direction to hair growth as the cut hair begins to grow back. Shaving is also prone to causing ingrown hairs.
Sugaring by comparison removes hair at the follicle causing the hair to grow back thinner, and lasts much longer between treatments - sometimes up to 4 weeks. This will become longer with regular treatments, and sugaring causes far fewer ingrown hairs.
Why not Epilation?
If you have ever used an epilator you’ll already know that epilating hurts — a lot! Why? Because instead of everything all happening at once, each individual hair is pulled out individually. To compound the pain, epilators are very slow which makes the temptation to go faster to get the process over and done with almost irresistible. The problem with this is that the faster you go, the more hairs you miss meaning you have to keep going over the same area over and over again. Even if you go slowly, you will have to keep going over the same area to get perfectly smooth skin.
With epilating, there are no guarantees that the hairs captured by the epilator are actually being completely removed from the hair follicle, more often than not breaking the hair instead increasing the hair growth to that of shaving.
Sugaring uses a warm - often body temperature - paste that only sticks to your hair, and is removed using a flick technique that reduces the pain so much that most people say it's barely noticeable.
What about Hair removal creams & gels?
Depilation creams and gels contain some very harsh chemicals and as a result can cause some serious skin damage even if used correctly. These problems can be intensified if used on sensitive skin, left on the skin for too long or applied to sensitive areas such as the bikini line and can cause rashes, skin peeling, stinging, pain, blisters, and even chemical burns. Although you may achieve a soft and smooth hair free area, the results do not last long and you will soon find you will be reapplying a depilatory cream within a few days to achieve the smooth, hair free finish you are after.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are a list of frequently asked questions - just click the arrows to the right of the questions to see the answers. If you have any more questions about sugaring or Shugr.me, please get in touch!
We would recommend that you allow your hair to grow to around ¼ inch before your sugaring appointment - especially if you have been shaving. This allows for a thorough Shugr.me experience by capturing all of the hairs.
This varies from person to person - however all of my clients have expressed how little discomfort they feel, and the majority are surprised with how little they feel while being sugared.
Without exception however, all of my clients who have been previously waxed have said how little discomfort they feel when comparing sugaring to waxing.
Absolutely! We have as many male cients as female, and a full male sugaring pricelist can be found by clicking on the 'Homme' tab found on our services page here.
In order to receive the best from your treatment, shugr.me reccomends the following before your appointment:
- Allow your hair to grow to ¼ inch - especially if you have been shaving.
- Avoid the use of lotions, creams, oils or tanning creams 48 hours prior to your treatment
- Avoid the use of tanning beds, hot tubs or saunas 48 hours prior to your treatment
- Allow any sunburnt areas of skin to be completely healed prior to your treatment
- Avoid having a sugaring appointment for 1 or 2 days prior to menstruation. (Some clients are more sensitive)
- Shower or bathe in water that is not excessively hot prior to your appointment
- Wear comfortable clothing to your appointment
After your Shugr.me treatment it is essential to follow this post care guidance:
- Do not expose newly treated areas to direct heat, sunlight, ultra-violet light for prolonged periods in the 24 hours following your treatment. This will avoid skin irritation or itching.
- Do not go swimming or take vigorous excercise in the 24 hours after your Shugr.me treatment as the harsh chemicals or perspiration may affect the treated area.
- Do not apply perfumed products including deodorants within 12 hours of your treatment.
This really does vary from person to person and the area being sugared, as hair grows at different rates all over the body and we would discuss this with you on a treatment by treatment basis to guage how long you can go between treatments.
However we would genrally reccomend between 2 and four weeks.
Please do not be tempted to use a razor between appointments.
Shaving will cause your hair to grow back thicker, darker, stronger and more coarse-feeling.
No, in fact you should notice a significant reduction in hair growth after a few treatments, this will obviously mean longer between treatments.
Some clients even report that hair growth stopped altogether after being sugared regulaly.
In a nutshell, sugaring is all natural, less painful, longer lasting, kinder to your skin and is more thourough.
Much more information on on the benefits of sugaring over waxing as a method of hair removal can be found above.
You can jump straight there by clicking this link: Why Sugaring is better than Waxing