Waxing is possibly the most convenient form of long-lasting hair removal that provides results for between 3 to 6 weeks – much better than the 2-3 days from shaving! Over time, waxing is said to make the hair thinner after each session, but will waxing stop hair growth completely?
There is both a yes and no answer to this question. Waxing can stop hair growth after many sessions, but it all depends on the individual and how often you wax. However, there is no guarantee that waxing will permanently stop hair growth for everyone.
The reason why waxing can stop hair growth is that consistent waxing weakens the hair follicles, which means that hair is less likely to grow back in the way it did before. In the first few months, people may find that waxing makes their hair grow back finer. It can take several months for long-lasting results to show, so don’t expect waxing to stop hair growth!
It all depends on how your body hair grows. It’s completely unpredictable and mostly unstoppable, but luckily waxing provides semi-permanent results for several weeks at a time, which is still much longer than shaving.
Waxing works to affect the dormancy phase of hair regrowth, which happens once the hair has left the follicle. Constant waxing will send a signal from the brain to the hair shafts, which will begin to teach the shafts that regrowth isn’t necessary as the hair will just be ripped out again. This is why the results from waxing eventually stay for longer, and can sometimes stop hair growth altogether!
Does the hair grow thicker after waxing?
Common misconceptions often lead people to believe that hair grows thicker after waxing, but this isn’t the case. You’ve heard it here, folks – waxing does not cause hair to grow back thicker.
Think of it like this: when you cut the grass in the yard, it will grow back. When you trim the ends of the hair on your head, it encourages it to grow back faster. The same happens with shaving, which causes hair to grow back not only faster, but thicker, too.
You’ve also got to consider hormonal changes. It’s normal for people, especially women, to experience changes in hair thickness throughout their life (particularly during puberty). This means that shaving often isn’t the problem here, it’s just our bodies doing their thing.
The reason why the hair doesn’t grow thicker after waxing is because waxing weakens the hair follicles. This is the opposite of shaving, which only removes the tapered and thin ends of the hair from the surface of the skin, which means the hair will grow back with a rough end making it look thicker.
When you wax consistently, the brain will send signals to the hair follicles that basically tell them that hair regrowth isn’t necessary. This is why hair mostly comes back thinner after several sessions of waxing, and it might eventually stop hair growth altogether.
How many waxes does it take to stop growing hair?
It’s not easy to say how many waxes it takes for hair growth to stop, because everyone will have different levels of hair growth. Some people who are experiencing hormonal changes will have hair that grows back after a few weeks of waxing, whilst others who are blessed with fine hair might find that it doesn’t grow back until six weeks after waxing.
It’s all about consistency. It’s highly unlikely for your hair to stop growing after a couple of waxing sessions, as your hair follicles haven’t been trained to understand that there’s no point in hair regrowth. Instead, you will find that your hair is likely to grow back thinner within the first few months of waxing sessions.
As there’s no guarantee that hair will stop growing back from waxing for everyone (how long waxing lasts varies from person to person), it is said that most people will experience permanent hair loss after around a year of consistent waxing.
If you want to wax to stop hair growth, you have to be strict with a schedule to teach your hair follicles to stop producing hair. This includes waiting for your hair to grow back to at least ¼ or ½ inches long plus sticking to a schedule, which is usually between 3-6 weeks between each session.
You must also not introduce any other hair removal methods throughout this time, as this will disrupt your hair growth cycle.
Is waxing dangerous to skin?
While waxing is ideal for providing long-lasting results to other hair removal methods, it can often come with some side effects to the skin. Waxing can often cause redness, irritation, pimples and bumps, ingrown hairs, pain, burns, bruising, and a change in skin color. It mostly depends on how sensitive your skin is and where you are waxing.
For example, women are more likely to experience tenderness when waxing their bikini lines as it’s a highly sensitive area.
However, this is often the price you have to pay for decent hair removal. The world of hair removal is a fickle fiend, but at least waxing is better for your skin compared to shaving.
The problem with shaving is that it comes with all of the negative side-effects of waxing and then some. Waxing doesn’t cause razor burns or cuts, which can leave semi-permanent (or even permanent) scars and marks from shaving.
Shaving also encourages hair to grow back thicker as it only removes hair from the surface of the skin, which can result in itchiness as the hair grows back thicker.
While there are some side effects of waxing, waxing isn’t necessarily dangerous to the skin. If you go to a professional who uses high-quality waxing products, waxing isn’t likely to produce negative reactions to your skin.
This is especially true if you commit to waxing regularly, as it’s all about training your hair follicles and skin to react positively to the notion of waxing.
Why do I feel stubble after waxing?
If you feel stubble after waxing, it’s probably because you need to know about the cycle of hair growth. Learning about this cycle and how your hair tends to regrow will help you to understand when the right time to book an appointment is.
There are three stages of the hair growth cycle. The first stage is known as the Anagen phase, which is where the hair grows. This is the longest stage of the cycle, as hair will generally stop growing after around 7 years when the follicles become dormant naturally.
The second stage is the Catagen phase, the transitional phase where the follicle will detach itself. The final stage is the Telogen phase, which is where the follicle goes dormant. The cycle then repeats itself after several months.
Waxing works to tear the hair from the follicle rather than trim the hair from the surface of the skin as with shaving, which means that waxing deliberately affects the dormancy stage. If done correctly and consistently, waxing will eventually cause the follicles to become dormant or at least weakened, which will leave the area feeling hairless for longer.
If you feel stubble after waxing, it’s likely that you haven’t left your hair to grow out long enough before the next session. The first couple of stages of waxing are likely to leave the area hairless for the shortest amount of time (usually between 3 to 6 weeks), but it’s important to let the hair grow out to ¼ or ½ inches long to get the longest results of hairlessness.
Why is there still hair after waxing?
It’s common for stray hairs to remain after waxing. The most professional waxers are usually keen to make sure this doesn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean that the odd hair in hard-to-reach places won’t remain.
This usually occurs when clients are new to waxing who haven’t been taught about the hair growth cycle. It’s important for professionals to tell their clients about this cycle because it will give them an idea of when they should return for another session.
The main reason why hair often remains after waxing is that people don’t wait for their hair to grow long enough before their next session. If the hair isn’t long enough (¼ inches or ½ inches is recommended), then the wax isn’t likely to cling to every hair. It can be annoying to leave your hair growing, but it will be worth it in the long run!
To prevent hair from remaining after waxing, make sure to leave your hair to grow long enough between sessions and don’t introduce other hair removal methods that will disrupt this.
Why is waxing bad?
Sure, waxing is a great way to remove hair for long periods, but it does come with some downsides. Irritation and redness are the most common side effect of waxing, which usually occurs when the area isn’t treated properly with the appropriate products. Allergic reactions, likewise, can often occur if unclean products are used.
It’s so important to go to a trusted professional for waxing. Newbies and DIY waxers might not understand the hair growth cycle well enough to know when the right time to wax is, or they might be waxing the area incorrectly. For example, if the hair is waxed in the opposite direction of growth, this can cause ingrown hairs.
Newbies might also overheat the wax, which can result in light burns and darkening of the skin. This eventually fades, but this can be prevalent in those with sensitive skin.
There are ups and downs to all hair removal methods, so there’s no universal method that will work for everyone. This doesn’t mean that waxing is bad, it just means that if it isn’t done correctly, it can result in some uncomfortable side effects.
