There are many ways to remove facial hairs but the effectiveness might vary from one method to another. All my life I have opted for the safest hair removal method i.e. a trimmer or epilator. Apart from that I have tried threading which resulted in some redness and swelling naturally but it healed by the next morning. I have also tried the hair removal scrubs and peel offs but they were not quite effective. But this time, I decided to opt for facial waxing instead.

My skin type is oily and acne prone but not sensitive, and my facial hair growth is quite on the minimal side, but that is not really the question. Due to the excessive forcible pulling out of the hairs from the skin most people are expected to face unwanted after effects like redness, swelling, bumps, breakouts and later ingrown hairs as well.

My experience with the facial waxing session:

Firstly, talking about the pain, it was very similar to that of getting waxed on the hands and legs and much lesser than the pain of underarms waxing for sure. Also, I partly removed the sideburns as well. The pain was maximum on the upper lips but as soon as the waxing was complete, they had given an ice compress (ice wrapped in clean dry facial wipe tissue) and this helped to relieve the inflammation. But as because I applied the ice compress for a long time on the upper lips part, I didn’t get any bumps or breakouts there. But on the forehead and cheeks ,the ice compress was given for just a minute or so and thus I got the bumps there.

Things that worked for me to heal those bumps:

1: The body shop tea tree oil face wash: The first thing I did once I reached home is , I washed my face with The body shop tea tree oil face wash which helped me because the antibacterial properties of tea tree oil prevented any bacteria from infecting and further worsening the already sensitized skin. Also this face wash is free from any kind of harsh harmful chemicals that can further irritate the skin.

For a detailed review of the body shop tea tree oil face wash, click here.

Basically any face wash without any harmful chemicals like artificial fragrance and parabens and harsh chemicals like sulphates will serve the purpose. An antibacterial property is an added advantage.

2. Toner: After washing the face, the next important step was to soothe the skin and keep the skin pH balanced (to avoid unwanted bacteria) Here I tried a green tea toner (for its anti oxidant properties) but this didn’t make any difference to my skin expect for a little of moisturization that the toner had. So, I dropped this product and opted for an apple cider vinegar toner , again because of its antiseptic properties but then I had to discontinue it because it because it contained artificial fragrance which can furthur irritate the skin (simple dilution of ACV and application would help but I didn’t have it at the moment)

3. Moisturization: If you are dry skinned, then you need to soothe the area with a natural moisturiser . For this step aloe vera gel is the best choice.

4. Exfoliation: Now, for this step if you are thinking of using a granular scrub then that can in turn cause adverse effects. But the exfoliation is important because later these bumps will be the spots for ingrown hairs; also any dead skin cells accumulating on the bumps at this point can trap bacteria, and hence should be regularly removed.

The best choice of exfoliant for this is a chemical exfoliant liquid. Micellar water and toners are available with this exfoliant property. I have used the Tvakh 5% vitamin c exfoliating toner which has been quite helpful.

For a detailed review of Tvakh 5% vitamin c, click here.

In case , you don’t have similar stuff, I would suggest you to skip this step and follow proper and regular cleansing. Once the bumps heal, you can start using a scrub. Scrubbing on the bumps can further aggravate the condition

6. Calamine lotion : Now this is the most important step. This one thing alone did 80% of the healing, it was a true saviour. I have used the LACTO CALAMINE which contains calamine and kaolin clay that helped dry out the bumps and 60% of the bumps vanished overnight in 24 hrs itself. Also applying this lotion kept the burning sensation and itchiness at bay. On the next day also, I followed the same skin care routine with lactocalamine in the day for 2-3 hrs and then overnight. By the 3rd day morning, 95% of the bumps were gone.

This was the condition after 24 hours.

For a detailed review of lacto calamine lotion, click here.



* Stepping outdoors: Try to avoid going out in the first 2 days to avoid direct exposure to pollution and sunlight. But if you have to, just like me, then don’t forget to cover the areas with sunscreen and also use an umbrella to stay in shade. You might want to use anti pollution facial sprays as well, but as because my skin is already oily, I prefer using minimum number of products to avoid pore clogging.

In severe cases of itching and inflammation, using a Hydrocortisone cream will help, but I suggest to avoid it or consult a medical practitioner if you must use it, because it is a corticosteroid and thus should be should be used carefully .

stay beautiful, stay healthy!

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