As we still have to wait a while until we can step inside a salon again, many of us are turning to social media for DIY beauty recipes to use in lockdown. Sugaring, a method of hair removal dating back to the ancient Egyptian era, is one of the latest beauty crazes to trend on TikTok.
The videos show people boiling a paste of sugar, water, and lemon together. Once cooled, they apply it to their body hair, then remove it with a cloth. Currently, on 7 million views, a Tiktok video shows @barbiannax say “you need to stop shaving and start sugaring” as she applies the sugar wax to her skin. Other TikTok videos show users creating the paste in a saucepan or microwave, then storing it in a container to use later.
What is sugaring?
Sugaring is viewed as an alternative to other hair removal methods, like waxing or depilatory creams, as the products used in the solution are natural. As the ingredients are found in our kitchens, sugaring is more cost-effective and said to be kinder on sensitive skin. As the sugar doesn’t stick to the skin, it is less painful than waxing. It is also said to remove shorter hairs than wax itself can.
However, if done incorrectly, sugaring could cause more harm than it’s all-natural appeal suggests. Experts warn that the sugaring mixture could burn or scald skin, particularly when used to remove hair on delicate skin, like the bikini line.
Why is it dangerous?
Stephanie Taylor, an intimate health expert from Kegel8, warned that sugaring could cause “severe scolding to the sensitive skin in your intimate area if the temperature of the water is too hot when applied.”
“This can leave you with painful burns, dangerous infections and irreversible scarring.”
A cause for further alarm, Taylor warned that the substance is very similar to napalm, a solution that prison inmates use as a weapon inside jail. Napalm inflicts gruesome wounds as it “sticks to the skin and intensifies burns”.
We still have to wait to make our beauty appointments but in the meantime, you can still buy hair removal kits. These are designed for effective but more importantly safe hair removal. Taylor says “I’d recommend leaving intimate waxing to the experts, or buying an at-home kit from a recognised brand which comes with tried and tested instructions to keep you safe.”
By Rosh Ilyas
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