Hello, people of the world — Lara here — and until about two weeks ago I had never removed* the pubic hair from my vagina. There was no real reason for this outside of just never making an appointment and also being kind of scared because, uh...it sounded painful?
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*Professionally. I have shaved before because I've worn swimsuits and because society has convinced me that my pubic hair is something to be ashamed of, duh! Also, here's a picture of me in a bathing suit, IDK, it seemed appropriate for the topic, let me live.
However, at the ripe age of 28, I decided it was time to see what the hell this removal of ye ole pubic hair was all about. It felt like some sort of life experience that I was missing out on. And also, it's almost summer and I'm goddamn tired of shaving.
For what it's worth, I am very much of the opinion that pubic hair was put there, you know, for a reason, and you don't need to remove it unless you want to! And if you want to, I fully support you and also admire the fuck out of you because it seems painful!
Because it is 2019 and the world is our oyster, there are a couple of different options for pubic hair removal. There is, of course, the traditional waxing, but there's also something called sugaring, and the ol' laser hair removal option. Because I'm not ready to fully commit to removing my hair, and because I wanted immediate results, I opted for a waxing or sugaring option. After doing some *research, I decided to pursue the art of sugaring.
*I googled for like five minutes and found some shit out.
So what *is* sugaring, you may ask? The process is similar to waxing in that both remove the root of your hair follicles giving you smooth, hair-free skin for longer than shaving does. While with waxing, a strip of some sort of material is often used to remove hair in the opposite direction of growth, sugaring removes hair by pulling in the ~natural direction~ of your hair follicles' growth pattern.
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Sugaring is considered by some to be better for the skin. The "sugar" used in place of traditional wax for hair removal is generally a warmer temperature than wax is and consists of just warm sugar, lemon, and water. That's it! Sugaring can help exfoliate the skin, and according to Byrdie, sugaring tends to hurt less than waxing because it pulls less on the skin while still effectively removing the hair. This means that you have a better chance of less irritation and redness! That sounds like something I want to be a part of.
Since I like the idea of a more clean/organic option, less pain, and because I am hopelessly addicted to sugar, I decided to make my way to Sugaring LA.
*^^I lied on Instagram because I was actually about to get a bikini SUGAR for the first time, but in my defense, I was nervous and my armpits were sweating.
When I got there for my appointment, I was immediately taken back to the room where it all happens. Here's what the setup looked like:
In order to prepare for my appointment. I:
1. Avoided shaving of any kind in that region of my body for at least two weeks prior to my appointment.
2. Avoided exfoliating the area being sugared at least two days prior to my appointment.
And 3. Said a little prayer.
Once in the room, I was instructed to take my pants and undergarments off. I know this probably seems like a no-brainer, but I'm just taking you through the process with me. Then, I lay down on the table. I felt slightly nervous because my vagina was just hanging out and also because I wasn't sure what I was about to get myself into.
This is my sugaring artist Alecia. She is amazing, and also the only person in the world I think I would be comfortable showing my entire butthole to. That is a very high compliment.
Alecia walked me through the process before we began and I was shocked to find out that the whole thing would take 15 minutes or less. The first step was applying a powder to the area that was about to be sugared to prepare the skin. It felt nice and looked weird. You'll just have to trust me on this one. After that, Alecia prepared the sugar for my skin and had me take some deep breaths because I kept telling her how nervous I was. I am dramatic.
Here's an up-close picture of the ball of sugar she used to roll my hair off my skin:
It's cute, right?
And here's a picture of my face as she removed the first ball of sugar from my skin, thus removing my pubic hair:
The process is not *not* painful. It's definitely not something I can't handle, and I wasn't screaming. But I definitely felt it. It pretty much feels like what you would imagine your hair being ripped from your body all at once feels like!
It was a very quick process, and at the end she had me hug my legs into my chest and expose my butthole to her. I was surprised, because I never even thought of someone sugaring that hair, too. But when she said it was a part of it if I wanted it to be, I said, "Hell ya!"
For something that could be really awkward, I felt extremely calm.
The whole process really did take 15 minutes or less, and though it was painful during the actual sugaring, I didn't feel lingering pain or irritation after the process was complete. I opted for the extended bikini option as opposed to full Brazilian. A basic bikini sugar would run $47, and an extended bikini comes out to $58. If you're considering hair removal, I would highly recommend sugaring.
Afterwards, I felt sleek and powerful. My vagina honestly looked beautiful, and I was so pleased with the entire experience that I immediately booked a follow-up appointment in four weeks. I'm a convert.
