What happens to wax as it ages? (2023)

Does hair stop growing if you wax long enough?

Board-certified dermatologist Ellen Marmur previously told Cosmo that when you pull the hair from the root, “eventually, this hair follicle will stop growing hair altogether.” In other words, the longer you continue to remove the root by waxing or sugar waxing, the less the hair will grow back.

The person's skin type, hair texture, and their particular hair growth cycle will determine how many sessions are needed before the hairs are permanently removed. Hairs can stop showing up after 8 months of treatment in areas where it grows naturally finer, as well as with people with fine hair.

Waxing should last anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks, depending on your personal hair growth, the location of your wax, and the accuracy of the application. If you're not sure waxing is for you, there are many other forms of hair removal that will last anywhere from days to weeks and even more long-term.

On average, a wax will last you three to four weeks.

If your hair is longer than 1/2-inch long, it might be too long to wax. Before your appointment, you can lightly trim the hair with a pair of clean hair cutting shears. If you don't have shears, you might want to leave it up to your technician to trim before your appointment.

The Truth: As the hair is pulled from the roots, this reduces hair growth. It varies from person to person, but even though your hair will grow back less, it may not necessarily be thinner. You'll just have less of it.

Waxing reduces hair growth when performed at every four weeks. While shaving crops the hair at the skin's surface, waxing pulls it out by the root, so it grows back softer, finer, and thinner.

And since your hair is at various phases in the growth cycle, your initial wax may not remove some hairs that are in the anagen stage. These hairs will make their presence known when they're good and ready, aka, maybe a day or so after your wax.

Does wax expire? Wax does not “expire” as such, but it will gradually degrade in flavor and potency over time, especially when exposed to light, heat and air.

Does pubic hair grow back?

Then there's the regrowth stage: Shaved hair grows back after a couple of days, and when it does it can be prickly or itchy. This can leave you feeling uncomfortable. There's also a chance some hairs will become ingrown.

When you wax frequently enough, the hair follicles become weak. After several sessions, you will find that they are easier to pull out because the follicle cannot hang onto the root as strongly. Eventually, some of the follicles will become altered to the point of not being able to produce hairs.

Laser hair removal and electrolysis are both considered “permanent” methods to denude pubes: both eliminate hair follicles so hair doesn't grow back.

But, she goes on to explain, you'll need about 3 to 4 weeks of growth before you're ready for your next wax. In other words, it's best to schedule waxes about 5 weeks apart.

If the hairs are too short in the bikini area, they will not adhere to the wax for removal. The same goes for hairs that are longer than 1/4 inch. You always want to make sure you trim any longer hairs before the waxing appointment.

Pubic hair needs to be at least the length of a grain of rice or ¼ of an inch long. Many people feel self-conscious about hair being too long before their Brazilian wax, but longer hair is grabbed by wax better. If you trim beforehand, you could cut it too short and forfeit the ability to wax.

Waxing can be more painful for first-time waxers, as well as for those with strong, thick hair. Clients with uneven hair growth cycles or those who shave in-between waxing can experience more pain because of the different hair lengths.

"For a bikini wax, those who frequent the beach benefit from waxing their bikini line every two weeks. But for a full bikini or Brazilian bikini service, you're recommended to come in every three to four weeks. This allows the proper amount of time for regrowth," Coba says.

“When you are waxing, you'll have about two weeks without any hair because of this interruption,” she says. But when you shave in between your wax appointments, the continuous cutting of hair can stimulate hair growth and reverse the efficacy of your treatments.

Does Brazilian wax cause sagging?

While its natural to feel that the constant pulling that takes place during a wax session could add to these causes, the truth is that waxing does not make your skin saggy.

Avoid the following for 24 hours after your wax: Swimming and exercise. For Brazilian Wax, no sex, especially oral sex for 24 hours.

Vaseline and oily products can clog your open pores and cause bumps, while fragrances or colorants can increase the risk for irritations on sensitive, freshly waxed skin. Do Not Pick on Ingrown Hairs.

We recommend that for the first few waxes, you return every 4 – 5 weeks. At this stage in proceedings, you want to be trying to get all of your hairs into the same growth cycle, so that they are all breaking through the skin at the same time.

Removing pubic hair may therefore make a person more susceptible to common infections, such as UTIs, vaginitis, and yeast infections. Hair removal can also irritate your skin, leading to skin infections such as cellulitis and folliculitis. In other cases, grooming-related injuries, such as cuts, could become infected.

First of all, people can shave the hairs they've missed during waxing, and it won't harm the skin in any way if the client doesn't suffer from any sensitivity problems.

If you wax one area and have hair left, move onto another to let that one rest, then come back and try again. Use tweezers to pull stray, lingering hairs to prevent over-waxing and irritating skin. Remember: Practice makes perfect!

An ingrown hair may appear about a week after waxing. Ingrown hairs occur when the hair grows and reinserts itself into the hair follicle. Ingrown hairs can cause itchy and sometimes painful bumps that often look like pimples on the skin. Without treatment, ingrown hairs can become infected.

What happens to wax as it ages?

If wax does start to age, you may notice discoloration or yellowing of the wax itself, and/or a rancid smell due to the aging of the oil. If this occurs, we would recommend doing a test candle to check the performance and throw of your products before continuing to use the wax.

Finally, as you continue waxing regularly, you'll notice your hair regrowth coming in finer, softer, weaker, less pigmented, slower… allowing you to stay smoother, longer. You'll be able to push future wax appointments out further and further. And ultimately the hair may stop growing altogether.

However, with effective storage, it's possible to safely consume most concentrates for a good six months. Though some are not fond of hydrocarbon extracted concentrates such as BHO-based shatter or wax, these have been shown to last longer than things like rosin.

As we age, some pubic hair thinning, or loss, is normal. However, certain conditions like alopecia or an adrenal issue can also cause hair loss. If you have any concerns, it's best to contact your Axia Women's Health provider.

Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.

Just like the hair on the head, the hair on the rest of the body, including the pubic area, is subject to graying. As people age, their skin produces less melanin. Melanin is the pigment responsible for giving skin and hair its color.

When switching from shaving to waxing, it takes at least 3 waxing treatments before all the old hair is removed and all new hair is in the Anagen phase.

How Often Should You Wax? You will gain the most benefits out of waxing when you schedule your appointments 2 to 5 weeks apart. For the legs, you will need to wax every 3 to 5 weeks. For the face, bikini line, and underarms, you will need to wax every 2 to 3 weeks.