It’s Sunday, my favorite day for self care. I work from home on Mondays, which is actually a nice intro to the week; no having to shower and get dressed, no morning commute, coffee in my pjs… But, it is still Monday so Sundays are all about self care and setting my week up right. If I start by caring for myself, and filling up my cup ☕️, I can give all week long.

This week, I decided to try waxing my legs. I’m so over the hostage situation of either shaving daily or wearing pants. Plus, I don’t feel like my legs really even look that great after shaving so I figured it was time for a change. When I shave, I can still see where the hair is… it’s annoying. I know waxing will give me a cleaner look and will last longer so I figured what better self care activity than

Originally, I was looking into getting waxed at the salon I visit for my eyebrows but then I read that Kate Hudson waxes her own legs. I thought if she’s humble enough to wax herself, why should I spend $100+ at the salon? So I bought a waxing kit at Rite Aid. You can get the same one here.

Or check out these 10 Totally Non-Scary At-Home Waxing Kits!

Waxing for Beginners

You know waxing is not for the faint of heart but it really wasn’t as painful as I had anticipated. It was, however, harder than I thought it would be.

If you want to try it out & you’re a beginner here are 7 tips I learned from my experience.

Tip#1

Buy extra waxing strips when you buy the kit. The kit comes with a good number of strips m but when it’s your first time you’re likely not going to be efficient. It’s better to have too many than too little.

Tip#2

Figure out where all the strips will go or how they’ll need to be cut, in advance. I was trying to cut and fit as a went but I kept letting the wax sit too long and it got tacky. Next time, I’ll precut all strips first.

Tip #3

Have a strategy for where you’ll start and end. I wasn’t sure if it was better to start at the ankle or knee and google was no help. So, I started at the ankle but never decided on moving in a horizontal or vertical pattern and I ended up moving all over the place. My lack of direction caused me to waste more time than necessary.

Tip #4

Work in a well lit area. My hair is light in some places and dark in others. To be sure I didn’t miss any spots, I sat right in front of a window. You have to bend in some weird positions that can cause shadows so having lots of light it’s important to a smooth finish.

Tip #5

Stay near the microwave. Bc you will have to reheat the wax a few times. I probably reheated it about 4 times. You can still use it when it’s cooled but I found that it slathered on thicker when it was cooler and it was a waste of wax. I liked using a thin coat so I kept it at a watery consistency.

Tip #6

Give yourself lots of time. You need to work slowly with the wax, it’s very, very sticky. Be patient as you’re dipping the wood spatula and applying to your leg, the wax gets messy fast. You have to swirl the stick a lot after it’s dipped bc the wax stretches like crazy across any and every surface.

Tip #7

Have a cotton ball or napkin soaked in oil right next to you incase you get any wax on your hands, or other surfaces you need to clean quickly. You cannot wipe wax off with a paper towel or dish towel alone, it’s so super messy. You’ll need oil to clean it up. Have some ready so you’re not spreading the mess in an effort to clean it.

Pros & Cons

Waxing

• Pros: Long-lasting, cleaner finish
• Cons: Time consuming, messy

Shaving

• Pros: Quick, simple
• Cons: Short-lasting, razor refills are expensive $$

Waxing or Shaving?

Overall, I’m happy with the waxing results and the waxing kit was super easy to use. With practice, I think I can develop a good system to wax my legs without wasting time or supplies.

I really, really don’t like shaving in the shower and the price of razor refills is just crazy, especially if I have to shave daily.

Now that I’ve waxed my own legs, and I see how easy it is, I may give my underarms a try! Seeing the difference between shaving and waxing, I 100% prefer waxing.self care activities

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