Only the bravest of us greenies go without hair removal. Sure, there’s some who can weave their armpit hair, and we applaud that. But the rest of us aren’t unknown to razors or organic shaving creams. (And for our best natural picks for creams and razors, click here.) And that means some of us dabble in even greater means of hair removal. And by that I mean – waxing.
The first time I heard about “organic waxing,” I was sitting in Nori’s Eco Salon in Sherman Oaks, California. Nunei Harrington, aka “the organic facialist,” uses a line called Nufree, which is a soy-based wax. This antimicrobial gel claims to be completely botanical and germ-free. However, it is only used by professionals, so you’d have to schedule an appointment with your closest organic esthetician.
Want to wax at home? It seems that one of your most readily-available options is the Shobha Sugaring Kit. It contains the Sugaring Gel itself, made with sugar and lemon juice combined with glycerin and water. It is also free of parabens, dyes, fragrances, resin, waxes and more. The Sugaring Kit also contains the Shobha talc-free powder for prep, and Shobha denim strips are made from recycled denim and are designed to be washed and reused. Topping off the kit are detail instructions and two plastic spatulas for application. This kit is vegan-friendly and claims to offer “hassle-free home hair removal system using signature, 100 percent natural, professional-grade formula.”
But how hassle-free is it? In my unprofessional hands, not very. I warmed up the Sugaring Gel as instructed and dabbed it on a small spot on my leg. Denim strips in place; I pulled and managed to rip up some hair on my leg. Approximately 60 seconds later, I had red welt on my leg – which quickly brought my at-home experiment to an end.
In defense of Shobha, they do make it very clear in their instructions that if you have sensitive skin, (as I do) you may experience irritation. And I’ve never had a professional eyebrow wax that didn’t leave my skin a little annoyed. While I think it’s a great product for professionals, I’d urge caution in the hands of the sensitive skinned.
Image: egor.gribanov