Waxing Underarms Side Effects (with Solutions)

Waxing is one of the most used ways to keep underarm hair free. But, Before waxing underarms, you should prepare yourself to cope with the side effects of underarms waxing.

Today, I will tell you to most common side effects of armpit waxing. With side effects, here you will know how to minimize those problems.

If you wax yourself at home, take the preventive steps to get the excellent waxing benefits with fewer problems. And if you go to a professional, consult with him before starting the waxing session. Let’s see.

Underarm Waxing Side Effects

01. Pain

“Does waxing underarm hurt?” – a common question arises in the mind of every first-timer. Yes, it hurts you little not just the first time, in every session. It happens when the hair is plucked out from its root. The intensity of pain varies from person to person. It depends on the sensitivity of the skin, the amount & thickness of hair, and the waxing material. The level of experience of waxing professionals is also responsible for the amount of pain.

You can’t avoid pain, but you can minimize it. Some suggest taking a pain killer one or two hours prior to the waxing session. But, I don’t recommend it. Waxing pain is not severe pain. You can tolerate it by increasing your mental strength. If your underarm hair is too long, trim it to half an inch. It makes the waxing process easier. Before waxing, I suggest you apply a water-based moisturizer to your underarms. It makes your underarm skin soft for waxing.

02. Redness and Irritation

Redness is one of the most common waxing underarm side effects. Everybody is to face it. But, it is more common in people with sensitive skin. And the armpits with thick hair is prone to it. After waxing, a pinkish color will appear on the waxed area. Besides redness, it also irritates the affected region. Don’t worry, both redness and irritation are temporary. It will disappear within a day. Sometimes, it may last longer if you have super sensitive skin. If your skin is too sensitive, I suggest you not to do underarm waxing. Use another method to clean your underarms.

For quick relief, you should do a cold compress. Aloe vera gel is good enough for this purpose. You can use both raw or commercial aloe vera gel. It gives an instant cooling sensation to the irritated skin and provides anti-inflammatory benefits.

03. Burn and Inflammation

Burn and inflammation is another post-waxing side effect. It mainly occurs if your skin is covered with too hot wax. It happens if you do waxing at home without any experience before. It may also happen with normal wax temperature if your skin is super reactive to heat. You should use a thermostat wax warming kit to control the temperature preciously while melting wax.

Some other factors like quality of waxing product, skin sensitivity, drug interaction, certain health conditions, etc. can do burn and inflammation to your waxed skin. Like other problems, it will get cured with time. If it lasts for long – more than a couple days, consult with a skin specialist soon. And, if any activity of your salon professional is responsible for burning, notice him and switch to another if she couldn’t provide you any solution.

04. Bumps

You may experience a little red bump to the waxed area. It is very common and you need not be worried too much about this. When armpit hair is plucked out, the hair root can get inflamed. And it causes tiny red bumps. Usually, this red bump will disappear within one or two days. You will experience it more in the first few sessions. The intensity of the red bump will lessen with time. And sensitive skin is much prone to it than other skin types.

A proper moisturization and a warm compress before waxing can help little to prevent red bumps. It will soften and open up the hair shaft to ensure smooth hair plucking. And after waxing, don’t forget to give a cold compress to the waxed armpits.

05. Bruising

Everybody does wax to get fresh and attractive-looking underarm. And, it is horrible if you get a red and blue patch instead of a nice armpit. Yes, it is skin bruising, another side effect of underarm waxing. It is experienced by people with thin and sensitive skin. The lack of experience of the wax professional is also responsible for this.

Don’t go to a waxing session if you take blood thinner a few days before. It can trigger the bruising effect. And don’t wax on the same day you exfoliate your underarms. And I always suggest not to wax someone who has super sensitive skin.

06. Ingrown Hair

Don’t think only underarm shaving gives you ingrown hair. You can also get this problem through waxing. Even a perfect wax can not able to pull out all the hair from its roots. Some hair (especially the thinnest hair) get split near the hair root. Thus, waxing causes ingrown hair. It happens especially on the underarms or groin area.

You can’t avoid this completely. Even, no professional can give you 100% ingrown hair proof wax. But, you can limit it through some pre-wax preparation. Moisturization and warm compress can help you in this.

07. Allergic Reaction

Allergic reaction is less common but another side effect of waxing. If your skin reacts with various types of allergen, you should be cautious before waxing. Because the ingredients of wax can cause allergic reaction to your skin. Consult with the waxer about your skin reactivity to the allergen before starting the session. And always do a patch test before waxing. If the result is negative, don’t do it.

08. Infections

Waxing underarm can cause infections. But, it is very rare. It happens due to the low quality or dirty waxing materials, inflamed hair follicles, and bacterial attack. Underarm skin bruising is a common factor responsible for infection after waxing. And it makes the skin prone to bacterial infections. Unlikely, if you face post-waxing infections, you shall change the way of getting hair-free underarms. Otherwise, it will destroy the look of your underarms.

The Last Words

Beauty is always enjoyable. But, don’t let the beauty through you in disaster. Be prepared always for every situation.

And be happy.