The Painful Truths & Myths About Bikini Waxes

We explain everything from styles to the risks. Here’s the beginner’s guide to everything you need to know about getting the popular bikini wax.

Brazillian, Hollywood, French, Full, and all. The terminology involved can seem intimidating, but it can all be so simple once you know the basics.

Hair removal is an entirely personal choice. If it something you don’t necessarily vibe with, that’s okay; however, if you are interested, and you’ve found yourself particularly curious, we’re sharing all you need to know about bikini waxes.

What Is A Bikini Wax

You can expect different salons to have other names for similar styles, but essentially a basic bikini wax is a hair removal process using a hot or cold wax that pulls out the hair when pulled off.

The styles refer to how much you want to keep and in what general shape. Make sure to explain this very clearly to the technician to ensure that there are no misunderstandings on the final product or procedure.

Regular Bikini Wax

The wax is applied to either sides of the panty line to remove the hair from the front only on the perimeter of the panty.

Full Bikini Wax

Slightly more hair is taken from the sides and the top of the panty line. Leaving you with less hair than a regular bikini wax but more than a French bikini wax,

The French Bikini Wax:

This wax takes all hair off in the front (except a small strip). It doesn't take the hair off from the back like a Brazilian, however.

The Brazilian Bikini Wax

The Brazilian bikini wax takes all hair off the bikini line, front to back. "This is perfect for a completely nude look, or you can leave a neat triangle, strip, or square on the front," says Petak.

The Hollywood

While a Brazilian may leave you with some hair left, a Hollywood leaves no stone unturned. Basically, the process removes all of the hair from the front and the back. It may not not be the most ideal option for waxing beginners as it's something you should ease into.

Does Waxing Hurt

"The first time hurts the worst, especially if you've been shaving, but once your hair structure starts changing because of waxing, it becomes so much easier and less painful."

A wax specialist shares with Elle.

But also, it partly depends on your pain threshold, but you may want to brace yourself when they rip off that wax strip and just breathe through it.

Benefits of a Bikini Wax

The result of bikini wax is a much closer shave than a razor. This ultimately means that your hair will take a little longer to grow back.

"Plus, by waxing, hair is removed from the root, so when the hair does eventually grow back, it will be softer and finer."

Gina Petak of European Wax Center tells Byrdie.

Aftercare

If you’re going for a wax, chances are your hoping for a clean finish sans annoying and sometimes painful ingrown. That’s why aftercare is paramount.

Exfoliating will help remove dead skin that could lead to ingrown hairs and bumps. But you also want to use an ingrown hair serum.