Waxing 101.4: Re-growth

waxmehappy.com

The time it takes for the hair to grow back after waxing varies for individuals. Some say it depends on the stage of hair growth that your hair is in when you get waxed. For example, if your hair is in the active growing (Anagen) stage, you'll be hair free through the 2 other stages of hair gowth, Catagen (transitional stage) and Telogen (resting stage), until the cycle is back at Anagen. I don't agree with this.

The Anagen stage involves complete rebuilding of the hair follicle and may take from 3 months to years. The Catagen stage takes place after a period of growth (Anagen stage) where the follicle degenerates while the hair is still rooted in it, because the dermal papilla (nutrient&oxygen/blood supply) withdraws from the hair matrix. The Telogen stage is the resting period, and "old" hairs either lie dormant or are shed by friction.

Each follicle (about 5 million on the human body) goes through this cycle of hair growth in it's own time or we'd shed like animals. So when one follicle is in the Anagen stage, the one directly next to it may be in the Telogen stage and so on. That's why within a week after waxing, you may see hairs appearing. It probably wasn't long enough for the wax to get hold of it the previous week. It is also possible that the hair was broken off during waxing, but if this is the case, there'll be more than a few random ones, it would be an entire area. When a hair is broken off, the tip will be harder and more blunt than a re-grown hair. The re-growth will be tapered and somewhat "softer". Please note that, if you've shaved before deciding to start waxing, the re-growth after your first (and perhaps second) waxing session may be hard, and feel/like you've shaved it, and may grow back within or after a week. Your body is not used to waxing, and it acts defensively. Your hair is there for a reason (mainly pheromones, but also protection), and when it is removed, your body tries to "repair" the "damage". When your body senses that hair has been removed, it activates the growth cells, and your hair reverts to the Anagen stage, no matter what stage it was in when you had it waxed. So how do you deal with this?

You have to maintain a regular interval between waxing. Or at least try. I've seen great results with an interval of 3-4 weeks. Your hair grows 0,1-0,5 mm per day, and you need about one centimetre of hair above the surface for it be removed efficiently. It is possible to remove shorter hairs with wax, but for best removal, it should be about 5mm-1cm. I know there are some people who are very meticulous about waxing every second week, when there are all of 10 hairs in sight, but if you can help it, give it an extra week. This way, there'll be fewer re-growth hairs a few days after your waxing session. It is also important to follow after-care and home-care advice to get the best out of this hair removal method.

Will your hair get finer? The hair will seem finer and softer, and you'll notice that after a while, the hair grows back in patches. The hair at the back of my legs grows back so much slower than the hair on the front of my legs. It takes about 2-3 weeks for the hairs on my legs to start showing, make that 6 weeks for the hair at the back of my legs. For my first year of regular waxing, I'd wax my legs every week and a half to two weeks, because my hair was long enough to wax. You'll find that the longer you (continue to) wax, the more time you can allow between appointments. Also, with underarm waxes, I've noticed (especially with regular clients) that the hair along the perimeter of the area waxed grows back slower and a lot finer than the hairs at the centre of the same area. So it varies from person to person, and on the area being treated. There are also products available to assist in slowing down and weakening re-growth:

Veet Hair Minimising Body Moisturiser claims to "slow down the appearance of hair re-growth." I've never used this but I've heard from a friend that it's "so awesome" and she could tell the difference in a month. Someone else I asked preferred her regular body lotion. If you have tried this, let me know how it's worked for you. I've seen it at Clicks, PnP and Spar.

sofeminine.co.uk

Depileve's DepilMousse is used to "accelerate the weakening of the hair"

smartbuy.co.za

Depileve's Plant Extract Serum "helps to continue the anti-keratinization process" This is very nice, and is very gentle on the skin, even just immediately after waxing when the skin tends to be more sensitive.

sears.com

Depileve's Intimate Folisan is great if you're prone to ingrown hairs, especially along the bikini line. It contains acetylsalicylic acid and smells like glue. Seriously. It smells horrible, but it works well, especially for little red bumps that often accompany ingrown hairs. Sometimes I  use it on really bad breakouts (on my face) as a spot treatment (screw you PMS), but I wouldn't recommend doing this on very sensitive skin.

salonfirst.com.au

Depileve products should be available at your skincare clinic/salon. If you don't go to a specific one, you could always call and find out if they stock it.


Remember, the better you look after your skin/hair and follow home-care advice, the better the results you can achieve with waxing.

Miss B