5 Tips for Exfoliating and Waxing

Waxed skin is smooth, soft, and oh-so lovely – but it’s also pretty sensitive to most skincare products. For those who frequently wax their skin but don’t want to disrupt their normal exfoliative routine, what are you to do – skip exfoliation for a prolonged period time, or potentially irritate your freshly-waxed skin? Lucky for you, we’ve put together five tips that you should keep in mind when exfoliating waxed skin.

1.)    Lightly exfoliate the skin one to three days before getting waxed. When you wax the skin, you are inadvertently removing a layer of skin cells in addition to hairs. Therefore, exfoliating the day of your waxing session can make your skin too sensitive and more prone to irritation after waxing, especially if you use a scrub containing high concentrations of ingredients like salicylic acid or glycolic acid. To keep your skin feeling fresh (but less prone to irritation!), it is recommended that you lightly exfoliate one or three days before your waxing session (Bella Sante). And what better way to gently yet thoroughly exfoliate the skin than with the ViaBuff  Level 3 Exfoliating Buff?

2.)    Wait two to three days before exfoliating after waxing. As we mentioned earlier, waxing can remove the upper layers of skin, so there is no need to exfoliate immediately after waxing. Dr. Neal Schultz of DermTV.com recommends waiting two to three days before exfoliating your skin,  or else you run the risk of causing irritation or even a burn from chemical and physical exfoliants.

3.)    But don’t stop exfoliating all together! If you’re still new to waxing or had a particularly bothersome waxing session, you may want to eschew exfoliation altogether, for fear of irritating your skin. However, it is important that you stick to your regular exfoliating routine as much as possible, so as to lower the chance of developing ingrown hairs (Dr. Neal Schultz for DermTV.com) and to keep the skin from developing a buildup of dead skin and debris. Better yet, regular exfoliation may also help to keep hairs growing in the correct direction,  thus minimizing the chances of ingrown hairs and similar complications (Knoxville Dermatology Group).

4.)    Tell your aesthetician if you waxed recently. The burning and irritation that many of us see after a waxing session is often due to the outermost layers of skin being removed, not so much the hot temperature of the wax. However, to minimize irritation, it’s best if you tell your aesthetician if you waxed recently (and if so, how aggressively) so he or she can  alter the wax to better suit your skin (Dr. Neal Schultz for DermTV.com).

5.)    Don’t forget to use the ViaBuff Level 3 Exfoliating Buff! How many exfoliating tools on the market are designed specifically for those who have freshly-waxed skin? Not many! Unlike your run-of-the-mill loofah or puff, the ViaBuff Level 3 Exfoliating buffs were designed specifically to exfoliate recently-waxed skin, in addition to skin which has ingrown hairs, has keratosis pilaris, or which is dry. The ViaBuff Level 3 Exfoliating Buffs are available both as Body Exfoliators and Facial Mini Buffs, so that you can exfoliate waxed skin on virtually any part of the body. The ViaBuff Level 3 Exfoliating Buffs are made of an ultra-durable polyurethane foam that limits water retention (so that your buffs won’t become soggy) and which keeps your exfoliating scrub on the surface of the buff so that it can be rubbed into your skin, not the crevices of the buff. Better yet, our dermatologist-tested and cruelty-free buffs last for an average of 90 days, which three times longer than the life of your standard exfoliating puff. However, many of readers have reported that their buffs last for a few months longer when regularly washed  and care for.

Bottom Line

When it comes to exfoliating waxed skin, you may have to make temporary alterations to your typical routine. For example, you should abstain from  exfoliating for one to three days before your waxing session, and resume exfoliating two to three days thereafter. Even though waxing may temporarily disrupt your waxing routine, don’t scrap it altogether; regular exfoliation can help the hair to grow in the proper direction and help to prevent ingrown hairs. Make sure to tell your aesthetician if you’ve exfoliated recently so that he or she can alter the wax accordingly, and give the ViaBuff Level 3 Exfoliating Buffs (designed specifically for waxed skin!) a try!