"Waxing leaves a cleaner, smoother finish, and lasts much longer than shaving," says Beth Huminski, an esthetician from Fairfield, Conn. The 31-year old has been waxing women and men for more than 10 years, and finds the method has increased in popularity over that time. "You're grabbing the root and pulling out the hair. It lasts about three to four weeks, and each time you wax, it grows back weaker and thinner, and eventually it does thin out the hair, while shaving just makes the hair coarser and thicker."
One advantage to at-home waxing kits is that you know what you're getting and who's been using the wax before you, which has become somewhat of a health issue.
"If you do wax at home, you can use it a few times because it's your own hair that is being ripped out of your own skin," says Lamas. "You're the only one using it, so if you are using hot wax and you're constantly using the same pot of wax, well it's good for six months, and there's no problem because it's only you using it."
Waxing at the Salon
But what about salons that reuse the hot wax, client after client? Does that pose a health hazard?
"There is serious question about this. I have not seen a study that has actually tested the wax to see what the potential health risk is," says Peter Pugliese, M.D., medical director for the American Aestheticians Education Association (AAEA), a nonprofit association with a membership of more than 1,000 estheticians across the country based in Dallas, Texas. "As long as there is no water in there, then theoretically it would not grow bacteria or transmit organisms.
There are no regulations preventing the reuse of cosmetic hair-removal waxes in salons. In fact, the whole field of aesthetic sciences -- which is a loose catchall for a wide range of professions including cosmetologists, manicurists and hairdressers -- is largely unregulated. (The certification requirements and licensing of these professions are solely state-by-state. One of the goals of the AAEA is to create uniform, standardized testing to the field, as well as to create a separate category for just estheticians, sans hairdressers.)
