Written by Sarah Jones
Last Updated

Unfortunately, there is no one answer to this question as it depends on many different factors but generally, a wax could last anything between three and six weeks. It really depends on your particular hair growth cycle and how often you undertake a wax. 

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To understand the different factors which affect how long your wax might last, let’s take a look at the first one, which the cycle of hair growth. This varies in length from person to person but is made up of three key stages. 

 

  • Hair Growing

 

At any one time, around 85 percent of all your hair follicles are in the growing stage. This means when you are waxed there is still hair under your skin that is growing, but not long enough yet to be waxed, and this will come through fairly soon after the wax takes place. 

 

  • Hair Testing

 

Around 12 percent of your hair at any one time is in the resting phase so this should all be removed by the waxing process. 

 

  • Hair transitional

 

Around 3 percent of your hair is in the transitional phase. 

As well as the three stages of hair growth, there are many other factors that affect how your hair grows and therefore, how long your wax will last. Firstly, different parts of the body grow at different rates. 

Your age, your hormone levels, and also the color and texture of your hair will all have an impact. Thicker, darker hair that grows back will be far more noticeable than finer, light hair, even if it grows back at the same rate. If you have your legs and bikini waxed at the same time, your leg hair will grow back at a different rate to your bikini area hair. 

 

Regular Waxing is Part of the Trick

Getting waxed more regularly will help your wax to last longer as well. Getting waxed every couple of weeks will help more hair to be removed by the root and you will start to notice it takes longer to grow back. 

The best way to make your wax last longer is to ensure that all the hairs are pulled out by the root, and not just broken off. A professional waxing technician will be the best option for doing this, although some hairs will still break. If you wax yourself you are likely to break most of the hairs, in which case the regrowth will be much quicker and you will get in-growing hairs under the skin. 

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So to make the most of your wax, ideally, hair should be at least a quarter of an inch long so that it can be pulled out by the root, but if in doubt, talk to your beautician before coming in for an appointment as you want to get the best possible result. 

 

After Care Can Help Make a Wax Last

After you’ve had a wax, make sure you use sun protection on any exposed areas of skin that have been newly waxed and drink plenty of water to keep your skin very hydrated. It’s best to avoid very tight clothing as this can irritate a freshly waxed bikini area and lead to in-growing hairs too. 

An in-growing hair is when the hair is stuck under the skin and this is often one of the side effects of shaving. Moving to wax should reduce the risk but it can still happen and there are a few tips to help bring them out from under the skin. 

Try using a light exfoliator in the shower, which will help clear the skin of any blockages that might stop the hair coming out through the skin, and you can also buy products that are designed at preventing in-growing hairs such as skin serums. 

Once the in-growing hair does come through, leave it to grow until your next wax so it can be removed from the root, as plucking or shaving it will only create another broken hair and lead to the same problem again.

 

Conclusion

Due to the hair growth cycle, having a wax will leave you smooth and hair-free for a number of weeks but you will start to see hair growing back fairly soon as it was just under the skin at the time of waxing. 

To make your wax last longer, have it done more regularly, to ensure more hairs are being pulled out at the root, and eventually, you will start to see slower regrowth and less regrowth as well. Also, carrying out regular aftercare following a wax treatment will help to keep your skin smoother for longer and reduce the likelihood of those annoying in-growing hairs which can create unsightly bumps in the skin around the area. Longer-term waxing is far more effective than shaving, for hair removal. 

 

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