Natural Radiance—A Sweet Solution:

By Lara Evans Bracciante

Hair has its place: on top of your head. Unfortunately, strays often sprout in other unwanted places, and we struggle to tame, shape, or remove them altogether. We shave, laser, wax, and zap in an exhausting ritual that leaves us feeling pain in our pocketbooks, not to mention on our tender skin. But here‘‘s a sweet solution: sugar.

The scoop on sugaring
Sugaring, an ancient hair removal method, dates back to the Ottoman Empire, when brides prepared for their husbands and their wedding nights by removing all unwanted hair, according to Tamara Marcus, esthetician and spa director of Natural Balance Massage and Wellness Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Sugaring works like this: Whip up a paste of sugar, lemon juice, and water, and apply it to your skin in the same direction as the hair growth.

Then choose from two removal options: hand sugaring and strip sugaring. "With hand sugaring, the paste is a thicker consistency, a little thinner than taffy, and it‘‘s removed with a sort of flicking motion," she says. "Strip sugaring uses the same ingredients but in
a different blend to create a more liquid paste. It is then applied with a metal spatula and removed in strips, like waxing."

Unlike wax, however, the sugar paste only sticks to the hair—and not the skin—for a smooth, nonirritating effect. And unscathed skin is not the only advantage over waxing. Sugaring doesn‘‘t have to be heated to the level of hot wax, so there‘‘s no chance for burning. "It‘‘s warm to the touch so that it‘‘s pliable, but it‘‘s not hot like wax," says Marcus.

In addition, sugaring cleans up with warm water. This means your clothing, towels, and linens remain stain-free. It also means relief from wayward applications. In other words, if you make an error on the bikini line by putting the mixture someplace you didn‘‘t intend, you don‘‘t need to panic. "If you apply sugar to an area of the body and then change your mind, it‘‘s not a problem," Marcus says. Simply remove it with warm water and a towel and start over.

For best results, hair should be about a quarter of an inch long before sugaring. For most people, this means applying once a month: You‘‘ll spend two to three weeks hair-free and a week growing the hair out—and then you‘‘re ready to sugar again. The good news: The new hair growth isn‘‘t irritating like razor stubble, says Marcus. With each application, the hair follicles become narrower, so thinner, less stubborn hair grows back.

Sugaring paste is 100 percent natural, making it especially good for those with chemical allergies. "In my 20 years of doing this, I‘‘ve never seen anyone have a reaction to sugaring," says Marcus. "It‘‘s especially good for people with sensitive skin. And," she adds, "anywhere you can wax, you can sugar—and you can even sugar in some places you probably shouldn‘‘t wax."

Wherever that may be, we didn‘‘t want to know.

Sugaring at Home
While many professional day spas offer sugaring hair removal, you can purchase kits for home use—or you can make your own using this simple recipe:

2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water

Mix the ingredients together in a saucepan, and slowly heat to a boil for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture reaches 250 degrees on a candy thermometer. The consistency should mirror what‘‘s known as the ribbon stage in candy making. Pour the mix into a glass jar and let cool. If it flows like honey, it‘‘s too thin; if it‘‘s difficult to pour, it‘‘s too thick. The paste should be pliable and warm to the touch but not hot. If it cools too much, reheat it in the microwave to desired pliability.

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