How to Prepare for a Brazilian Wax: Surviving the Smoothening

They say beauty is pain, and nothing demonstrates this as well as a Brazilian wax. Whether you’re a top who wants to accentuate his length or a bottom who’s taking anal training to the next level, a full Brazilian offers numerous benefits that may outweigh the discomfort.

Not only that, but you can avoid the classic movie trope waxing experience where you’re writhing in pain — if you do the proper prep.

It doesn’t matter if it’s your first experience getting a landing strip or you have frequent flyer miles; these tips will keep you from feeling the burn in your between-me-down-there. Trust us; you’ll want to bookmark this guide on how to prepare for a Brazilian wax or suffer an unruly experience.

What is a Brazilian wax?

Brazilian waxing is done to remove most or all of your pubic and anal hair. Get ‘em on your pole, get ‘em on your hole — either way, you’ll leave feeling the wind between your legs. 

Bikini or Brazilian: What’s the difference?

You have probably heard of a bikini wax, as well. So, what sets them apart?

A bikini wax will only remove the hair from the edges of your bikini area (aka your budgie-smuggler area, tighty-whitey area — whatever you want to call it). The point is, it cleans up your edges but leaves some bush for the bear-inclined boys. 

As previously mentioned, a Brazilian wax is a full-blown landscaping event. You’ll say goodbye to every last hair in your nether region, from your pubic bone to your anus.

Both a Brazilian and a bikini wax involve very sensitive areas. Many of the tips we’re providing apply to all types of waxing, no matter where you’re getting hair removed. But what does the process look like?

Trust the process: How waxing works

First, you take off your underwear. We know — shocker.

After cleaning and preparing your private parts, the professional will apply warm liquid wax to your body. If it’s a soft wax, they’ll lay on a strip of paper or cloth after it cools slightly. If it’s a hard wax, no strip is necessary. Once it’s cooled further, the waxer will pull the strip in the opposite direction of your hair growth, and that’ll be that.

If you’ve ever had to pull tape off a hairy section of skin, your Spidey-senses are probably tingling, telling you to keep your skin and dignity intact. That’s valid, brain, but there are a lot of misconceptions about Brazilian waxes. They don’t have to be the borderline torturous experience you expect. In fact, if you prepare yourself well enough, you’ll alleviate much more of the discomfort than you think.

Brazilian benefits: The upsides to waxing down under

There are several potential benefits to waxing over other forms of hair removal. And we’re talking about way more than just giving your partner a clean plate to eat off of.

Getting a Brazilian wax can help increase collagen production, reduce cuts and bumps from razors, and boost your confidence in and out of the bedroom. Over time, you might even see your hair naturally thin out, making the whole process easier.

So, let’s rip it hard and fast; here’s what you should know before getting a full-service crack wax.

The best tips to prepare for a Brazilian wax

Looking for hot tips to minimize the burning? We’ve compiled a list of must-do preparatory steps so you come out of your Brazilian waxing experience as smooth as a cucumber. (That’s how the phrase goes, right?)

1. Become a Scrub Daddy

We’ll start with the obvious: You should always shower before your appointment. Why? When working with an esthetician, the basic protocol is to give them a clean canvas to apply the hard wax. You douche before a date, so why not offer your waxer the same courtesy?

If, for some reason, you can’t make it home, opt for some wet wipes. We know you have those lying around.

2. Give your junk a full-on spa day

For even better results, you can prepare the area the night before, too. Exfoliate your private parts and take a warm bath or shower. Softer skin means easier hair removal. Exfoliating your skin also helps you shed dead skin that can latch onto follicles. 

The more dead skin around your pubic hair follicles, the more likely your esthetician will run into snags when they pull. And yes, that will likely be as uncomfortable as it sounds. You can avoid this by dry brushing the area or using an exfoliating scrub. 

Be careful with these, however. Many won’t be formulated for use on your man clam. Use these sparingly or avoid them altogether so you aren’t walking into your appointment an irritated asshole in more ways than one.

3. Not too short; not too long; juuuust right

Your pubic hair should be at least a quarter inch long so the hard wax can grip it properly. That means between 10 and 14 days of hair growth for most people. Waxing hair that’s any shorter significantly increases your odds of some pretty painful moments.

4. Clear your mind before you clear your pubes

Appointments like these often aren’t as bad as you build them up to be. Going in all tense and nervous won’t set you up for success, though.

If you’re getting your hair ripped out by hot wax for the first time, it’s natural to be a bit worried. Truthfully, much of the discomfort doesn’t come from the waxing itself but from anxiety before and during your appointment. It’s no small feat to turn this off, but you can do things like deep breathing exercises as ways to cope with the anxiety if it’s getting intense.

Pop culture dictates that all waxing experiences must be painful and traumatizing, but that’s just not true. It’s significantly less painful when done by a professional.

5. Go back for seconds

One of the best ways to eliminate the fear and the pain is immersion therapy. Keep yourself on a waxing schedule to avoid using a razor and get used to the experience. Regular waxing will also cause the hair to thin over time, making each subsequent appointment even more painless.

6. Trust the professionals

Although you can certainly give yourself a bottom-half wax if you’re feeling daring or knee-deep in a quarter-life crisis, there’s virtually no way it’ll be less painful than going to a professional.

So, if keeping that pain to a minimum matters to you, go to someone certified to pull hair off your taint. The last thing they want is for you to have a bad experience. You have much better chances of leaving your appointment with your bikini line feeling radiant rather than rashy.

7. Say “yes” to drugs

Aside from the mental gymnastics you can do to take the edge off, you can also take a mild pain reliever 20–30 minutes before your appointment. Anecdotal evidence suggests a single dose of aspirin helps you manage the pain of having your pubic hair yanked out. 

Aftercare tips

You’ve done it; both you and your hole have made it to the other side unscathed, stronger, and smoother than ever before. Now what?

The post-waxing aftercare is just as important as the prep, so let’s go over some ways you can ensure you don’t end up with some not-so-sexy after-effects like irritation or ingrown hairs.

1. Learn to love your natural musk

Keep fragrances away from the waxed area. Is it hot that you want to splash a bit of Tom Ford on your gooch or bikini line before you go out for the evening? Maybe, but it’s gonna be a very different kind of hot if you do that after your Brazilian.

You should also avoid using lotions or soaps with fragrance, as these can be equally irritating.

2. Don’t boil your bits

Avoid hot tubs or saunas for the first few days after waxing. Again, this will feel counterintuitive for those of you who want to remove hair from your body for precisely these situations. But the warm water can trigger some of that hallmark irritation that will make your apple bottom a particular shade or red that won’t feel great.

3. Sweat leads to breakouts

It’s not just heat that you’ll want to avoid, either. Excessive sweating from running or going to the gym is another recipe for disaster post-wax. Give yourself a few days, or you risk your follicles opening up too much and potentially ending up with breakouts. And once that happens, you’ll probably wish you had some fuzz to cover it up.

4. Expect mild irritation

Some redness is typical, but it should only be temporary. Most estheticians use hard wax for the more sensitive parts of your body (you know, like your gooch), which can lift the hair without damaging your skin.

Still, you might get itchy skin after your appointment. You can alleviate this with some fragrance-free products that will soothe irritation and hopefully cut down the urge to scratch yourself in pubic — er, public.

5. Stay squeaky clean

Keep the area as clean as possible. Bacteria in your open follicles create the perfect environment for an imminent breakout. Wash regularly and avoid touching the waxed area with unclean hands.

This is especially important after sex. Once you’ve finished banging along to the BPM of every song on your sex playlist, hit the showers. Otherwise, you’ll end up as a pop star yourself (the kind that shows up on Dr. Pimple Popper, that is).

6. Gentle exfoliation is a bussy’s best friend

The best way to prevent ingrown hairs and keep your skin silky smooth is to keep up with your exfoliating routine. Buff away the dead skin with a fragrance-free exfoliating scrub or a body glove when you shower.

Don’t do this too early, however; the sweet spot tends to be about three to four days after you wax. Oh, and shaving is off the table if you want to give yourself a fighting chance against irritation.

If you think your body can take it, work up to gently exfoliating the area daily. Adjust this to your skin type and comfort level, and don’t forget to moisturize afterward for the smoothest skin possible.