What To Do After Face Waxing - Aftercare Tips & Guide

When it comes to facial waxing, we often question what to do next. Now as important as prepping is, the aftercare is just as essential.

When proper aftercare is being carried out correctly, it reduces a lot of unwanted risks like:

Redness

Acne and Inflammation
Ingrown Hairs
Bumps

Bruising
Wax Burns
Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentations

Continue reading for tips on how to correctly carry out good facial waxing aftercare to avoid and fix these problems.

Table of Content show

Aftercare Guide when Getting A Facial Wax

1 – You are required to keep your waxed face clean.

This means staying in a clean environment and avoiding activities that may cause excessive perspiration.

2 – Wait a few Hours Before Washing Your Face

It is recommended to wait until 3-4 hours before washing your face.

3 – Wait until 24 hours before applying moisturizer

(moisturizing will help to restore lost water content and moisture during facial wax).

4 – Exfoliating your face can be done only after 2-3 days after waxing.

This is because your face is still yet very fragile, which can lead to bruising and actual skin damage on your face.

5 – Refrain from applying makeup After Facial Waxing

Wait around 6 hours before applying makeup after waxing. And for persons with sensitive skin and it’s wise to wait at least 12 hours before applying any makeup. (Ingredients in makeup can potentially cause discomfort)

6 – Be cautious of face cleansers.

Some contain a lot of chemicals that can potentially cause irritation (Burning sensation and/or itchiness) to your now more sensitive face.

7 – Make sure to avoid heat and friction

At least within 24 – 48 hours after waxing, by avoiding spas, saunas, and exercising.

8 – Avoid swimming in pools and beach for at least 24-48 hours.

Salt water and chlorine can be harsh on your face, which can also lead to bacteria buildup and even cause discoloration.

9 – Be cautious when using treatment

Especially harsh treatments like Citric-based ones. Also, refrain from referrals, because what may work for others may not work for you.

10 – Use a Sunscreen

Apply Sunscreens on your face before heading out into the harsh UVA and UVB Rays. This will help to protect from discoloration.

11 – Use a Cold Compress

Applying a cold compress can help with redness, prevent bumps and also calm the waxed area.

Can I Wash My Face After Waxing?

It is recommended to wait 3-4 hours after your facial wax before washing your face. This is so that, you do not irritate your face any further.

Seeing that your pores are now open, your face is now more prone to bacteria and can easily react to any chemical.

So it’s best to also avoid pools and face cleansers. However, if needed you can use lukewarm water and rinse your face then dry with a clean towel.

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How To Close Pores After Waxing Face

After a facial wax, you will notice the size of your pores has increased. This can be due to the hot towel before the procedure and the warm wax used during the process. Do not worry as your pores will gradually return to their original size after a few days.

They may still seem a bit larger, this can be because they no longer contain their hair.

However, if you have noticed no natural reduction in the size of your pores after 3-4 days you can use the icing method. Once carried out correctly the icing method will help shrink your pores.

Video On How To Shrink Pores Using Ice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0PmAP7LujU

DON'T RUB ICE CUBES on your FACE until YOU watch this! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0PmAP7LujU)

How to Prevent Ingrown Hairs After Waxing

Ingrown hair is caused by hair breakages. This is when hair is broken off right in the first layer of the skin. It is also caused by your pores becoming clogged by dead skin and other impurities.

Now if you leave your regrowths with no passage to grow out of, they can begin to curl back down underneath the skin’s surface causing ingrown hair.

You can prevent ingrown hair by cleansing and exfoliating your face prior to waxing treatment. Exfoliation will scrub away dead skin on the face, especially around the pores. This will help in loosening the grip around the hair, and this will avoid breakage which can lead to ingrown hair.

How to treat ingrown hairs After Face Waxing

After the waxing procedure, you may still notice some ingrown hair.

You can treat ingrown hairs by waiting until 24 hours before exfoliating again followed by a mild moisturizer. It is also recommended to only exfoliate every 3-4 days, doing this too frequently can bruise your face which is still yet fragile and sensitive.

You can treat this using acne medication or steroid creams that are good for cleaning pustules and reducing the swelling caused by the ingrown hairs. This process will even expose the ingrown hair for easy extraction.

How to Treat redness After Waxing

There is no way to prevent redness to your skin after waxing. Redness will be noticed after waxing because the pulling of the hair follicles creates micro-trauma to your skin, or the wax being warm or hot can result in redness in your skin.

Your redness will disappear eventually once your skin return to a calm state. However, if it does not, you can help the process by:

Applying a cold compress to your face on the waxed area, will calm your skin and help with the redness it will also prevent bumps and potential irritation.
Use calming moisturizers which contain Licorice Extract, Salicylic Acid, and Azelaic Acid, these ingredients help to calm redness and smoothen out bumps.

You can use Paul’s Choice Serum, click here to see the price of it on Amazon.

How to Treat breakouts After Waxing

Breakouts after waxing are like typical acne that we occasionally notice on our faces. This is usually caused because our pores are now open leaving our skin vulnerable to bacteria and plaque buildup onto the skin.

Breakouts also prevent hairs from growing out which results in ingrown hair, leading to pores becoming inflamed.

You may try to avoid it but you may still notice a few on your face. Some of the few steps taken to treat breakout after facial wax are:

Use warm water to wash your face, or rest a warm compress over the area. The heat will draw the inflammation closer to the surface of the skin for an easy removal process.

Use an anti-bacterial wash, this will help to properly cleanse your face cutting down the bacteria from your skin. (it is also very effective when used before facial waxing treatment)
If pores do not naturally reduce to the normal size you can use the icing method to help shrink them.
Gently Exfoliating your face can help with removing dead skin that can clog pores.

Click here to see the CeraVe Wash on Amazon, it is effective yet gentle making it ideal to use after waxing.

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How to Treat bumps After Waxing

After facial waxing, you may notice some tiny bumps on your face. You do not need to worry for they won’t lead to anything harmful like breakouts.

These bumps will go away in a matter of 3-4 days maximum. These bumps are not acne or ingrown hairs. This is the after-effect of forcefully ripping your hair follicles from your pores.

But if wanting to treat it, all you can do is calm the area with a cold press, gently resting this on your waxed face, and effectively get rid of your bumps.

Hyperpigmentation After Waxing

One of the few reasons for Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is if the wax is too hot it. This causes irritation and pigment cells to release too much pigments hence, the discoloration.

It is also understood that persons who have darker skin tones (being hair and eye color) tend to have more of a pigment problem.

However, hyperpigmentation slowly and rarely goes away by itself. You can use these steps to help get rid of your Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation by:

Making sure that wax is not too hot. Wax should be tested first to make sure it is of a tolerable temperature before applying to the face.
Avoid exposure to the sun right after a facial wax, or use a good sunscreen to help block the harmful UVA and UVB Rays that cause pigment changes in the skin.
You can also treat this type of pigmentation with over-the-counter creams that contain licorice extract and hydroquinone (use ointments only after at least 1-week post-facial waxing procedure)

I recommend EltaMD Clear Facial Sunscreen, it is oil-free and perfect for sensitive making it ideal to use after waxing. Click here to see the price of it on Amazon.

Skin Lifting after Facial Wax

When the top layer of your skin is removed while waxing (commonly referred to as Wax burns), can most likely occur if you have recently undergone a chemical peel, or using retinol.

Make sure to always share this information with your beautician, or else you will be open to bacteria, scarring, and even pigmentation.

However, if you are wondering how fast a wax burn takes to heal after a facial wax it usually takes 1-2 weeks depending on your skin type and health.