From liberated Sixties bushes to the bald boldness of the Nineties, pubic hair has always been a sign of the times. During the peak of the pandemic, the trend for going au naturale took off again but in 2021, beauty appointment booking service Treatwell reported that salon hair removal was back on the rise. According to recent data, bikini waxes are still taking up over half (53%) of all hair removal treatments booked on the platform in the past 12 months and one style in particular has come out on top.
The Hollywood Wax is the reigning champ, taking up 33% of all bikini wax styles. For those unfamiliar, it's effectively a buzz cut for your beaver, making you as bare as can be both at the front and the back. Much like a breakup haircut it seems, after months of feeling overgrown, lots women are wanting a fresh trim for their foofs.
But if a Hollywood's not your bag, we've lined up every type of bikini wax style for your lady garden below...
Let's first talk classics.
How to find your way around a hairy situation.
The standard bikini
A standard bikini wax is the white T-shirt of the waxing world – plain, modest, neat and not too try-hard. In practice, it's a simple tidy up around the edges (e.g. where your bikini or knicker line falls).
The Frenchie
Then there's the French bikini (also known as the landing strip). This is the black tuxedo jacket of waxes – slightly more tailored, but still nonchalant. Each side of your bikini line is neatened into a straight line further in from the edge of your undies, but no hair is removed elsewhere.
The Brazilian
The famous Brazilian whips off all the hair from your undercarriage (that means de-fluffing your labia and your bumhole), but gives you the option of keeping a little triangle up top if you fancy.
Most women stick to the styles above, but, some slightly more creative options have been making their way onto the list, for those really wanting to cultivate their lady garden (hey, it's your lawn, mow it how you want). Allow us to explain...
The Love High-land
Thanks to past series of Love Island (and the islanders penchant for high-cut swim suits), the Love High-land, a high-leg bikini wax has become much more popular. Waxing expert, Louise Tattersal, told Fabulous, "Ever since the launch of Love Island, requests for high-leg bikini waxing has soared. We're dubbing it The Love High-land."
The Edgy Mojo
Contouring just got intimate: bikini waxing is able to slim the hips, according to Ministry of Waxing expert, Chua. We reckon your hips look fantastic just as they are, but if you're intrigued, "our professional therapists look at the physique and body shape of the woman and recommend the best finish for down below, which is guaranteed to make make them feel amazing about themselves," she says. The Edgy Mojo involves the WAXperts trimming a strategically shaped triangle as an optical illusion to flatter the hips.
The Luv Me
"Waxing is a work of art," says Chua. "We normally remove the hair from the labia and the back, leaving a bush on the pubic bone that is left for fashioning." Enter the Luv Me look, perhaps the cutest of them all, which is a simple heart of hair. "Our WAXperts can even make the heart super small and dainty."
The Full Moon
According to Strip Wax Bar therapist, Filiz, one popular look among clients is a circle shaped into the hair on the public bone. "The best thing is that we can create these styles, which require a high level of expertise to be able to get clear edges and not to pull hair in the wrong direction, with virtually no pain thanks to the type of wax we use," she says. The Lycon wax contains elastic and flexible resins, helping to ensure a smooth extraction. Trickier to pull of at home, but don't let that stop you.
How to wax your bikini line at home
Now, not everyone will be removing hair, it's a personal choice and we don't judge one way or the other, but if you are someone who prefers to be hair-free, getting a bikini wax can cost around £50, so, if you have a wax every few weeks, over the course of the year, you would be spending close to £1000. On your pubic hair. If you don't fancy spending your hard earned wage on hair removal down there, you could try waxing your bikini line at home.
This could save you over £9k...
What kind of home wax kit should I use?
It comes down to your preference, but lots of home kit-lovers are in the hot wax camp where you heat it up in the microwave or in a pot of water on the stove. You can, of course, use waxing strips but there is more risk of damaging and bruising the skin if you pull the strip too vigorously.
At less than £10 a jar for Veet Warm Wax which lasts me for a full bikini wax, ½ legs and underarms twice over, it's undeniable value for money. (In your face professional £50 wax.)
The reusable strips can be rinsed in warm water after, so it’s also much more environmentally friendly than throw away one-time strips.
How to prepare for a bikini wax at home
Lay down a towel and be prepared to get friendly with a mirror. As flexible as you may be, you’re never going to see all the spots you may have missed without one. You’ll quickly get over any embarrassment and get used to staring at your crotch.
You might find it handy to have a lamp close by, some direct overhead lighting does help to see any missed areas and where next to target.
Your step-by-step guide to waxing your bikini line at home
Prepare the wax
The idea of putting wax on the most sensitive part of your body is, of course, daunting at first, however hand on heart it’s far worse in your head than it will ever be in reality, and these few simple tricks will make it much easier.
Make sure your wax isn’t too hot (no one wants a scalded vajayjay). The perfect temperature is when the wax is runny and fluid but not too liquidy so it moves like water. The Veet pot comes with an indicator stick which tells you when the wax is too hot. Test a little bit of wax on your inner wrist where your skin is equally as thin as your pubic area and make a judgement call on the temperature.
Work in small sections of about an inch wide and long until you feel comfortable enough to go for a little bigger area at a time. Wax as much as you want – be it a little tidy up or a full Hollywood.
Swipe a light layer of wax on in the direction of the hair growth (tip: don't make it too thick as this makes it harder to pull off.) I find the second time you use the strip, the better. The light layer of wax already on the strip picks up the hairs even better than the first time around.
The first pull
Be confident and try not to hesitate when pulling off the wax strip. The more you hesitate or slowly pull the strip off the more likely you're not going to grab all the hairs, and frankly make a mess. Plus, it'll hurt more. Make sure the skin is taut, take a breath and go for it – you’ll be fine!
Try not to wax the same area of skin more than a couple of times, any more and you risk the skin becoming sensitive. If you need to tweeze any stray missed hairs, the wax will have usually done the hard part and loosened the hair for you. Win win.
Moving on the the pubic bone section
You may want to start by waxing your pubic bone section by section (or as Beyoncé calls it, your FUPA) as the skin is flat and is easier for you to get into the groove before you get to more tricky areas.
Completely up to you whether you want to wax one side at a time or mirroring the section on the other side, but after the pubic bone you may want to move on to the sides of your vagina where your thigh crease is. The hair tends to be more sparse here and the skin is still pretty flat making it easy to pull the waxing strip whilst keeping the tension in the skin. If you’re feeling confident you can do a little larger section here as the skin here tends to be less sensitive and easier to do in one quick pull.
Waxing closer to the labia
Next, work your way closer into the labia from the outside inwards (working from the bottom up due to the direction of the hair growth), going small section-by-section especially if this is your first time. Full disclosure, this is the trickiest part as the skin is harder to keep taught and tends to be the most awkward as the hair can often grow in slightly different directions. Go slowly and bit by bit, being confident when pulling off the strip.
Slowly work your way upwards to the top where your labia joins your pubic bone (just above the clitoris), this will be the most sensitive part (unsurprisingly as this is your most sensitive spot).
Then, congratulations, you should be pretty much done and as hair free as you want. An extra step, if you’re willing to go there, is to flip the mirror onto the magnifying side (whoa, yep that’s right I’ve seen every inch of my vagina in a x5 magnifying mirror) and make sure there aren’t any missed patches.
No worries if you have a little wax residue on your skin afterwards, a quick shower or bath will dissolve this quickly.
Bikini wax aftercare
You might notice a little swelling or redness for 12 hours after waxing, this doesn’t hurt and tends to fade pretty quickly. But of course do go see a professional doctor if you have any concerns.
Don’t forget to lightly exfoliate when you start to notice any regrowth to avoid any pesky ingrown hairs.
Inspiring stuff.
Home waxing tips from an expert
If you’re still not sure if at-home waxing is for you, you may find comfort in this expert-approved top tips. Below, skincare expert at Nair, Charlotte Connoley, shares her top tips to achieve a salon-like bikini wax at home...
- A warm shower will help to cleanse the skin of any natural oils before waxing, ensuring the product clings to the hair better. The heat of the shower will open the pores too, making the hairs easier to remove. Make sure skin is clean, clear and dry before waxing.
- Don’t drink alcohol or caffeine think it will ease the pain – it won’t. In may actually mean your concentration levels are lowered, leaving you with an uneven finish.
- If you’re nervous about using hot wax, some cold wax strips like Nair Coconut Body Strips can be used anywhere, even on more sensitive areas like the bikini line.
- Try to avoid trimming or shaving the bikini area between waxes. Short, stubby hairs are harder to remove so ensure hair is at least a quarter of an inch in length.
- Exfoliate the area the night before to release ingrown hair and make them easier to remove. Apply talcum powder to the area to ensure the skin is dry, allowing the wax to adhere to the hair and not the skin.
- If you struggle to remove the wax on your bikini area, ice ice to freeze it off. Hold the ice on the area for 30 seconds; it will make the wax turn brittle and cause it to break away.
