How to Get Wax Off Skin

Co-authored by Melissa Jannes

Last Updated: January 31, 2023

Any time you use wax to remove hair from your skin, a little wax residue can get left behind. It's painful and ineffective to try to pick it off with your fingers. Luckily, there's a much easier way to remove wax from skin: use oil. This removal method works for any kind of wax, whether it's hair removal wax or spilled candle wax.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Removing Wax With Oil

1
Choose the oil you want to use. Any type of oil will remove wax from your skin. The oil seeps under the edge of the wax to make your skin slippery, helping the wax slide right off. Waxing kits often come with a nourishing mineral oil that is meant to be used for removing extra bits of wax. You can also buy a "wax-off" formula that contains ingredients that remove wax from skin. However, any of the following oils will work just as well:^{[1]
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Expert Source

Melissa Jannes
Skincare Specialist
Expert Interview. 16 September 2019.}
- Baby oil
- Massage oil
- Olive oil
- Canola oil
- Melted coconut oil
- Oil-based lotion
2
Saturate a cotton ball with oil. Dip a cotton ball into the oil until it becomes loaded with oil. You can also use a cotton pad, a folded tissue or clean cloth. You could technically just pour the oil onto your skin, but using a cotton ball to apply the oil will keep things from getting too messy.

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3
Hold the cotton ball over the waxy spot for 30 seconds. Make sure the oil makes contact with your skin around the edges of the wax. That way it can seep between the wax and your skin to loosen the wax. Press lightly on the cotton ball to release more oil so that the wax spot gets completely saturated.
- If you're dealing with wax covering a large area, you might want to soak paper towels in oil and lay them over the wax. Press down to help the oil release the was from your skin.
- If you have wax spots in more than one place, use more than one cotton ball to take care of multiple spots at once.
4
Rub the wax away. Use the cotton ball to rub the wax, which should easily come loose from your skin. If the wax still won't pry up easily, apply more oil. Keep applying oil and rubbing the wax away until your skin is clear of wax.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Melissa Jannes
Skincare Specialist
Expert Interview. 16 September 2019.}
- If you're having a lot of trouble removing the wax, you probably need to use more oil. Patiently apply oil and make sure the wax spot is completely soaked.
- Try using a terrycloth washcloth to scrub away remaining bits of wax.
5
Wash your skin afterward. Use soap and water to wash away the excess oil. Pat your skin dry with a towel. Your skin should now feel soft and fresh, thanks to the oil treatment you just provided.
- If you want to get the oil off, you can just use any mild dish soap to wash the area.^{[3]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Melissa Jannes
  Skincare Specialist
  Expert Interview. 16 September 2019.}

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Preventing Wax From Sticking

1
Make sure your skin is moisturized. If your skin is dry before you apply wax, it will try to soak up the moisture in the wax. This causes the wax to sink into your skin a little and stick to it, making it difficult to pull off. The morning before you plan to wax your skin, apply a moisturizer to make sure your skin is well hydrated.
- Be sure to allow the moisturizer to completely soak into your skin before you apply the wax. You want your skin to be hydrated, but not greasy, or else the wax won't effectively pull out your hair.
- Avoid using an oil-based moisturizer, since the oil takes longer to soak in and may render the wax ineffective.
2
Trim your hairs to a manageable length. Your hair is easiest to wax if it is between ¹⁄₄ inch (0.6 cm) and 1/2 inch long. Hair that's longer than this will get tangled up in the wax, making it much more difficult to pull it out cleanly. This results in wax sticking to skin where it shouldn't.^{[4]
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Research source}
- Try shaving a week or so before you plan to wax. This gives your hair time to grow in to the right length.
- Or trim your hair in areas where it's too long to wax, such as your bikini line.
3
Make sure the wax is hot enough. Hot wax is thin and easy to apply, while cooler wax thickens up and becomes difficult to handle. Make sure the wax is completely melted and has a runny consistency before you apply it.
- Test the hot wax on a small patch of skin before you slather it all over. The wax should feel hot, but not so hot that it burns.
- During the process of waxing your body, you may need to stop and reheat the wax if it cools (unless you have a wax melter).
4
Prevent yourself from sweating. Wax tends to stick to wet skin, so before you apply it you need to make sure your skin will stay dry throughout the process. You can keep your skin dry using the following methods:
- Sprinkle baby powder on the area you plan to wax. This will keep the wax from sticking to your skin, while still allowing it to pull out hair.
- Wax in a well-ventilated room. Turn on the air conditioner, open a window or have a fan going so you don't overheat while you're waxing.
- Avoid working out or raising your blood pressure before waxing. Do it while you're calm and relaxed so you aren't sweaty when you start.
5
Hold your skin taut. After you apply the wax and wax strip and are ready to pull it off, use one hand to hold your skin right next to the wax strip. Keeping your skin taut, use the other hand to pull off the strip. If your skin is taut, the wax will come off more easily. If it's wrinkled, the wax will get caught in the crevices of your skin and may end up sticking.
6
Pull the wax strips off quickly. Pulling slowly gives the wax time to cool and adhere to your skin. Pull the wax strips off quickly, like you would a band-aid. Not only will your hair be more likely to pull out cleanly, your skin will stay clean, too.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you remove dried wax?

Melissa Jannes
Licensed Esthetician & Brazilian Wax Educator
Melissa Jannes is a Licensed Esthetician and the owner of Maebee's Beauty Studio in Philadelphia, a single practitioner space providing quality services with individualized attention. Melissa is also a National Educator for Universal Companies. She received her esthetics degree at The Beauty School of Middletown in 2008 and is licensed in both New York and Pennsylvania. Melissa won the "Best of Beauty" award from Allure magazine in 2012 for the quality of her bikini waxing.

Melissa Jannes

Licensed Esthetician & Brazilian Wax Educator

Expert Answer

Any oil will help break the wax up, and from there you can just scrape or pull the excess off.
Question

What do I use to scrape wax off?

Melissa Jannes
Licensed Esthetician & Brazilian Wax Educator
Melissa Jannes is a Licensed Esthetician and the owner of Maebee's Beauty Studio in Philadelphia, a single practitioner space providing quality services with individualized attention. Melissa is also a National Educator for Universal Companies. She received her esthetics degree at The Beauty School of Middletown in 2008 and is licensed in both New York and Pennsylvania. Melissa won the "Best of Beauty" award from Allure magazine in 2012 for the quality of her bikini waxing.

Melissa Jannes

Licensed Esthetician & Brazilian Wax Educator

Expert Answer

There are special applicators you can use that are specifically designed for this.

Warnings

Be careful not to burn yourself with wax that's too hot. Test it in a small area before you apply it to large portions of your body.

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