Can Waxing Slow Down the Growth of Body Hair?

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a miracle cure that completely prevented hair growth – without demanding you pay thousands of dollars? Sadly, there’s no such treatment yet, but waxing can help you see some improvement in the rate of your hair’s growth. It’s cheaper than laser treatments and easier on your skin than shaving. And if you stick with it, you just might notice that you have to do fewer and shorter waxing treatments each session.

Understanding the Hair Growth Cycle

Hair growth comes in three basic stages, and each of the hairs on your body is in different stages at different times. During the active growth period, hair grows regularly. Hair then moves into a transitional phase, during which the hair follicle weakens and detaches itself; this is when body hair is most likely to fall out on its own. Finally, hair enters a dormancy phase during which it doesn’t grow. Everyone’s dormancy phase varies, but the length can range from one to four months.

It’s the dormancy phase that waxing affects. When hair is repeatedly ripped out at the root, your brain sends signals to the hair shaft indicating that rapid regrowth isn’t necessary. Some people notice that their hair’s dormancy period lasts longer when they wax regularly.

How Waxing Alters the Hair Growth Cycle

Waxing damages the hair follicle, which alters the hair growth cycle.  Waxing will thin the hair, and cause it to grow back finer, shorter, and weaker. Additionally, waxing forcefully rips out hair at its root- damaging and weakening the hair shaft, resulting in reduced hair growth, a longer resting cycle, and finer hair.

Getting the Most Out of Waxing

There’s no guarantee that waxing will stop hair growth altogether. But regular waxers typically do notice that their body hair looks finer and more sparse. To maximize your benefits of waxing, try the following:

• Choose a safe, high-quality wax
• Wax on a regular schedule, or at least every 30 days. If you go too long between waxing sessions, your hair follicle has time to repair itself.
• Wax hair when it’s between 1/4 and 1/8 of an inch long.
• Exfoliate your skin 2-3 days before waxing to ensure you grab each and every hair.
• Avoid shaving stubble when it returns.

With a little luck and some dedicated effort, you’ll no longer just get the silky smooth skin from waxing that you know and love. You may also begin to see a slowdown in hair growth, which means you’ll save money on waxing supplies and be able to go longer between waxing sessions.

Browse our best wax kits to choose the right one for your hair removal needs!