Can you make sugar wax without lemon?

I recently shared a sugar wax recipe without strips and you guys loved it but some of you were looking for a sugar wax recipe no lemon juice involved.

I was really unsure how that was going to work out since lemon juice is a key ingredient used to bind the rest of the ingredients and keep the sugar from crystallizing.

After much research and trial, I found out that a sugar wax recipe with no lemon involved was possible!

All you have to do is substitute the lemon for vinegar.

I know what you’re thinking right now, ‘Ew, there’s no way I’m going to use stinky vinegar!’ but no worries, friends, I have an aromatic solution for that: lavender oil!

Just add a few drops of that and your sugar wax will smell beautiful!

Why Some People Prefer Sugar Wax without Lemon

Here are a few reasons some prefer using a sugar wax without lemon:

► Sensitive skin. People with sensitive skin have harsh reactions to lemon when it’s applied to skin.

► Lemon can be very irritating to even normal skin. If you’ve ever used a lemon face mask before, you’ll know that lemon can sting and turn your skin red, unless you mix it with something soothing like honey or yogurt.

► You don’t have lemons/lemon juice in your house. Imagine a scenario where you don’t want to shave but you want to get rid of leg hairs so you search online for a sugar wax recipe which says to use lemon juice. You run to the fridge excited only to discover you’re out of lemons! What do you do? Use a substitute of course!

Unlike shaving, waxing eliminates the risk of ingrown hair.

If you suffer from ingrown hair, check out: DIY Sugar Scrub for Ingrown Hair Prevention & Treatment, DIY Ingrown Hair Serum Recipe and Don’t Pluck! Top 5 Essential Oils for Ingrown Hairs.

Now let’s get on with the sugar wax recipe without lemon:

Note: This sugar wax recipe doesn’t use lemons and strips! The wax itself is used as the strip. Is that amazing or what?! Read: DIY Sugar Wax Recipe without Strips

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/5 cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp vinegar (white vinegar or apple cider vinegar – any can work)
• 3 drops of lavender essential oil (*optional – for good scent)

Directions

1. Place a non-stick pan on the stove-top and add white sugar, salt, water and vinegar.

2. Heat the pan over a medium-low flame and get a wooden stick and start stirring the ingredients so they all combine to form a thick mixture.

3. Using a spray bottle, squirt water onto your a baking pan. You don’t need to flood the baking pan – just squirt until you get a thin layer of water. Note: Instead of a baking pan, I used my marble kitchen counter top. However, some readers are saying it was a mess and they don’t know how to remove the hardened wax off! To avoid this, please  just use a baking tray or pan. 

4. Now keep a very close eye on the mixture as it boils and bubbles away. Keep stirring it as it thickens. It will take about 5 minutes. You can even turn the heat on low so the mixture doesn’t burn.

5. Once your mixture has turned a golden color, turn off the stove and immediately pour it on top of the water you squirted on the kitchen counter. If you are using lavender essential oil, I suggest mixing it in quickly right after you turn off the burner and take it off the stove.

3. Using a spoon, start pushing the golden syrup from the edges inwards to the center to form a ball. You should do this step quickly since the syrup will rapidly start hardening.

4. Once you’ve got the ball formed, wet your hands and gently pick it up (make sure it’s not so hot that it can burn). Start pulling and stretching the sugar wax ball while wetting your hands for more grip.

5. Keep stretching and pulling it to make it soft and pliable. This can take about 15 minutes.

6. When the sugar wax is soft and pliable, pull off a smaller piece from the big sugar wax ball and keep it for use. Wrap the big sugar wax ball in cling film and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Sugar Wax Hair Removal Technique

All you have to do is stretch the wax flat on about 2 inches of your skin, away from the direction of hair growth. Let it sit for 3 seconds, then quickly pull it off in the direction of hair growth.

Don’t forget: apply it away from the direction of hair growth, pull it off in the direction of hair growth.

Basic Sugar Waxing Tips

► Please Exfoliate. If you want sugar waxing to work for you, then by all means, exfoliate your skin first. Use a good sugar scrub to gently slough off dead cells, grime and other impurities from your skin. You can easily make your own exfoliating sugar scrub at home by combining ½ cup of sugar and ¼ cup of oil of choice. Check out my delightful Rosemary Sugar Scrub Recipe if you’re looking for a DIY exfoliating scrub!

► Hot Shower. Take a hot shower or bath to open the hair follicles and soften skin.

► Don’t Immediately Sugar Wax After a Shower. Much as I said exfoliate your skin right before sugar waxing and I know almost all of us exfoliate in the shower, don’t sugar wax immediately after your shower without properly drying your skin. There shouldn’t be any moisture on your skin. Your skin should be completely dry for the wax to hold on to the hairs.

► For Perfect Hair Removal. You can even dust baby/talcum powder or plain corn starch all over the areas you’re going to wax, wait for maybe an hour then sugar wax. The powder will help the sugar wax grip onto your hairs easier.

Your Sugar Wax Questions Answered

→ Which Vinegar Should I Use?

You can use either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, whichever is more readily available to you.

→ Can I Use Brown Sugar?

I suggest sticking with regular white sugar. You can use raw sugar or brown sugar but it’s a bit tricky to gauge whether the wax is ready or if it’s burned because for white sugar, you can quickly tell its burned by the color but brown sugar, the mixture will be brown from the beginning and you can only tell it’s burned by the smell so I guess you’ll have to keep your nostrils open more than your eyes (lol).

→ How Many Times Can I Use the Sugar Wax Ball?

Up to four times before it loses its pliability.

→ What Should I Apply after Waxing?

After a wax, soothe your skin by applying aloe vera gel on it. Check out: 3 DIY Aloe Vera Gel Recipes for Skin

When I Don’t Have Time to DIY, I Prefer To Use Moom Organic Sugar Wax – You Can Buy It Here:

Moom Organic Hair Removal with Tea Tree Refill Jar – 12 oz- Pack of 1