Hair Removal History
Historically, removing unwanted body hair has been considered beautiful, hygienic, and necessary. Hair-removal techniques date back to ancient times. Men removed unwanted hair with razors made of flint as early as 30,000 B.C.E. For many centuries, Middle-Eastern cultures have considered hair removal to be a way of practicing proper hygiene.
In Islam, the method of removing hair is known as the act of ‘fitrah.’ In ancient India, total body hair removal dates back to 3,000 B.C.E.
In ancient times, and even today, hair removal was seen as a way to promote cleanliness and purification and became part of religious rituals. The Greeks also adopted these hair-removal rituals, as depicted in Grecian sculptures, where women are hair free but the men are not. The Romans also followed these rituals; even young Roman girls began removing hair as soon as it appeared with tweezer-like tools called ‘volsella.’ The act of tweezing unwanted hair appeared in 500 B.C.E. To be hair free was commonly considered to be beautiful, hygienic, soft, youthful, and innocent. 
Sugaring was an ancient method of hair removal that dates as far back as Cleopatra’s time. Sugaring in earlier times has been known to be referred to as Persian waxing, ‘sukkar,’ and ‘halawa’ in Egyptian and Middle Eastern regions, ‘moum’ or ‘kesh’ in Iran, and ‘ağda’ in Turkey. Around the 1500s, the Turks considered pubic hair on a woman to be sinful. In Egyptian times, the Pharaohs required women to be brought to them completely hair free. In Alexander the Great’s time, women would practice these types of hair-removal techniques to prepare for their wedding night. Today, most of these dated methods have been modernized. Many people have tried just about everything out there: shaving daily or every so often, depilatory-like creams, electrolysis, painful and costly laser treatments, threading, and waxing.

The Basics of Sugaring
Sugaring is an organic form of hair removal that utilizes a sugar paste. This paste is cooked with water, lemon juice, and sugar until it is a taffy-like consistency that looks like honey. Sugaring is safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin. This technique is used over and over again with the same ball of paste until all of the unwanted hair is removed. Prior to sugaring the client, pre- and post-support products are applied to clean the skin and provide a barrier for the area of skin that will be sugared. They also help to calm, soothe, and hydrate the skin post-treatment. Post-treatment, the client should be informed about the appropriate exfoliation techniques for use between treatments. Also recommend to them the interval of time, which is generally about three to five weeks.

The Handheld Method
The handheld method of sugaring is not to be confused with other methods that use strips or a thinner sugar paste that is often called sugar waxing or strip sugar. The handheld method of sugaring is a mold and flick technique. The sugar paste is pinched into a ball at the base of the thumb and fingertips with a non-latex-gloved hand. The ball of paste is then molded onto the area in which the hair is being removed, in the direction of hair growth (this technique is opposite of waxing). It is gently molded several times to ensure that the paste effectively seeps into the follicle to envelop the root of unwanted hair. It is then gently and effectively flicked away in the direction of hair growth to remove unwanted hair.

The Benefits of Sugaring
One of the many attractive features about sugaring is that the paste is 100 percent organic, all-natural, and is water soluble. It is also the most sanitary form of hair removal because one ball of paste is used for an entire region; there is no cross-contamination at any time during the hair-removal service. The sugar paste is also never hot enough to burn the professional or the client. Sugaring only adheres to dead cells so there is less trauma and minimal discomfort while removing hair and exfoliating the skin in the process, which also improves skin texture and tone.
In comparison to waxing, there is less product and supply waste when sugaring. The lower amount of waste means that the professional will see more revenue. It will also extract short hairs /to/ inch long hairs that are too short for wax to remove. Sugaring is also the most effective form of hair removal because it pulls from the root each time with no breakage. Furthermore, it decreases the growth and coarseness of hair within as little as three to six treatments. When it comes to cost, sugaring replaces waxing-treatment pricing with a slightly higher cost for a better quality, more effective, longer-lasting hair-removal treatment. Therefore, it increases revenue for the business by increasing the average per-ticket sale.

Proper Certification
If a skin care professional is looking for a proper certification program, they should first check to see if there is one in their area. If not, searching online can offer resources about training. Professionals may be able to request an educator to come to them and/or vice versa. It is important to ask questions about who will be doing the training, what experience they have, and the support that the instructor or the company they represent offers. It is also important for the professional to plan how to introduce sugaring services into their existing business or launch sugaring as a part of a new business. What ongoing training support will the instructor offer?
Always invest in education and learn as much as possible. Because this industry is constantly evolving, it is important to dedicate time to ongoing training. However, with that also comes commitment. Commit to finding out what is truly inspiring, what feeds the soul, and what provokes passion.

Sugaring is not easy. It takes skill, patience, passion, and dedication. It is not for the faint of heart as hair removal is hard work in and of itself. Dealing with a delicate bikini service female or male parts are close quarters. If the professional is transitioning their waxing clients and they already are perform Brazilian-style bikini services, this transition may be easy. For the professional that is learning to become a sugaring practitioner with little or no prior experience in hair removal, they may require more support to master the art of these types of services. Whether the sugaring student is a skin care veteran or newly licensed, learning the art of sugaring is something in which they must invest time to perfect their skills.

Catherine Kooiman founded Skin So Sweet in June 2007 as a one-room rental aesthetician in Huntington Beach, Calif. With over 15 years as a certified aesthetician, she quickly became an expert in sugaring as she realized it was the most-effective treatment for hair removal. Kooiman has a strong passion for sharing her sweetest sugaring techniques. She also founded Sweet Professional™ Inc. to provide aestheticians the opportunity to purchase high-quality, professional organic sugar products and supplies. In her free time, Kooiman is a consummate visionary who explores new and creative opportunities and enjoys cooking and entertaining with family and friends.