Body sugaring has been a staple of the beauty and skin care industries for a long time; it originated as an ancient Egyptian method of hair removal. As time has evolved, so, too, has sugaring. The professional technique that revolutionized the way sugaring is performed arrived on the market 25 years ago and has been one of the most sought-after hair removal techniques ever since. And, while the sugaring paste used by ancient Egyptians has not drastically changed, modern technology – and a lot of dedication and patience – has made it much easier to perfect formulations. Sucrose for comfort What makes body sugaring so appealing? For a lot of people, it is the all-natural characteristics that come with the treatment that make it enticing. Though the overall formulations of sugar pastes vary from company to company, the primary ingredients are typically sugar, lemon juice, and water. This means that the majority of ingredients that make up sugaring pastes come directly from the earth and are free of harmful ingredients such as parabens or urea. In addition, most sugaring pastes are also hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, and 100 percent safe and effective for all hair and skin types. One of the most prominent benefits of sugar-based hair removal is that the pastes only stick to dead skin cells as opposed to live ones. This means that during the process of hair removal, sugaring not only removes unwanted hair, it also provides a safe and gentle exfoliation treatment. When it comes to post-hair removal reactions and overall client satisfaction, using sugar pastes dramatically reduces the redness and mild-irritation that sometimes occur with other hair removal methods, and help them disappear much more quickly, if they do occur. Since body sugaring does not harm live skin cells, treatments can be performed as often as needed – even daily – so clients can reach hair refinement and growth reduction in a much shorter timeline. A spoonful of benefits In order to better understand the benefits that sugaring’s natural pastes can offer, it is useful to explore how professional body sugaring developed into what it is today. As mentioned before, body sugaring dates back to ancient times. It was not until 25 years ago, however, that professional body sugaring became widely recognized and used as an alternative to traditional hair removal methods. A lot of the treatment’s development can be credited to the research, practice, and expanded knowledge of how hair removal should be performed. One of the fundamental differences between sugaring and other alternatives such as waxing, is that the hair is extracted in its natural direction of growth. This technique has become common practice. By extracting hair in its natural direction, this method reduces the pain and discomfort often associated with hair removal without the minimum hair length required for waxing. What does this mean for the client? While waxing often requires a minimum hair length of about a quarter of an inch, sugaring can remove hair as short as an eighth of an inch. When hair is this short, it is generally in the anagen stage – the early growth stage for hair. Removing hair while it is in the early anagen stage can lead to permanent hair reduction. This means that a client who consistently comes in for sugaring treatments can easily obtain an appearance of hair reduction and even permanent hair reduction. An additional gain from removing hair in its natural direction of growth is the prevention of ingrown hairs. When hair is extracted in the opposite direction of growth, much of the hair is actually broken, as opposed to fully extracted. Because of this, the broken, blunt end of the hairs can lead to the formation of ingrown hairs, which typically come in three forms: superficial, dormant, and j-peg. Fortunately, the risk of ingrown hairs is greatly reduced when sugaring is combined with the use of proper homecare products. Sugaring hair removal is effective and beneficial for all skin and hair types, as well as people of all ages and genders. Thanks to the gentle formulation and techniques that accompany sugaring, this treatment is an exceptionally safe form of hair removal. While anyone can benefit from treatments, body sugaring has also been proven to help treat skin conditions such as eczema, keratosis, and psoriasis. Because sugar paste clings to dead cells only, it is gentle enough to go over the same area more than once, while also exfoliating the skin. Body sugaring is excellent at softening and refining the symptoms of hard to manage conditions, especially when coupled with a good moisturizer and homecare regimen. A treat for everyone When giving sugaring treatments, it is useful to know how to treat clients of different ages and genders. Teenage Girls Most of the time, the first hair removal method used by teenage girls is shaving, followed by a switch to other alternatives later in life. Sugaring, however, can offer girls a host of benefits. For example, sugaring can lead to permanent reduction, meaning after a couple of years of sugaring, hair growth could be so minimal that they can go weeks without seeing anything. Additionally, the process is almost painless. With teenage girls, professionals can gain lifetime clients by recommending sugaring, which may become their first and primary form of hair removal. Mature Women Once women reach a mature age, hormonal facial hair can start to creep up and affect a woman’s confidence in her appearance. Often, this type of hair tends to be darker and more stubborn, contributing to a woman’s desire to get rid of it. One of the worst things a woman can do to hormonal facial hair is to shave it. This can lead to ingrown hairs and more noticeable hair when it does grow back. With sugaring, mature women can easily have these hormonal hairs removed. Because sugaring can lead to permanent reduction, it is the perfect option for managing this hormonal hair growth. In addition to eliminating hormonal hair, sugaring treatments are also gentle enough to be performed over spider veins. Because of how careful the professional needs to be when treating someone with spider veins, waxing is often a non-option. This is where body sugaring comes into play. Sugaring is a great way for clients with spider veins to receive hair removal treatments that are gentle on these sensitive areas. Men After years of a primarily female clientele in the skin care industry, many men are beginning to seek professional skin care. Now, more than ever, men are investing in self-care – from proper grooming to hair removal. If a salon does not cater to men already, they are selling their business short. While the back and chest tend to be popular areas for men to sugar, there is no limit on where a man can receive sugaring treatments; so, it is important to not make assumptions and to create a well-rounded salon treatment menu. Sugar-coating a menu So, how can sugaring services be incorporated into a spa? Surprisingly, it can be a pretty easy and painless process to add sugaring into a spa menu. For example, many professionals already offer services such as facials and body wraps. These services can complement sugaring nicely. Sugaring is also a two-for-one treatment, as clients have hair removed while also enjoying a good dose of exfoliation. Thus, sugaring can be offered exclusively as an exfoliation treatment, especially for the legs as they can become very dry without a proper homecare regimen. In addition, sugaring can be used for blackhead extraction. Not only does it extract blackheads and visibly reduce their appearance, it also helps improve the look of dry, flaky skin by brightening and evening out skin tone. If someone is coming in for a calming or rejuvenating facial, try offering to shape their brows or sugar their upper lip. These areas do not take long to sugar and are a great add-on service for a menu. For spas who currently offer waxing primarily, the ways for incorporating sugaring mentioned above can still apply. The best way to introduce new sugaring treatments to new and existing clients is to speak confidently about the benefits of sugaring. It can be used in conjunction with waxing as an additional hair removal method, or it can be utilized as a spa transitions away from using waxing. Finally, the most beneficial pairing for sugaring is with laser hair removal. With the promise of permanent hair removal in just a few treatments, laser is a popular method of choice. However, laser is not able to get rid of super fine hair, lightly colored hair, or dark hair on dark skin. The reason for this is that the pairing of light colored hair on light skin tones or dark hairs on dark skin tones makes it harder for the laser to differentiate between hair and skin. While technology is always improving, this problem can still be present for potential laser hair removal clients. Lasering also comes with the risk of hyperpigmentation and burning, which can turn away some clients. Additionally, many people experience returning hair growth when they have reached the seven-year mark after lasering. Though this regrowth may not be as dark or as dense as it was before, it can still be frustrating for those who have already gone through the laser hair removal process. By combining laser hair removal with sugaring, spas can offer full coverage in hair removal for all skin types. If someone has a patch of hair that is simply too hard for a laser to detect, sugaring can also be used, ensuring the client is completely satisfied with the level of hair removal they are receiving. If someone begins to experience regrowth – which can come back as fine hair – sugaring is a great way to get rid of the returning hairs. With a long, successful history, a multitude of benefits to a wide range of clients, and an easy incorporation into existing spa menus, sugaring is an obvious treatment choice for professionals to consider. Lina Kennedy is a chief pioneer, collecting many feathers in her cap. An expert on professional sugaring, Kennedy regularly writes articles for industry magazines in North America and Europe. As president of Alexandria Professional, one of her personal goals is to ensure that each professional trained in the art of body sugaring learns and understands the exceptional results that they and their clients can achieve through The Kennedy Theory™ for sugaring and The Kennedy Technique Theory™. 800-957-8427 or alexandriapro.comWant to read more? Subscribe to one of our monthly plans to continue reading this article.