Sugaring DIY

Hello my darlings!

So the other night, I tried "sugaring", which is like waxing but with sugar.

It was a success, except I'm making some minor changes to the recipe to improve it in the areas that I found it lacked.

So as you all don't know, my mother went to cosmetology school against her will at a young age and learned how to do everything you would ever find in a salon. Her assistance is greatly appreciated by me and she had the pleasure of watching me twitch as the wax was "removed" from my arms and legs.

Let's begin by giving you some insight to waxing. It has long been a tradition that women of all ages torture themselves by attacking their skin with sticky substances to remove hair. Hoorah, right? But it doesn't always have to be painful. God gave us Halawa.

To learn more about Halawa and what it's good for, you can read all about the magic right here.

Before you start, make sure your skin is clean. It's the best way to do it. Also, be careful not to burn yourself!

Ingredients:
2 cups of water
3 cups of white cane sugar (recommended white cane; I've never used brown sugar)
2 teaspoons of lemon juice (or 1/4 cup, as I used.)

Materials:
Scissors
Medium Pot
Stirring spoon safe for hot molasses
Fabric (use old denim or any kind of old cotton sheets or pillow cases)
Candy thermometer
Butter knife
Body powder

Instructions:
1. Combine your ingredients into the pot on the stove. Stir it up and mix it good. It should be the consistency of the sugar at the bottom of your coffee cup - sort of syrupy. Get rid of lumps or any dry sugar by mixing.

2. Turn the stove on medium heat. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't burn. Stir frequently. Let it come to a boil.

3. While you're waiting for your sugar to melt and boil, take your scissors and cut up your fabric into 3x6" strips. If they're too short, your waxing job will fail. Do enough to cover whatever part of your body you're planning on waxing.

4. When your halawa is finished "cooking", it will be a golden hue. All of the sugar crystals should be melted and there shouldn't be a grain left. Only liquid. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Remove it from the stove.

5. Prepare your skin by applying body (or baby) powder. This will keep your natural oils from interfering with the sugar's natural adhesive.

6. Apply the halawa to your skin against the natural direction your hair is growing with your butter knife. The thinner you apply it, the better it will work. Just make sure it's an even coat.

7. Immediately press your fabric strip to the halawa'd skin, long-wise. Rub it down good. Pull your skin taut and swiftly yank the strip backwards, against the natural direction of your hair growth.

8. Twitch in slight discomfort.

9. Admire your hairless extremity.

10. When you're finished waxing, the halawa comes off nicely in the shower with soap and water (or just water, if you want to stay sticky).

Happy waxing!

Tips:
Make sure the halawa stays hot. To keep it hot, pour the contents of your halawa into a microwave-safe bowl after it's finished boiling. When you feel that it gets difficult to spread on your skin comfortably, it's too cold. Put it in the microwave and blast it for 5-10 seconds, but again, test it to make sure it's not too hot.
Also, before you apply the halawa, be sure to have enough fabric strips nearby. If the halawa gets cold before you can apply a strip, you need to rinse and try again.