BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – Sugaring has been around for hundreds of years, but this organic way of hair removal has recently taken over Metro Detroit and social media sites like TikTok and Instagram.
There are only a handful of sugaring hair removal studios in Metro Detroit, and one of the newest salons is Sugaring NYC in Birmingham off of Woodward Avenue.
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According to PureSugarHB, body sugaring originated in ancient Egypt and the site stated that Cleopatra was one of the first to make this method of hair removal popular.
What is sugaring?
Sugaring is where estheticians use a paste made of organic sugar, purified water and lemon extract to remove hair from your body. The sugaring paste is applied at body temperature and is foolproof to not burn a client. The treatment doesn’t contain any resins or chemical solvents and the paste can easily be cleaned with water.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, sugaring can be used on different parts of your body similar to waxing. Some of the areas that sugaring can be used are a person’s arms, back, bikini area, face, legs and underarms. The clinic stated that some of the benefits of sugaring are that a person’s hair may grow back softer and thinner than before. Also, sugaring can cause less irritation than other hair removal methods. Another difference between sugaring and waxing is that estheticians pull hair in the direction that it grows with sugaring while waxing is when the hair is removed in the opposite direction.
“Waxing is often done in one treatment, while sugaring may take several passes,” explained Dr. Kassouf from the Cleveland Clinic. “Sugaring doesn’t remove as many additional skin cells since the cooled mixture doesn’t adhere to your skin.”
Another benefit of the sugaring method is that the paste doesn’t stick to the top layer of the skin. According to Healthline, the paste adheres to the hair and dead skin cells which can be less risk of hair breakage and skin irritation. So those with sensitive skin might enjoy sugaring more than other methods of hair removal.
Healthline broke down what you can expect for a sugaring appointment compared to a waxing appointment:
Here’s what to expect for a sugaring appointment:
- After you’re lying down, the sugar technician will clean the area and apply talcum powder to make the hair stand out.
- They’ll then spread a ball of the paste against the grain of hair growth and then lightly tug in the direction of hair growth.
- Because of the nature of sugar wax, it can be reapplied to the same area several times to get more precise removal.
- Unlike wax, sugaring doesn’t stick to the skin so the cleanup is fairly simple. Any residue will come off the skin with water.
Here’s what to expect for a waxing appointment
- The technician will clean the area and follow with a pre-wax treatment, typically oil or powder, to protect the skin from irritation.
- Next, the technician will spread a thin layer of the wax in the same direction as hair growth.
- To remove, they’ll either use paper or cloth (for soft waxes) or remove the entire strip of the wax itself (for hard waxes), going against the grain of hair growth. Because of this method, hair is more prone to breakage.
- Since wax adheres to the skin, it’s only applied to a single area once or twice to avoid further irritation.
- Once all the hair is removed, they’ll soothe the area with a serum or lotion. This also prevents ingrown hairs.
- If there’s any leftover wax residue, they’ll remove it with an oil-based cleanser.
Sugaring NYC Birmingham opened up in December 2022, and the company’s manager Ariana Calvas said that this method of hair removal is welcoming for all genders, ages and sizes.
“We offer V-facials, brow laminations, lash lifts and eyebrow/eyelash tinting,” said Calvas. “If anyone ends up with a rash from regular waxing they should try sugaring since it’s a lot less extreme to the skin and hair. I always recommend it to people that have ingrown hairs or razor bumps. When you are sugaring, you are taking the hair from the actual root.”
Although the Birmingham salon has been opened up for a short period of time, the estheticians also known as sugaristas, have been practicing this type of hair removal for the majority of their careers.
“Sugaring is a passion of mine. I have transitioned into this method myself and I probably won’t ever go back to regular waxing,” said Sugaring NYC Birmingham Sugarista Dasia Dunbar. “Since I am prone to ingrown hairs, sugaring has been showing me more positive results and my body is way less irritated.”
“This is the first sugaring studio that I have opened, but I am excited to hopefully open more,” said owner Marcelo Ferreira. “I believe that sugaring is the future of waxing. Although this method was invented thousands of years ago, other waxing methods might become obsolete and sugaring will always stay relevant. This method is cleaner and organic. You can’t get any better than that.”
Sugaring NYC Birmingham offers both walk-ins and appointments. There are also memberships available for those that want to frequently sugar. The Birmingham location is one of four Michigan Sugaring NYC storefronts. They are open 7 days a week and have hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Click here to learn more about Birmingham’s Sugaring NYC salon.