Avoid the following for 24 hours after your wax: Swimming and exercise. For Brazilian Wax, no sex, especially oral sex for 24 hours.
Unfortunately, no hot bath, hot shower, sex, or oral sex for 12 hours after a Brazilian. While your pores are open, they are vulnerable to irritation by the extreme temperatures and infection by bacteria. Don't just go anywhere for your wax!
DON'TS: THE FIRST 24 HOURS AFTER YOUR WAX:
Avoid saunas or steam baths. Don't swim. Don't wear tight or non-breathing clothes to avoid infection: waxed skin needs air. Avoid perfumed products on the waxed skin.
Medical experts recommend waiting for 24-48 hours after any type of bikini wax. This time period is when your body can be most susceptible to outside bacteria, which can potentially cause an infection.
Broken skin or not, "the pores are open, so they're more susceptible to bacteria," points out Michelle Mapes, a longtime aesthetician at Stark Waxing Studio in Los Angeles, who recommends that most people wait a minimum of 12 hours before having sex.
Hair follicles remain open for hours after waxing, so it's best to avoid contact with any excess moisture for at least 24 hours. If you must bathe the same day as your wax, take a shower, not a bath. The bacteria, skin, and product in the water could cause infection.
Avoid touching your newly hair-free skin—and that means taking care to ensure nothing else touches your skin, either. Since your skin will be more sensitive in the first 24-28 hours after a wax, skip any activities that could cause friction.
Sex after bikini waxing? Our advice is to wait 24 to 48 hours so your skin has time to heal and hair follicles can close. Doing so will prevent any further skin irritation.
Don't exfoliate 24 hours to 48 hours prior to waxing to avoid irritation. (Though we absolutely encourage you to exfoliate a few times weekly in between wax appointments to keep skin soft.) Don't coat your body with lotions, potions, creams or any of the sort the day of your wax.
Showering After Waxing
Generally speaking, it's not recommended to bathe for 24 hours after a waxing session. However, we know that life happens, activity happens, and you might feel the need or an inclination to bathe before this amount of time has passed.
Pubic hair needs to be at least the length of a grain of rice or ¼ of an inch long. Many people feel self-conscious about hair being too long before their Brazilian wax, but longer hair is grabbed by wax better. If you trim beforehand, you could cut it too short and forfeit the ability to wax.
Dry, brittle hair could possibly have broken during your wax. Reduce this from happening by exfoliating (a couple to few times a week) and moisturizing (daily) between wax appointments.
So you'll want to avoid anything that can irritate the skin for at least 24-48 hours after your wax. That includes wearing loose clothing, using fragrance-free products, and no rough sex, or sweaty workouts.
To prevent bumps and ingrowns, try applying a cold pack to the waxed area immediately following your service, which will close the pores and block bacteria from entering.
Sun and swimming should both be avoided right after your wax. The delicate skin down there will be extra vulnerable to UV rays for a couple of days, and sun exposure could lead to permanent damage and hyperpigmentation. Swimming could also expose you to bacteria and possible infections (yikes!).
NO hot shower or bath for at least 12 hours.
Directly after waxing your hair follicle is left open. This makes it susceptible hot water entering the open hair follicle during a shower or bath. This will irritate the area and create discomfort. Once your follicles close you can return to your normal bathing routine.
You can absolutely get your Brazilian or bikini wax while on your period. As long as you are wearing a fresh menstrual cup or tampon with the string tucked in before your appointment.
"For a bikini wax, those who frequent the beach benefit from waxing their bikini line every two weeks. But for a full bikini or Brazilian bikini service, you're recommended to come in every three to four weeks. This allows the proper amount of time for regrowth," Coba says.
How long does it have to be? Your hair has to be at least 1/4-inch long, or around the size of a grain of rice, before you wax. This helps ensure that hair is completely removed from the root. If this is your first time waxing, try to grow out hair from your most previous hair removal for around 2 weeks.
When a couple decides to wax, especially if it is the first time for either one of them, the first service should be scheduled at least six to eight weeks before the honeymoon. This early appointment will give the couple enough time to get at least two waxes before the honeymoon.
Board-certified dermatologist Ellen Marmur previously told Cosmo that when you pull the hair from the root, “eventually, this hair follicle will stop growing hair altogether.” In other words, the longer you continue to remove the root by waxing or sugar waxing, the less the hair will grow back.