Does waxing your chest hair hurt?

At MANSCAPED™, we mainly focus on trimming and shaving body hair. It's not the limit of our knowledge or abilities, but we consider it the bread and butter. There are many alternative ways to deal with hair in this world, and we don't pretend to ignore their existence. The most common alternative for chest hair removal is waxing. We talk about it from time to time, but it's easy to gloss over that waxing is an entirely different experience depending on the body part receiving the treatment. Today, we're going to talk about chest waxing--whether with a professional waxer or using a men's waxing kit.

There are two things you misunderstand if you haven't already done it. First, your chest is much more sensitive than you think it is. Second, it's much bigger than you think it is. Anything that goes wrong can go very wrong when multiplied by the sensitivity and size of your chest. Remember that as you read the rest.

The initial pain

This is the primary discussion most guys have before trying their first wax. They'll ask lady friends about it. They'll brace for impact and hope and pray for the best. We're going to give you a spoiler right now: there's a lot more to a chest wax than the initial pain.

That said, it's the first part of the discussion, and we aren't going to mince words here. A chest wax does hurt. The amount of pain depends on a lot of factors. Bushier chests hurt more than sparsely-haired manscapes. Age can be a factor. Younger skin rebounds faster and can handle a wax better, but it might hurt more at the moment. The skin can cling more tightly to the hair roots.

There's one reality you need to accept before you go to a waxing appointment; this is not always a bloodless process. We're not saying that you're going to supply the life force for some ancient demonic ritual, but your waxer will be prepared to deal with your red juice. You should be too.

With that out of the way, there are plenty of intangible factors that will also affect the pain. No two guys are alike, and they'll all tell you something different after their wax. The one thing you can trust is that there is pain. Unlike trimming, shaving, and several other hair treatments, waxing will always hurt. How much depends on you.

This is also a great time to learn a lesson in masculinity. We all feel the drive to be tough. Some of you will use that as a reason to get your first chest wax. We'll be honest about the pain and other problems, but we won't assume that it will dissuade you. Even if it does, some waxing still might make its way into your life. We're pro groomers, and even we struggle to manage our back hair. We won't judge you for less.

The second round

So, you know that having your chest hair ripped from your body won't be a delightful experience. You can expect that pain, but for plenty of you, it will hurt less than you expect. Round two is another experience.

You see, waxing a sensitive part of your body will expose you to a three-round process. The first round is the momentary pain that comes during the waxing appointment. The second round usually starts 6 to 24 hours after your appointment. This is the rash stage.

Not every guy's skin will have the same reaction, but generally speaking, your first waxing experience will super agitate your skin. If your wax administer is competent, they'll give you advice on how to soothe stage two. It might help, but it rarely prevents the rash. That rash will look like razor bumps (and sometimes worse) all over the waxed skin. Every hair that was pulled will create this effect. It will be sore. It might itch. It certainly won't be pretty.

Never plan sexy time for the day after a wax. Ever. You shouldn't plan a date within a week of wax until you know how your body responds. Male grooming is supposed to help your sex appeal, but stage two of a wax is the exception to that rule.

The third round

Stage three is usually less an endurance of abject pain and more an exercise in discomfort. Anyone who has ever shaved against the grain understands stage three. This is where the hair breaks back through the skin in its regrowth cycle. Theoretically, waxing makes hair grow back softer and sometimes lighter. You will not believe this theory during your first experience with stage three.

While waxing can ultimately have that effect, it's gradual over repeated sessions. Your first stage three will be itchy and irritating. Remember, this itchiness scales with the density of your chest hair. The manlier you feel going into the appointment, the worse you'll feel during stage three.

Here's the worst part. Stage three will tell you how long you get to wait between waxing sessions. Once stage three ends, you have stubble. Stubble can introduce a mile stage 4, but it's not worth going into detail. The real issue here is that stubble is the only thing universally worse than bushy chest hair. If you think any woman (or lover in general) wants to rest their head on chest stubble, you completely misunderstand the human condition.

For most guys, stage three is going to start two to three weeks after the waxing appointment. For the chosen few, it could be more than a month after. For the unfortunate slobs out there, it will be less than a week. Some guys report stage three agitation within three days of a waxing appointment. If you're that unlucky, we recommend abandoning waxing altogether. There are other ways.

The nips

 Nipples don't represent a separate stage of recovering from waxing. Rather, they merit special consideration. You've been duped before. You already know that your nips are the most sensitive part of your body. Before you dive into a chest wax, remember that the pain and discomfort come in three stages. Stage one is about 1,000 worse for your nipples than the rest of your chest. The subsequent stages maintain that ratio.

The solution here is easy. Skip the nips if it's your first time. Wait and see how your body responds. If waxing isn't so bad, you might consider adding them next time. Until then, there are far gentler ways to deal with nipple hair. And, no, leaving them alone is not an option. Nipple hair is the number one chest concern for a groomer.

 A gentler way

Many guys who groom keep a close eye on razor burn and the irritation that comes from male grooming. Compared to the aftermath of a waxing session, shaving chest hair is simple. A swift trim with The Lawn Mower™ 4.0 is entirely painless. It gets chest hair under control, and it's pretty harmless to the skin. We still recommend following up on trimming with a few simple treatments, but if you've endured a chest wax, this will be nothing.

The heart and soul of dealing with grooming-caused irritation is Crop Cleanser™ hair and body wash. We recommend a warm shower after any session; this applies to shaving and trimming, and it super applies to waxing. Crop Cleanser is gentle and restorative. It will help mitigate that stage two rash, and it will take the edge off of stage three.

You also need to remember the importance of Crop Preserver™ and Crop Reviver™. They're designed for below the waist, but Reviver is honestly gentle enough to use anywhere. Most importantly, if you get a wax, you'll want all three of our formulas for fire control.

As much as we'd like to tell you to never wax, we get it. You're a man. You have a natural curiosity. You're going to do things your way. Instead, we hope that we can help you avoid the worst of it. Trim your nips with a great body groomer. Treat the skin afterward, and when you're ready to admit that we were right, MANSCAPED.COM will still be ready to guide you through all of your grooming needs.