TinkerBotQuality, Against All Odds.

An In-Depth Look at Duct Tape Waxing

So I was finally able to test out waxing my legs with duct tape.  If you’re just tuning in at this point, I ran a little experiment on 5 brands of all-purpose duct tape (steering clear of utility/aircraft grade tape to avoid ripping skin off) to determine the stickiest brand which I would use in this little test.

Unfortunately, I discovered that the tape did not remove ALL the hair. Also, the hair it did remove took a few strips of tape on the same spot.  However, I did test the tape on both my and my boyfriend’s legs and it seemed to work MUCH better on him.  The majority of the hairs that didn’t come up off my legs were the few short blonde hairs I had.  On my boyfriend (oh, the things I’ve put him through over these past three years) after a few tries almost ALL of his hair came up from the one spot I was trying.  I think it was the fact that his hair was coarser and the tape stuck to it a lot easier.

Overall, I think it worked fairly well, and it DOES remove the majority of the hair.  However, I would end up waxing some spots afterwards.  I think it would be a good method to use if you would like to limit the amount of wax you use when waxing your legs.

Some things to keep in mind if you’re going to wax your legs with duct tape:

• Don’t keep the tape on for a very long time (no longer than a minute or two), and make sure you’re in a cool room.  If you sweat underneath the tape it will lose stickiness and not pull off any hairs.
• Avoid any scabs on your legs.  Chances are the tape WILL rip them off and possibly any skin around it.
• Make sure your hair is at the very least 1cm (a little more than 1/4″) in length.  Chances are the tape won’t pull up any little blonde hairs.
• ONLY use duct tape on your legs.  Do NOT use on your pubic area.  That’s a really sensitive area… if you aren’t aware of this you’re either 11 or a dumbass.

When I tried tape waxing, it was pretty straightforward and very similar to using hot wax with muslin strips.  But for those of you who need a how-to guide:

How to Wax Your Legs with Duct Tape in 10 Easy Steps

1. Read up on any and all risks/precautions involved.  I’ve included my own handy bulleted list above.
2. Grab a roll of duct tape from your local hardware, tractor supply, office, or craft store.  I’ve found that both InterTape and Staples brands work well.  Be sure not to use utility/aircraft grade tape!  Have a pair of scissors handy.
3. Unroll the roll about 4cm (an inch) and “tab” the end.  Basically just fold the exposed piece of tape in half so the two sticky sides are facing each other.
4. Unroll the tape about another foot and cut it while holding on to the tab.  You’ll be left with a foot-long section of tape.  Make sure not to touch the sticky side of the tape.
5. Place the tape on the section of your leg that you’d like to wax, making sure the tab is facing the direction of the hair growth (away from the roots).  Be sure to rub on it a bit to ensure it is sticking to the hair.
6. Pull the tab back, keeping it as close to your skin as you remove the tape from your leg.  Do NOT pull up, pull BACK against the hair growth.
7. Gawk at the amount of hair that was just removed from your leg (not required, but pretty cool in my opinion).  Fold the used piece of tape in half (sticky sides meeting) and begin your makeshift pile of hairy tape.
8. Repeat steps 3-7 until you’ve removed as much hair as the tape will pull up.  You’ll have to do the same spot at least 3 times.
9. Any remaining hairs may be able to be removed using conventional wax.
10. Take a shower or rinse off your legs.  There won’t be much visible residue or any residue you can feel, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.  Then lotion those babies up!

I may try this again soon, or even pit wax against tape in an all out waxing battle royale!  Three cheers for implied violence!

Monday, June 2nd, 2008 at 12:03 am and is filed under Health & Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.