When it comes to areas suitable for waxing, there are very few limitations outside of those that you set yourself, due to comfort and preference, and those set by medical necessity.
Just about every area of the body is available for waxing. Differing slightly from facial waxing, the areas available for treatment include, but are not limited to;
- Full Legs
- Toes
- Bikini line
- Full pubic area
- Back and shoulders
- Chest and stomach
- Forearms
- Fingers and the backs of hands
- Underarms
While facial waxing is often regarded as requiring more skill, most areas for body waxing are suitable for treatment at home, or at a local salon, without much fuss.
With hot wax being the most popular choice for body waxing (link: what are the differences between hot waxing and cold waxing?), some people prefer to use at-home kits purchased from Amazon or local salons, whilst others still prefer to have the treatment performed by a trained beautician. There are benefits to both methods; treatment at home is often cheaper and can be done on your own time; unaffected by business hours or scheduling conflicts. However, performing a waxing treatment yourself increases the risk for burns, uneven results, or increased levels of discomfort; particularly if you are unpracticed or untrained. Booking with a salon removes the latter of these concerns, however, the compromise is your requirement to adhere to business hours for treatment, which may conflict with your own working schedule or existing appointments. The added consideration is that, regardless of skill, some areas of the body simply require assistance in order to perform effective hair removal. Areas such as the back, shoulders, Brazilian, or the backs of the thighs are simply difficult for most people to reach on their own. When considering whether to wax at home or at a salon, it may be worth considering if you would need to enlist the help of a friend or family member, should you choose to go the DIY-route.
As the skin on most body parts is comparatively more resilient than that of the face, skin sensitivity is less of an issue. However, it is worth discussing this with your beauty therapist or aesthetician prior to treatment if you have especially sensitive skin, so that they may make the appropriate considerations for you. (link: Is there one type of wax that is better for sensitive skin than any other?). In addition to this, if you are taking medication for acne on your face (or any other body part), or have an existing skin condition that is being treated or requires special treatment, it is essential that you mention this before your session, so that your aesthetician can review the area of concern, and advise accordingly. (link: What are the conditions that require special attention from the therapist?)
Depending on the body area, different types of wax may be used or advised by your esthetician. For example, bikini waxes or full Brazilian waxes may call for a hard wax, which adheres to the hair strands and not the skin itself, often leading to a wax that is less painful than some other methods.
Comparatively, the areas on the back, shoulders, chest, and stomach may be waxed using regular hot wax, applied and removed with the assistance of cloth strips. These areas are traditionally understood to be less sensitive, and hot wax removal using strips may be faster over larger areas, compared to using hard wax across the entire body.
While the different areas of the body may require specialized types of wax or may be more or less sensitive than others, provided your tolerance for the discomfort that comes with waxing holds out, there are really no specific body areas that are off-limits when it comes to treatment. If complete head-to-toe waxing is something you would like to consider, contact your local salons for a consult to get their recommendations, even if you are planning to conduct all waxing at home. That way, you can receive professional feedback on whether your various body areas are suitable for waxing, as well as product recommendations that may be useful for the areas you wish to treat.