The armpits went so well that I thought I might do my legs today. I discovered I didn't have enough product left, so, being frugal, I tried making my own. I googled and went though about six recipes and three youtube vid's before I felt prepared to take the plunge. Instead of making a sugar "wax" (to spread on with a stick and rip off with a strip of fabric) I decided on Sugaring Putty, which is supposed to be thick enough to use with out fabric. I am not sure where it originated, but they do it in the Middle East.
Batch number one turned out like molasses and I had to throw it out (after spilling it all over the kitchen and my pyjamas). This is batch number two. An amber colored, sweet smelling putty. I brought 1 cup of sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp water and a shake of sea salt to a boil over medium heat and then turned it down and simmered it for a half an hour (recipe I used here). Once it cools, its very thick - almost solid.
Then I washed and dried my very hairy legs (see below). I put baby powder on, which is supposed to reduce the pain because it prevents the wax from sticking to your skin.
I grabbed a walnut sized ball of putty and worked it in my hands a bit until I got used to the feel of it. It's quite sticky, so you've got to keep moving. I videoed what happened next, but I feel, upon reflection, that I should keep it to myself (...) However, I will share with you what I learned from attempts one and two:
1.) Don't add water to the putty to 'make it less sticky' - strangely enough, the opposite will happen and you will get everything stuck to everything and end up glued to a plastic bag and your camera.
2.) Don't add baby powder to the putty to 'make it less sticky' - even more strangely enough, the opposite will happen and you will get everything stuck to everything and end up glued to a plastic bag and your camera.
Attempt number three was the golden ticket:
Basically, you rub the putty against the hair growth three times and then rip it off in the direction of the hair growth (the opposite of waxing). And to my everlasting surprise (and satisfaction) IT WORKS!!!
VERDICT: 4/5 Frugality rating!
COST: Zero dollar signs! (It cannot possibly get cheaper unless you just let the hair grow for the rest of your life!) A regular wax job is between $15 and $60 (depending on the size of the area), and a home kit of MOOM (what I use at home) is $17. This is the cost of a cup of sugar and a bit of lemon juice, and makes enough product to do your whole body once.
PROS: It's cheap, convenient and natural.
CONS: It's messy, slightly more painful than using my usual sugaring kit and I cannot possibly imagine using this on my bikini line (I fear I would end up gluing my va-jay-jay shut).
UNKNOWNS: How long does it last once made up? Will my next batch be a bit less sticky?
That said, I will definitely do this regularly. It would only get a better rating if the putty was a bit easier to handle.
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