I Got a Brazilian Wax for Men and This Is What I Learned

OK guys, I’m going to be honest with you, I test a lot of hair removal stuff here at AskMen so I can pass along my knowledge to you. However, getting a male Brazilian wax has not been something I have actively sought out in the past. Between being confident in my abilities to trim down there on my own, to being in a committed relationship rendering regular maintenance for surprise guests unnecessary, I just haven’t seen the need to rip all my pubic hair out at the root. Until now. RELATED: Best Waxing Products for Men If I can trim myself well and have lost the need to maintain porn star-inspired pubic hair, why go and wax my business? Simple — I want to tell all of you guys out there Googling “Brazilian wax for men” what you can actually expect from the experience and what to do to keep it clean and pristine and in the words of my pro waxer for men: ready for prime time. What Is a Brazilian Wax for Men? First things first, what the hell is a Brazilian wax? If you have ideas of leggy, bronzed, statuesque (likely Brazilian) women walking around hairless as the source of inspiration for the term, you’d be wrong. The term was actually coined in New York City of all places, in the 1990’s, according to a BBC interview with Jonice Padilha of the J Sisters salon in Manhattan. Simply put, it’s the shorthand for waxing all or just about all of your pubic hair off, revealing soft, smooth and some might even say sexy skin — and no, it’s not just for women. There are many methods that are offered at many spots, but I opted to go to someone who specifically works on men — which more difficult to find than I anticipated. I saw the male waxing specialist who goes simply by Alex, at his eponymous studio Alexspot24 in New York City. It’s a small operation that specializes in men’s intimate areas, which before this experience, I didn’t realize required anything uniquely different. “The biggest difference between waxing for men and women is that men's hair tends to be thicker and more resistant [to wax] resulting in men requiring a different custom approach,” Alex explains. “[Another] big difference for male waxing is the level of comfort a client has with a technician and in a waxing environment. Many women have been visiting waxing salons since they were [much younger], but that’s not usually the case for men.” What to Do Before Your First Wax Clean yourself. “Please shower before your appointment,” Alex insists. This should be obvious, but in case it needs to be said: You are inviting someone to visit your most private parts, so take a little extra care down there and around back by making sure you don’t leave any dirty dingleberries behind. That’s just gross. And rude. What I used: Mario Badescu A.H.A. Botanical Body Soap This grapefruit-infused body wash is formulated with fruit enzymes, ginseng, and linden to leave skin feeling clean, refreshed, and smooth. No dingleberries here, thank you very much. $15 at Amazon.com Scrub yourself. Just like shaving your face, when you remove hair from your body, you want to rid the surface of dead skin cells ahead of time to minimize the chance for clogging pores. Doing so 24 hours in advance helps prep the skin.  What I used:  Exfoliating Dual Texture Shower Gloves Make any body wash into an exfoliating body wash with this pair of scurbber gloves. Great for ridding arms of rough elbows and really getting in between toes, these are perfect when it comes to hair removal such as Brazilian waxing thanks to allowing you to focus on the "bikini" area, inner thigh, and especially your cheeks. (Buttocks baby!)  $8.99 at Amazon.com Don’t trim yourself. “Don't trim your hair, and don't shave the genital area for at least two weeks before coming in for your male wax appointment,” Alex says. I didn't think doing a courtesy trim would be a bad thing, but it turns out the “cleaning for the housekeeper” rule does not apply here (except for those aforementioned dingleberries). RELATED: I Got PRP for Hair Loss and This Is What I Learned “We want the hair long enough for the wax to grip, so come in au naturel.” He insists if you need trimming, your therapist will take care of that on the table. Trimming yourself can result in cutting hair too short which can prevent your waxing specialist from pulling the hair out completely, which can increase the likelihood of ingrown hair. Take two OTC painkillers. Not the big stuff. Something similar to Advil works fine. This helps to reduce any discomfort in specific areas (think about ripping hair out of the shaft of your penis) as well as minimizing any inflammation caused by the process. I missed this memo and I won’t say it made it worse, but I’m sure it could have made it a little better. You and I both know for next time. What It’s Like to Get Waxed On my way to his salon I had that nervous feeling in my stomach — the kind you get before you have to present to a large group or like the night of an election you’re really hoping will go a certain way. I was anticipating a seriously uncomfortable situation. As it turned out, it wasn’t a big deal at all. Aside from my balls and backside being fully exposed to a stranger, I was surprisingly OK with the whole deal. Once I laid face down ass up on his table, there was some prep work to tend to around my naughty bits. I washed and prepared myself in the morning, but Alex insisted for the best and most hygienic results, the use of astringent to clean and disinfect the area and medicated powder to make sure the surface was dry are musts to achieve optimal results. He used multiple types of wax, which is important. “A man needs a waxing product created especially for him,” he explained. There is usually a preferred type of wax at a lot of medispa-type locations where waxing is on the menu — a type that works best for women’s finer hair. Given that a lot of men are not regular waxers, our hair is usually thicker and more course, resulting in the need for multiple applications of less effective wax. RELATED: I Got Botox and This Is What I Learned He started with the stip wax on my cheeks — like we’ve all seen in the movies — but those didn’t last long. He explained to me that they are used for large less vulnerable areas and should not be used for the more delicate skin, as they can cause damage. A lot of places still use these for everything, and Alex strongly recommends against it. When he moved in a little deeper, he switched to a hard wax, or a wax that's melted down and applied directly to the skin and removed, sans strip. “I use the latest generation of polymer wax with essential oils, because it's known for its healing effect, has a delicate structure and doesn’t leave a sticky feeling on the skin,” he said. “It’s specifically formulated to be used without strips, facilitating the removal of hairs as short as one millimeter.” This sort of wax is gentler on the skin and causes less stinging sensation following it's fast removal. “It has a creamy complexity which allows for a less painful experience when compared to strip wax.” What he used: Italwax Hard Wax for Men Hard wax wins over soft wax these days thanks to the ease of application and removal. If shaving that bikini line just isn't cutting it anymore, you owe it to yourself to go for the manzilian waxing to remove unwanted body hair. Over time, it even helps slow down hair growth. $26.27 at Amazon.com I’m going to be straight with you guys — the pain was minimal, and that’s the honest truth. That said, everyone is different, and I wouldn’t say it was a walk in the park, but the process was so quick it only hurt as it was actually happening. That means, absolutely no pain after the quick rip. I’m as surprised as you are, trust me. Brazilian Wax Aftercare So rule number one might seem a little counterintuitive, but it makes sense: do not shower right after you've been waxed. Don’t do it. If your wax was done well (and mine was) you will be treated for the rest of the day. That includes cleaning the area and applying antibacterial ointment, which was a nice surprise. “It’s important that you keep freshly waxed areas bacteria free and clean,” Alex explains. Your pores are open and ready to receive germs, so you need to let them cool off a little bit. After making my way through the hot, humid New York streets for work events following the treatment, the ointment did feel funny, but I took a cool shower before bed and washed with a fragrance free salicylic wash without scrubbing and everything was fine. The feeling is nice, I won’t lie. I've been pretty meticulous about keeping the area clean and applying the post-wax topical spray Alex gave me plus using products especially designed for post-wax pubic areas — which might be a number of steps some guys might not feel like keeping up with — and I have very minimal itching and bumps. Honestly, I feared the bumps more than the pain, and I was pleasantly surprised with their overall absence — even in the heat. What I used: Fur Full Frontal Bundle If soft, smooth skin is your ultimate goal, we need to introduce you to Fur. Be it leg waxing, chest waxing, or head-to-toe full body waxing, this trio keeps any skin type — even sensitive skin — following your waxing treatment in the best shape it can be.    $116 at FurYou.com Alex’s Post-Waxing Tips For six hours immediately following the wax, no showering or working out. For 24 to 48 hours immediately following the wax, after each shower, use antibacterial ointment or cream, preferably combined with a few drops of tea tree oil. No sunbathing for at least 12 hours. Avoid applying topical lotions for at least 12 hours since fragrances and other lubricants can cause irritation. No saunas, steam rooms and swimming in chlorinated pools for 24 hours. After three to five days, use a soft brush or exfoliating scrubs to gently buff the area and do this every two to three days — this is particularly important starting on the third to fifth day. After three to five days, wash with a glycolic cleanser or apply Tend Skin to the area with a cotton pad after showering. I personally also like to add a few drops of tea tree oil to daily lotions as it has natural antibacterial properties. How Long Does a Male Brazilian Wax Last That’s a good question that cannot be summed up with a simple one-size-fits-all answer. Depending on your rate of hair growth, the typical length of time you can expect to enjoy your new hairless physique is from three to six weeks. Alex told me if I wanted to maintain my results I should plan on coming back in about five weeks. That allows for hair to grow back in, but softer, finer and just long enough to wax. My Takeaway Would I do this again? For sure. Now that I know the anticipation is far worse than the act, I know exactly what to expect from a visit. Something I'd be remiss to not mention to you guys: I have adopted a new daily methodology for cleaning my crack and sack. I regularly use a body wash with salicylic acid, much like my daily face wash, and I use a glycolic scrub a couple times a week, also, much like my face scrub. And farts feel way different ... There I said it. I don’t know if the maintenance is something I would be on top of all the time. As Alex mentioned, this is something that gets easier the second time around once hair is growing in thinner. Only time will tell if I can maintain a smooth tush and taint without much change to my day-to-day routine, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy with the results, and I'm going to try. You Might Also Dig: What Every Man Needs to Know Before Shaving His Head What Women Think About Men's Pubic Hair How to Cut Your Own Hair