Bikini vs. Brazilian Wax: What’s the Difference?

Have you been occasionally grooming the hair on your intimate areas and feel like it is finally the time to pay full attention to such hair? While you can leave them ungroomed, removing intimate hair prevents irritation, makes skin smooth, and help you feel more confident.

Did you visit a salon and have to choose between the bikini and Brazilian wax left you all confused because you thought they were the same things all your life? Well, this is alright because most women feel the same. However, the only same thing in both procedures is the use of wax, the area waxed is different.

Based on the differences and your preferences, it is vital to choose the one that is more suitable for you. But if you know absolutely nothing about both, let us guide you about it so that when you visit a salon next time, you are ready to choose one confidently.

What is Bikini Wax?

Bikini wax is using wax to remove unwanted hair from the bikini area. The bikini area is the region of skin around the pubic bones and inner thighs. In simple words, the hair that could be seen when you wear a bikini is removed in a bikini wax.

It can be further classified into two types; bikini line wax where only a small strip of hair that might peek through your underwear is removed and basic bikini wax where a few inches of hair surrounding the labia and junction of the belly with the pubic region is removed.

What is Brazilian Wax?

Brazilian wax is removing all hair from the pubic region involving the bikini line, labia, buttocks, and every region around it. It is making your intimate areas like hair never grew there.

Brazilian wax is further divided into two main types; Hollywood Brazilian wax where all hair is removed from the vaginal region and modified Brazilian wax where hair is groomed in different shapes like a triangle or a heart.

Which One to Choose: Bikini vs. Brazilian Wax

Waxing from intimate areas is mainly done to prevent side effects like nicks or razor cuts associated with shaving and hyperpigmentation or chemical reactions caused by depilatory creams. Now to the main question, which one out of bikini and Brazilian wax should one choose? Well, it all depends on your personal preference.

If you feel shy about having your private areas exposed and have no partner to attract yet, just go for a bikini wax. Bikini wax provides enough grooming for enjoying a beach vacation or pool party.

However, if you like to have completely hairless smooth skin and also want to spend a good time with your spouse, choose Brazilian wax. Also, if you can come over your embarrassment, smooth skin is just a session away.

Pros and Cons of Bikini vs. Brazilian Wax

If you further want to know about both types of wax before making your final decision, here we go with the pros and cons of bikini and Brazilian wax.

Preparation Before Waxing

Whether you decide to go for Brazilian or Bikini wax, it will involve pulling the hair from your skin which if not done right can cause redness, inflammation, bumps, ingrown hair, and extreme pain.

So, here are a few steps to prepare yourself for waxing.

No Shaving/Depilation

Wax needs to be stuck to the hair to pull them out. If the hair is too short, waxing can not be done at all. So, avoid shaving your skin or using depilatory creams 2-4 weeks before your Brazilian/bikini wax treatment.

Regular Exfoliation

To obtain smooth spotless skin after waxing, it is essential to remove dead skin cells and impurities from the skin beforehand. So you should exfoliate the skin 1-2 days before the appointment.

Stay Hydrated

Skin needs to be in optimal condition for best results after the wax, so drink lots of water to keep it hydrated and fresh.

Wear Lose Dresses

Wear loose clothes to your salon so that your newly-waxed skin does not rub against the clothes and become irritated. Loose clothes also help the skin to breathe.

Take Pain Killers

Lastly, this is not an important step before hair removal wax treatment. However, if your pain tolerance is very low, take a systemic painkiller like ibuprofen or Advil to reduce pain sensation.

The Procedure of Waxing

The procedure of waxing is the same in both cases, only the area waxed is different. In Bikini waxing, the hair that comes out of the underwear from the sides is waxed. It can be done with underwear on.

On the contrary, Brazilian wax involves hair removal from the whole pubic area. So, you would have to take all your clothes off and bend in awkward positions as the esthetician asks to leave no hair behind. Also, the area between the buttocks is difficult to reach, so the waxing expert might use tweezers there.

And if we talk about pain, the pain in bikini wax is a little less than in Brazilian wax as the pubic region is more sensitive. Moreover, the amount of pain felt decreases with subsequent treatments as your pain threshold increases.

Care After Waxing

Skin becomes sensitive after waxing so you need to help your skin recover from it. You can take the following measures to take care of your skin after waxing.

• Avoid physically strenuous activities like lifting weights or exercising for 48 hours

• Avoid going in direct sun for 24 hours

• Avoid taking hot showers or contact with hot water immediately after waxing

• Take a cold water shower to soothe the skin

• Put a hydrating non-comedogenic body lotion to prevent skin dryness and redness

• Stay away from intercourse for a while

• Avoid wearing tight and irritating clothes. Rather wear loose and soft dresses

• Take another painkiller if you continue feeling pain after your treatment

Type of Wax Used

There are two types of wax that can be used in Brazilian/Bikini wax; hard wax and soft wax. Both have their pros and cons.

Hard wax uses beans that are melted and applied on the unwanted hair, when it hardens, it is pulled off along with the hair. It sticks to the hair rather than the skin. Thus, there is less pulling of the skin. However, it is difficult to use hard wax on hidden areas.

Soft wax uses already melted wax that is applied on the skin and hair is removed using a strip. It is more suitable for thin or fine hair and hidden areas. But it is too sticky to be handled by under-skilled waxing estheticians.

Cost of Treatment

The cost of a Brazilian wax is 30-60% more than that of a Bikini wax. And it also depends on the area and salon you go to.

For example, if a salon offers Bikini wax for $30, the price of Brazilian wax will be about $45. The average cost of Bikini wax is $30-50 while Brazilian wax is $50-150.

Moreover, we recommend that you choose a reliable salon for having your intimate hair removed. Because there is an increased risk of infection in substandard salons.

How Often Does it Need to be Done?

Hair on the pubic region grows in a cycle just like the hair on any other part of the body. The pubic hair growth cycle takes 3-6 weeks. The hair is likely to grow back within that time after waxing.

So, you need to repeat the waxing treatment every month. But over time, the hair regrowth becomes slower and it takes a little longer for you to schedule the next treatments. Moreover, with regular waxing the hair become thinner and less dense. However, this might take years.

Suitable Candidates

Bikini hair removal is for women who just want to look well-groomed when they wear short clothes like a bikini. And it is also for the women who want to maintain the privacy of their intimate areas.

Brazilian hair removal is for women who are a little bolder about their bodies and are fine with having a stranger remove the hair from their pubis and buttocks. It can be a woman’s personal choice or her partner’s preference.

Best Hair Removal from Intimate Areas with Ulike Sapphire IPL

As waxing intimate areas can be overwhelming because of pain or monthly commitments with the salon, we offer other hair removal methods that work more effectively and quickly than waxing.

Ulike Sapphire Air3 IPL hair removal handset

comes with a specific intensity level and a particular comfort mode to kill the hair follicles from intimate areas without pain.

Additionally, it helps keep your privacy and also saves you from the trouble of regular salon visits.

Conclusion

If you read the article completely, we are sure you can differentiate between Brazilian and bikini wax accurately. But as a review let us tell you once again. Brazilian wax is going completely hairless in your pubic region including the bikini line and the space between the buttocks.

Bikini wax is having your hair removed from the area that is exposed out of the undies. Both methods use the same procedure and the pre and post-care is the same as well. However, their cost also differs.