Learn to wax like a pro

Start clean and dry. Wash off makeup, lotion and oil, then pat the area dry. Save physical scrubs for a day or two before, not the day of. On the day, cleanse and prep with Ride or Cry AHA Exfoliating Splash so the wax reaches the hair, and if you run oily or sweat easily, dust with A Wail of a Time Talc-Free Priming Powder so the wax grips hair, not skin. Hair should be about a quarter inch long, roughly a grain of rice.

Melt the beads in The Meltdown Machine, then turn it down to about 150°F, the working temperature for Crybaby Wax hard wax. Stir, lift a stick and watch the drip: runny like water means wait a minute, thick like honey means it is ready. Test a small strip on the inside of your wrist first.

Glide the wax on in the direction the hair grows, about two fingers wide, and leave a thicker tab at the end. That tab is your handle. Stiff Upper Rip Wax Pull Tabs give you a built-in handle so you can skip the lip-picking, and Get a Grip Face & Body Applicators come in the two sizes you need for body and face.

Give it about 30 seconds. When the wax has set and is no longer tacky, hold the skin taut with one hand, grab the tab with the other and pull back parallel to the skin, quick and low. Not straight up. That is what keeps hair from breaking off and stops ingrowns before they start. Repeat in sections until the area is clear.

Calm the skin with Just Cool It Calming Mango Gel, then seal in moisture with You Big Softie Finishing Oil. For the next 24 hours skip hot showers, workouts, tanning and tight clothes on the area, and go back to gentle exfoliation a couple of days later to keep ingrowns away.