Goodbye Hair & Wax: The Benefit of Sugaring - Vegan Hair Removal

Sugaring London is London’s number one hair-removal destination. The technique uses only water, lemon and sugar that helps to remove hair and exfoliate dead skin cells. Sugaring home kits are now available to keep tidy throughout lockdown, too! 

Tell us about Sugaring London?

I launched Sugaring London in 2017 when Sugaring was still unknown in the UK. People thought I had a bakery (when I launched).

You can imagine the look on peoples faces back then, when I told them it’s an all natural hair-removal method that only uses water, lemon and sugar. The distinct advantage in our philosophy is that where other forms of hair-removal just focus on eliminating unwanted hair, sugaring combines two treatments in one – hair-removal and gentle exfoliation of dead skin cells-  leaving the skin smooth and positively glowing.

Our pastes and line of pre-and post sugaring products are made especially for that. 100% natural and vegan hair-removal treatment. We are unique because we only offer sugaring treatments. You won't see any hairdryers flying around nor are there any mani or pedicures happening in our studios. We are specialists in what we do. 

Why did you start the company and what have you learned thus far? 

I launched Sugaring London in 2017 after the birth of my two sons. My brother Thomas told me about sugaring hair removal.  He has psoriasis (a skin disorder) and his dermatologist told him he could not remove unwanted hair with traditional wax but should look into sugaring instead as even people who have (dormant ) psoriasis and eczema can do it!  He was so excited about it that he told me immediately to read up about it. I immediately fell in love with the principles of sugaring.  A plant based way of hair-removal that is suitable for all, no matter your skin tone or skin type! Because of my background in Film and TV, I always loved the idea of LA. I went to LA, and trained there. This is where the concept of Sugaring London was born. I wanted to create a sugaring company that would bring “a little bit of LA to London.

What is the 'art of sugaring' and how do you use this method?

It might sound like baking, but sugaring is actually a method of hair removal that dates back from the ancient Egyptian. There it is called Halawa. Still very common in the Middle East, there is a difference between traditional Halawa and how we sugar at Sugaring London.

By using our technique, we apply the vegan sugaring paste against the direction of hair growth and remove it IN the direction of hair growth. Very different from waxing where you pull the hair off AGAINST the direction of hair growth.

One of the  advantages of sugaring our way is that there is less trauma on the hair when removing it, and thus less chances of breakage. Breakage is a cause for ingrown hair often caused by waxing or having.

With sugaring we get rid of ingrown hair caused by waxing or shaving - WIN WIN .

The name for this method comes from the paste itself, which consists of lemon, water, and sugar.

How does sugaring compare to other waxing techniques?

• Hair Removal Technique: waxing is a process of removing hair from the root. Wax needs to be applied in the direction of the hair-growth and removed against the hair growth. Removing hair against the hair-growth can tear the hair follicles mouth, resulting in red dots post waxing. In order to repair the skin damage, skin produces new skin cells which can clog the hair follicles and lead to ingrown hair.
• Ingredients: almost all wax products contain chemicals, beeswax and /or petroleum based resins. Wax needs to be heated to a high temperature in order to become liquefied which, when not dealt properly, can result in burning or scarring of the skin.  
• Ingrowns: in order to successfully remove unwanted hair using the waxing technique, hair needs to be between 5-10mm long. If hair is too short, the wax won’t have enough grip, causing hairs to break in half instead of being pulled out by the roots or cut off at the surface - a recipe for ingrown hair and irritation.
• Painfulness: waxing products adhere to live skin cells, making the procedure painful and the skin irritated. Sugaring is natural and sensitive on the skin, contains no chemicals and the hair is pulled out the same direction of growth which helps to avoid damage to the skin or causing any ingrown hairs. 

What are your tips to reduce in-growns? 

We often ask our customers to exfoliate their skin twice a week when on a sugaring schedule. The beauty of sugaring is that it's a natural exfoliant anyway, so the skin gets exfoliated during the treatment, which helps to reduce in-grown hairs.

We love that sugaring is vegan, why is a plant-based method important to you?

Being plant-based is something that is really important to me, not only to help run a sustainable ethical brand, but because I know how conscious my customers are about what they are putting on their skin. I’m a vegetarian myself and I really believe in the power of plants. 

What are some of the benefits of sugaring?

• Sugaring paste is hypoallergenic.
• The products used for sugaring paste are natural, free of preservatives and other chemicals.
• It can be used customers with allergies, dry psoriasis and dry, non-itchy eczema.  
• Is effective immediately, leaving your skin smooth and silky for weeks
• Is effective on practically any skin type and it works with any hair colour since it doesn’t target pigment.

• Repeated treatments can lead to permanent reduction of hair growth.  
• Water soluble- residue on clothing, towels or furniture can be wipes down with lukewarm water.  
• It combines two treatments in one: hair-removal and gentle skin exfoliation.  
• Sugar paste only sticks to dead skin cells leaving live cells alone.   
• Safe for clients who have varicose veins. 
• Sugar paste is applied at body temperature, there is no risk of burning.  
• Sugaring can get rid of ingrown hair. 
• Sugar paste is applied in the direction of hair growth.  
• Bacteria cannot breed in high concentrations of sugar making sugaring extremely sanitary.  
• You can treat the same area several times if necessary to extract hair as short as 1/16th inch 1.5 mm.  
• Most clients say sugaring hurts less than other forms of hair-removal. 

What does beauty mean to you? 

Real beauty come from within. Self love is self respect and also "looking after the skin you are in" . It's our largest organ after all! At Sugaring London, we don’t tell people to remove all body hair! Be it very hairy, a little hairy or not at all hairy. As long as the house is tidy.

If you look after yourself as long as the house is tidy, you feel confident and happy and we can help with that. We tidy the bushes. This is what beauty is to me. 

How has the business been impacted by Covid-19 lockdowns?

Business is still very challenging as we rely on people working in the city and London is...empty. It's a cycle isn’t it - we all depend on each other.

What does going back to work look like and how can others support you? 

Opening the studios back up (after the first lockdown) was nerve-wracking, but insightful at the same time. We had a professional risk assessment done by a third party and have put precautionary measures in place to ensure our clients are stepping into a 'safe place' and are in good hands.

5 star hygiene has always been number one for my studios even before Covid. - all treatments were already performed with gloves and thorough cleaning was done in between clients. We turned it up a nudge and all of our staff wear the required full  PPE and extras such a biodegradable disposable aprons and every studio has their own hand sanitiser station.

Anything else you'd like to add? 

We have created a sugaring product line, with plant based ingredients to bring you natural, sustainable and effective skincare products. 

From our Sugaring London SOS Home Sugaring Kit that includes our sugaring paste, vegan talc-FREE powder and body lotion to an amazing body clay mask to draw out any impurities you may have.  

To shop products and make appointments, check out www.sugaring.London/shop and follow them on IG (@sugaringlondon).