This year is all about the “full bush in a bikini” trend. And while I appreciate the pro-pube positivity—especially as pubic hair protects the genital area from bacteria and STIs, and hair removal is rooted in racism—I haven’t been completely influenced out of waxing just yet. Although it’s required for you to grow your pubic hair out at least one fourth inch long, giving you an inevitable bush for a short while, I prefer the feeling of smooth skin rather than textured hair down there.
As someone who alternates between waxing, shaving, and temporary bush-wearing, Brazilian waxes are known to be the most painful of them all, bluntly tearing hair follicles from beneath the skin of one of the most sensitive parts on our bodies. I’m trying to get into the habit of getting waxes every month, which helps build a tolerance to the pain. But since I’ve only been getting a wax about once every six months, I’m just not there yet. So, when Fur, a pubic care brand, opened up their first retail and wax space at their Flatiron HQ I immediately booked an appointment for their least painful vaginal wax on the menu: a numbing Brazilian wax.
I would say my pain tolerance is moderate to high with beauty treatments. I’ve gotten multiple laser skincare procedures, needle-free liquid micro-needling, and even a non-surgical facelift, but still, I’m relatively new to waxing. Every time I get one, the feeling is still rather blunt (but the results are always killer). Even though waxing is tolerable, having a numbing cream applied over the hair and skin about 20 minutes before the wax is applied is supposed to help manage the discomfort of having the wax yanked off.
I went into my appointment feeling hopeful. I’ve been using the brand since my very first wax appointment when my esthetician used their Fur Oil post-wax, a gynecologically-tested oil formulated to soften hair, soothe KP, and prevent ingrowns. I’m familiar with the brand and have tried every single product, from their Ingrown Concentrate to Chafe Cushion, so when I met with their in-house specialist and founder of The Wax Lounge Arieanna Smith, I knew I could trust her with my first numbing wax.
When I arrived, I was buzzed in and took an elevator to the third floor before being given a tour of the quaint retail space with all of their products on a half-moon display. Then, I walked down a short hallway into the first treatment room, changing into a robe that was waiting for me on the wax table. I got into the butterfly position and the numbing cream was spread onto my pubic hair before being removed just before a stick of wax was smoothed on. Then, the snatching began.
The truth? Numbing doesn’t give that much of a difference. At Fur, the numbing wax is $35 dollars more than a classic Brazilian, so if you’re on a tight budget and have a moderate pain tolerance you may be better off just getting a classic wax. The length of your pubic hair and the frequency in which you wax does make a difference in how tolerable the treatment is though, and while I usually pay $20 dollars extra for the Gold Wax at Brooklyn’s Brazilian Bar Wax Center, I personally don’t get waxed enough to have a non-eye watering experience.
That said, I definitely would book a numbing wax again and recommend trying the treatment at least once, especially if your pain tolerance is low or you’re a first-time waxer. Numbing cream works best if your hair is on the shorter side; I made the mistake of taking a longer gap between appointments, so mine was a bit longer and thicker than normal which took away from how effective the numbing felt. However, getting waxed at the studio of a brand (and esthetician) that specializes in pubic care makes getting a Brazilian more worth it—and the results prove it.