If there’s one thing all women of South Asian descent can agree on, it’s that excessive hair growth is a real thing and it’s a b****.

We all have our horror stories!  Trust me, two of my coworkers and I talk about this very topic almost every day.  Like I said, it’s a real thing.  The only difference between now and when we were young girls with long sideburns, overgrown eyebrows, and hairy legs/arms is that we can do something about it on a regular basis.

Before I tell you about how I deal with this issue now, I have to share a funny story about 12 year-old me and my Elvis like sideburns…

I stood in front of our bathroom mirror with the door locked behind me. I inspected my super thick sideburns.  “How can I get rid of them?,” I thought.  Then then idea hit me.  I grabbed a pair of scissors and started snipping away.  For some reason, I thought this was the answer, not realizing that you can’t snip the roots of your hair away.  I went from having long hairs growing down the side of my face to short stubbly hairs in their place.  I was horrified but didn’t think anyone would notice.  Of course, my mom noticed RIGHT AWAY, and she was mad.  That’s when I lost my s***.  I started crying and yelling, “God wanted to make me a boy but changed his mind at the last minute!!!”  Oh the drama!  I’m pretty sure my mom laughed!

When I got older, my mom took me to get my eyebrows threaded and my side burns waxed.  The relief!  I no longer felt like a hairy tarantula.

Soon thereafter, my aunt taught me how to thread my own upper lip and chin.  She probably doesn’t know it, but she changed my life.  I could now remove my facial hair at any time.  LIFE. CHANGING.

Then about 15 years later, a friend introduced me to the idea of homemade wax and waxing my own sideburns.  She even made me my first batch of wax!  Again…LIFE. CHANGING.

I’ve been using this homemade wax on my sideburns for years now.  It’s easy to make, works like a charm, and only requires cloth waxing strips to help with the hair removal process.

Not sure why it’s taken me so long to share this recipe.  Probably because my last batch lasted forever, and I didn’t have to make a new one until this past weekend.

Side note – Pregnancy hair growth is a real thing.  My sideburn hairs are growing at an exponential rate! 

With that, here’s how you make this super effective wax…

Homemade Wax
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups sugar

To make the mixture: Add the water, lemon juice, and sugar to a small saucepan and place over medium heat.  Stir together and let the mixture come to a boil.  Turn down the heat, stir again and let it come to a boil one more time.  The mixture should be amber in color at this time.  Take it off the heat and let it cool down for a few minutes.

To use the mixture: Take a butter knife, dip into the wax mixture, ensure it’s cool enough to apply, and then apply in the same direction of hair growth.  Quickly place a cloth strip over the wax, press down and rub the strip a bit, and then pull off in the opposite direction of hair growth.  Repeat until hair is removed.

To store the mixture: I used a glass jar.  You can use whatever kind of container you want.  Just make sure it’s microwavable.  That’s key for reuse!

One more thing.  For those of you, like me, with extremely low pain tolerances, this wax is liquid gold because there’s no pain.  TRUST ME.  It’s a little unbelievable and simply amazing!  I’ve waxed my own sideburns and underarms without flinching.  And I’m the girl who cried when she went to get waxed before her wedding.  Big huge crocodile tears!  Ask my sister. 🙂

I’m so glad my friend introduced me to this recipe and method.  I’ll never resort to scissors again!

Your turn – what’s your go to hair removal method?