As a man, I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to offer much helpful information when it comes to the intricate world of Waxing. One of the main reasons being, I simply don’t do it! What I can do, however, is offer an objective point of view based on research (and a few medical studies here and there), and answer the question of whether you should wax before or after taking a shower.

You might be wondering how? Well, my intention is to offer an unbiased, medical approach, explain what goes on in your skin when you're waxing it and how both cold and hot water affect it.

If you’re not interested in reading the entire article, here’s a quick answer to your question - you should take a shower before waxing because it will soften up your skin, open up your pores and relax your muscles. But make sure you don't use a moisturizer as it will make it harder for the hairs to be gripped.

How Cold Water Affects Waxed Skin?

It’s no secret that waxing is stressful, (in many cases) painfull, can burn your skin, irritate it, make it red and swollen. Looking at the list of possible “side-effects”, you might be inclined to believe cold water is the perfect solution to all of these.

And if you do, I can tell you that you are 100% right! Cold water actually acts as a mild astringent (a toner) and, as such, can tighten the pores, and make them appear less visible.

According to the National Library of Medicine, cold (water) has another beneficial effect on the blood vessels - it constricts them allowing for a restricted blood flow. This restricted blood flow may make your waxed skin appear less puffy and swollen. Of course, this might be a short lasting effect as, as your skin warms back up again, the blood vessels will be less constricted.

How Hot Water Affects Waxed Skin?

Besides bringing joy, relaxation after a long day or simply being one of the simplest life’s pleasures, most dermatologists agree that hot showers have absolutely zero benefits (when it comes to skin at least). It’s a bummer, I know!

Hot showers are especially “harmful” for those suffering from diseases that are damaging to the “skin barrier” as they may strip the skin of sebum, necessary moisture and healthy fats. Put simply, hot showers dehydrate the skin.

And how do they affect waxed skin? As you can imagine, not too good! When it comes to waxed skin, as we’ve already mentioned in the previous paragraph, it’s already stripped of moisture, irritated and swollen… and a hot shower might only make matters worse. 

So, the main takeaway here is you should avoid getting a shower immediately after you’ve had your skin waxed.

Showering Before Waxing - Pros and Cons (Dos and Don’ts)

For those of you who decided to go ahead and take a shower before waxing, we’ve prepared a few guidelines you can follow, to ensure everything goes as smoothly and safely as possible:

Showering After Waxing - Pros and Cons (Dos and Don’ts)

If you went through the entire article, you probably don’t need me at this point; you already know I’m going to suggest taking a shower before waxing.

But, if you absolutely insist on taking a shower after waxing, here are some tips to help you make it as effective and tolerable as possible: