Hard vs. Soft Wax Pros + Cons

As wax professionals, you know that it’s not about one type of wax over another, but more importantly when to use each. And while you should have both hard and soft wax in your salon at all times, it’s important to understand how each can make a difference in your treatments and affect your bottom line. From effectiveness to profitability, there definitely are some pros and cons of using each. Let’s break it down.

 

Hard Wax: Pros

• It’s your go to wax for those gentle areas. Waxing the face, bikini, Brazilian, or underarms? Hard wax is gentler and more effective at removing the hair in these sensitive zones.
• No strip needed. The wax grabs the hair and doesn’t stick to the skin, so it can feel less painful during the treatment for your client.
• Hard wax grabs shorter hair, eliminating the need to wax the same area twice, but if you need to go back over an area, it’s safer for the skin.
• Cost effective when used in the right areas
• Leaves no sticky residue, so easier to clean up.

 

Hard Wax: Cons

• It is more expensive when waxing large areas on the body such as the legs or back. For these areas, hard wax is inefficient and costly—in fact it can cost almost triple to wax the legs for example using hard instead of soft wax. Talk about impacting your bottom line.
• It can take more skill to use since it is thicker and applied warm. Using too much or keeping it at the wrong temperature can impact your bottom line.
• Since it hardens and comes off without a strip, it can break off easily if not applied correctly.

 

Soft Wax: Pros

• Soft wax adheres to the skin well, making it safer for less sensitive areas.
• Much more cost effective for larger areas of the body such as legs, arms, chest and back because the wax application is so thin.
• The strip removal increases speed and efficiency of the treatment, which again makes it a better choice for larger areas of the body.
• Low temperature wax means is better for the skin and eliminates burning.

 

Soft Wax: Cons

• Can leave a residue behind, so you’ll need to pay more attention to clean up.
• It can be more painful than hard wax and can cause more skin damage if applied incorrectly.
• You’ll need a wax removal strip to remove the wax and hair.
• There could be a higher risk of the skin becoming irritated.