How to sugar wax at home
Want smooth, soft skin with at-home sugaring? This guide walks you through exactly how to sugar wax at home with HejBuddy products, step by step. Please note: these instructions are specific to our products!
If it's your first time sugaring, please read the whole guide before you start. The wrong technique can break hairs or cause bruising.
Common mistakes (and how to fix them)
Sugar wax too sticky?
If you know your technique is right, remember you're working with a natural product – the quick fix is to warm the paste and stir it well so it stabilises back to normal. 🍯
The cause: In warm weather – or in winter, thanks to underfloor heating in the bathroom – one of the paste's ingredients, water, can rise to the surface. Experienced sugarers can spot it straight away as a slightly different surface in the jar. But if you're a first-timer and the paste clings and won't work, try warming it properly.
The fix: Put the whole jar in the microwave without the lid and warm it:
• 100g = 10 sec
• 250g = 15 sec
• 500g = 20 sec
Stir well with a knife and let it cool. Be careful not to overheat!
Jar lid stuck and losing your patience?
Oh no, the parcel's been tumbling around in transit again! Don't worry. 😊 Here's what to do: if the outer (screw) lid comes off, remove it and leave the inner lid in place. If neither lid comes off easily, keep both on.
Microwave the jar for 10–30 seconds on medium. The paste that has run into the lid and set will soften, and the lid will open more easily. Scrape any paste off the lid with your spatula or a knife and wipe it back into the jar.
Your at-home sugaring checklist
🌶 Don't sugar in a tropical room without a fan. A fan cools your whole body and stops the paste from overheating.
⛄️ In cool weather the natural paste firms up, so warm it a little (to about 35–40°C), depending on the area.
🧼 Sugar only grips clean hair. There must be no oily film from lotions on your hair or skin. Exfoliate with an oil-free product before sugaring.
⚡️ The longer the hair, the faster and more easily the paste grips.
🧘🏼♀️ When flicking, always go over the last application, press the paste against the skin and make a firm but calm pull parallel to the skin.
↘️ Never pull upwards – always parallel to the skin.
Prepping your skin for sugaring
1. Oil-free exfoliation
Gently exfoliate 24 hours before sugaring with an oil-free scrub, so no film forms on the skin. This helps ingrown hairs rise to the surface so the paste can grip them too.
2. Cleanse thoroughly
Make sure your skin is completely clean and dry. There should be no deodorant, lotion or sprays on the skin – they stop the paste from gripping.
3. Dry completely
If there's moisture or sweat on your skin, the paste can't grip the hairs properly. Water is one of the paste's ingredients, so it tends to melt into damp skin.
4. Tip: use a fan
‼️ A simple fan is a great help in summer – it cools and dries your whole body, not just the area you're sugaring.
Starting to sugar
5. Paste at the right temperature
Sugar Buddy works straight from the jar at room temperature, but you can warm it in a water bath or microwave if needed. Don't overheat the paste!
When should you warm the paste? The paste is nicest when slightly softer (but not runny) – it spreads more easily.
♨️ In the microwave: Remove the lid and inner lid and put the whole jar in the microwave without them. Warm a full jar 5 seconds at a time, 10 seconds max. Check the texture as you go.
♨️ In a water bath: Fill a small bowl or pan with hot water and stand the whole Sugar Buddy jar in it, lid on, with the water reaching about halfway up the jar. Leave it for around 15 minutes. Don't let any water into the jar!
6. Scooping the paste
For practice, scoop a smallish (strawberry-sized) blob of paste straight from the jar with the spatula, then twirl until the paste breaks off.
You'll only really learn the right amount by doing it! You can always add more paste – just use a clean, dry spatula.
The smaller the area, the less paste you need – that way nothing goes to waste.
Remember: less than a grape-sized amount goes a long way.
7. Sugaring: spreading and working the paste
Now you've got paste on the end of the spatula and the spatula in your hand. Use your free hand to hold the skin taut, so you have a firm surface and the skin doesn't move with the paste.
Always spread against the direction of hair growth – never back and forth.
Glide the soft paste over the area slowly against the direction of hair growth. Spread it as far as it slides nicely. When you've finished the first pass, lift the spatula off like a plane taking off – not straight up at 90°, but at an angle of about 45°.
Work the paste over the same area 3–5 times: after each pass, go back to the start and spread over the same spot again. This makes sure the paste grips every tiny hair.
8. Sugaring: flicking off the paste
Keep holding the skin taut with your other hand.
On the final pass, take the paste over the paste already spread, press firmly against the skin, then flick it off in the direction of hair growth, parallel to the skin. Lifting upwards can cause bruising.
You don't have to remove it all in one go – on larger areas you can flick it off in sections. Before every flick, remember to go over the paste you've already spread.
Finishing up
9. Hair-free and done?
Once you've finished, wipe the area with water if needed and spritz on soothing Buddylicious Body Mist to reduce redness and hydrate your skin without clogging it.
10. Cleaning the spatula
Clean your spatula for next time – whether you're using the flexible starter kit spatula or the firm, ergonomic Eco spatula:
Run the spatula quickly under cold water so the paste firms up
Push the firmed paste off the spatula with your fingers and put it in the compost/bio-waste
Finally, rinse the spatula under hot water so any sugar melts away, then dry it for next time
The spatula must be completely clean and dry whenever it goes into the jar.
Sugaring step by step, with pictures
Remove lotion and dirt with an oil-free cleanser.
Dry thoroughly – no moisture should be left on the skin.
Glide the soft paste over the area against the direction of hair growth. Use enough pressure – you'll see the hairs bend with the paste.
Work the paste calmly over the area 3–5 times, always on the same patch. For stubborn hairs, try a zigzag motion.
Time to remove the paste and hair! Take the paste over the paste already spread, press the spatula into the skin, then flick it off firmly in the opposite direction, parallel to the skin.
🚫 If you pull from the middle, the edges won't come with it.
🚫 If you pull straight up, the paste won't move and you'll cause a bruise.
Repeat steps 2–4 on the next section, on the same body part or a new one.
Different areas need different amounts: a coin-sized blob is enough for underarms, about a golf ball's worth for lower legs.
If the paste gets stuck or melts onto the skin (you've worked it so much the skin is very warm, there's too little paste, or water has got into it), simply rinse it off with warm water.
Spatula cleaning tips:
• Run the spatula quickly under cold water so the paste firms up
• Push the paste off with your fingers and put it in the bio-waste
• Rinse under hot water and dry it for next time
Smooth legs
When sugaring large areas:
1. Spread the paste over as large or small an area as you like
2. Add more paste if you need it – always with a clean spatula
Underarms, nice and taut
When sugaring your underarms:
1. Stand in front of a mirror in good light
2. Raise your arm so the underarm skin is taut
3. Underarm hair grows in 2–4 different directions – sugar accordingly
4. Work one small section at a time to avoid bruising and broken hairs
Tips for sugaring different areas
🦵 Legs: lower legs & thighs [easiest]
Sugar the ankle with the foot pointed and the knee bent so the skin is taut. Calves are easiest with your leg up on your lap, or standing in a slight squat and leaning back.
💪 Underarms
Put your hand behind your neck towards your shoulder blade so the skin tightens naturally. Do your underarms in small sections – hair usually grows in two directions, so don't spread paste over the whole underarm at once.
🤲 Arms: forearms & upper arms
A support grip is trickier on your arms than on your legs – ask a friend to hold the skin taut. Arm hair often grows diagonally or sideways.
✨ Face: upper lip, cheeks & chin
Small sections, a good support grip and very slow, calm spreading.
🌸 Bikini line or Brazilian [most challenging]
Firm support grips and small sections. Always work from the outer edge inwards and from top to bottom, deepening the line one section at a time. Watch the growth direction: usually diagonally from both sides towards the centre, and straight down in the middle.
Want more detail? Visit the Sugaring School for in-depth guides
All you need is one jar
Sugar Buddy 250g is enough for your whole body, many times over. Spatula included.
Buy Sugar Buddy 250g Sugar Wax Kit (incl. Spatula) €29,99