What is the Difference Between a Brazilian Wax and a Bikini Wax?

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Ah the beach vacation. You pack your sunblock, your wide brimmed hat, your flip flops and an abundance of hair removal products – razors, Nair, epilators and some of the lucky few that have a No No (a delightful “As Seen on TV” gadget that crystallizes the hair in the follicle, causing it to fall out at the root and hopefully permanently preventing any grow back). Most guys have it easy. Pull on a pair of old, worn shorts that could be a remnant from the ice age, don some flip flops and away you go; in your full, hairy splendor; not to be judged by your grassy or less than grassy appearance; unlike most of us women who agonize for (sometimes) years over just the right cut of swimsuit that will enhance the good and camouflage the rough features of our bodies. Even some of the most beautiful women I know rank swimsuit shopping about as high as public speaking and death in their preferred activities, but I digress. For those who want to save the increasingly exorbitant Checked Baggage fees with large suitcases filled with hair removal products, a quick trip to the esthetician will have you perfectly hairless in all the right places. Should you opt for a Brazilian Wax or a Bikini Wax? Here are the differences:

Bikini Wax – A bikini wax is a procedure that removes all of the hair that is typically visible while wearing a bathing suit; the upper things, the crease where the thigh meets the leg and sometimes varying amounts of hair on the pubic bone or “triangle” area. The lips of the vagina, the perineum and the anus are left unwaxed.

Brazilian Wax – A Brazilian wax is a procedure that removes all of the hair, with the exception (in some cases) of a small section on top of the pubic bone for aesthetic purposes. The genital regions including the labia, the perineum and the anus are waxed; leaving the area completely smooth.

While both methods are understandably painful to wax, it is said that the pain decreases with each subsequent visit and that your hair, when it starts to grow back 10 days to 2 weeks later is less coarse. Generally, you will break out in a red, bumpy rash, but this rash should disappear after about 24 hours.

So there you have it; a bit of pain and cost upfront to avoid the suitcase full of hair removal products, or the less expensive and less painful traditional methods.