For those of us who prefer to keep our armpits bare, waxing is an efficient alternative to shaving. My hair is dark and of medium coarseness, so shaving just results in uncomfortable, visible stubble that requires daily maintenance. I prefer to wax because the results are smoother and last longer. In this Instructable, I'll show you how to use drug-store wax strips to keep your pits smooth and stubble-free.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

You'll need:

Wax strips - I use Nad's Body Wax Strips for Normal Skin
Scissors
Exfoliating washcloth or dry brush
Soothing oil (might come with wax strips - if not, use sweet almond oil or jojoba oil)

Step 2: Preparing to Wax

To prepare your wax strips, cut them in the middle along a diagonal line. This will create an irregular diamond shape which I have found through trial and error to be the most effective size and shape.
To prepare your armpits for waxing, use your exfoliating washcloth or dry brush to exfoliate your clean, dry armpits. You want to "rough up" the hairs so they're standing up, rather than lying flush to your skin.

Step 3: Time to Wax!

Prep: Warm the wax strip by rubbing it vigorously between your palms. Once the wax is warmed, pull the strips apart.
Apply: With your arm extended up and back as far as possible, to create maximum tension of the skin, apply your wax strip down on the top half of the armpit so that the wax-free corner of the strip is at the top (exactly as shown in the picture).
Rub: Rub the wax strip into the skin firmly, going with the direction of hair growth.
Wax: Grab the top corner of the wax strip and yank down as fast as you can (in the direction opposite of hair growth).
Repeat 1-5 with the other half of the warmed wax strip on the bottom half of the same armpit.
Repeat 1-6 on your opposite armpit.
Detailing: If you have any leftover hairs, you can tweeze them. It shouldn't hurt as long as you're stretching the skin enough. Never wax the same area more than twice - and if your skin turns red/inflamed after the first waxing, definitely don't go over that area again during that session. Wait till the redness goes down.

Step 4: Post-Wax Care

Once you've finished waxing, use the included "post wax calming wipes" to remove any wax residue on the skin. Or you can rub some jojoba or sweet almond oil into your skin. This will both dissolve the wax residue and soothe your skin in one fell swoop.

To keep your pits smooth and combat ingrown hairs, make sure you exfoliate daily.

DIY waxing definitely takes practice! It took me a few tries to get good at it, and now I can wax my own armpits with my eyes closed. I've been successfully waxing myself for years at this point. You can too! Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.

Thanks for reading this Instructable! You can follow me on Instagram at @KirikoKikuchi or shoot me an email at KirikoKikuchi@gmail.com.