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Hard Wax Temperature and Consistency
One of the hardest parts about just starting out with hard wax or transitioning to using hard wax is finding out what temperature it needs to be in order to achieve the ideal consistency! If hard wax is too hot, it can cause damage to the skin and end up doing more harm than good. If it’s too cold, it will make a mess and not achieve any of the desired hair removal.
Discovering what temperature your hard wax needs to be is a game of experimentation, but luckily at Nova our professionally created formula makes meltdown and use easier than ever. For the sake of this guide, all suggestions given are designed to be used with our high-quality wax and waxing products.
Table of Contents
What is the Best Temperature for Hard Wax Meltdown?
Max temperature always sounds scary but this is the temperature your wax pot should be on to start everything off.
This will allow the wax to melt down quickly to give you a good base - but do not leave it too long! Use ourhigh-quality wax warmer, leave it at the max for about 3 to 5 minutes, and then check on it.
The amount of wax you have in your pot will affect the temperature and the consistency of the wax, so make adjustments as needed. If you have a half pot, three minutes will be ideal but if your pot is full to the brim, leave it a little longer.
At this point, you will notice there is a very tacky center and really fluid hot wax on the edges. Mix the melted wax around with the tacky center to get an even distribution of heat.
Once you’ve mixed the wax around a bit, lower the temperature down to between 55-65 so the really hot wax has a chance to cool and set to find the perfect consistency. Your ideal consistency will be a happy medium between tacky wax in the center and the really hot “lava wax” on the edges.
If your wax is still looking a bit too hot and runny, turn the warmer all the way down to 45 degrees or even off for a little while!
Again, if your pot is not completely full it will heat a lot quicker so you may need to use lower temperatures to get it to cool and set.
Tips on How to Reach a Good Hard Wax Consistency
As you learn how to maneuver Nova Wax hard wax, you will see that our temperature suggestions are just a guide!
Paying attention to the hard wax consistency is priority over sticking to a specific degree on your knob. Our videos could show a wax warmer set at 75 with a perfect consistency, and you could be following the exact same temperature suggestion and your consistency could be looking more wacky than tacky.
This is why it is so much more important to see how the wax feels on your stick than trying to stick to an exact temperature.
Not only does the amount of wax in your pot affect the consistency, the temperature of the room can have an influence on it as well. If your room is a little warm, you may need to keep the warmer at a lower temperature or even turn it off at some points to ensure that the wax doesn’t get too hot in the warmer.
If you can “scoop” the wax onto your stick and twirl it with control - it’s perfect. If it is dripping everywhere, it is too hot.
READ: Why is My Hard Wax Breaking?
Adjusting Hard Wax Temperature for Different Body Parts
The beauty ofNova Wax’s hybrid hard wax formula is that you can use it anywhere - so there is no need to keep a stock of different waxes to target specific areas!
However, in order for it to work effectively, you do need to play with the temperature and customize it for the area you are waxing. While Nova is a one-size-fits-all hard wax (yes, sensitive skin peeps included!), the temperature of it is not.
For the larger areas like the legs, arms and underarms, the wax consistency needs to be a bit tackier.
Liz has her half full 1lb Nova Hard Wax Warmer set at 55 to maintain that perfect, tacky consistency.
You still want it fluid enough that it will spread on the skin without tugging - so ensure there is still some flexibility in the wax as you pull it from the warmer and twirl it on your spatula.
For the facial areas like the brows and lip, the wax temperature will need to be slightly warmer.
Whaaaat? Hot wax on the face?
Yes, we know this sounds strange as the face is more sensitive than other parts of the body, but those pesky fine hairs on the face only respond to warmer wax. You definitely do not want it too hot - just not as tacky as what you’d use for your legs.
For a half-full pot you will want to set the temperature to around 75 degrees after melting it down at the max. If you have a full pot, 85 degrees will be more suitable.
The wax consistency for a facial service will be perfect if you have a slow drip off the stick. This gives you enough time to pull the wax and lay it on the skin before it starts dripping into other areas (don’t ruin those fresh lashes!!).
Once you feel you have reached that desired consistency, keeping the warmer around 65 degrees will help maintain it.
Tips on Hard Wax Temperature and Consistency for Full Body Waxing
Nova Wax can remove every single hair on your body if you want it to, but there is a strategy behind it!
If you are treating yourself to a head-to-toe wax day, it is best to start with the areas that are larger and require more wax. You may think it will be easier and quicker to get the small stuff out of the way, like a quick upper lip wax to get in the groove, but it will actually make your whole process a lot longer.
In addition to all of the amazing aspects of Nova Wax, the melting point of our hard wax is very low. This means that Nova Wax melts in your wax warmer a lot quicker than most other waxes on the market so you can get to waxin’ quicker.
Don’t tread lightly though, since Nova Wax does melt quickly, leaving it to heat for too long will result in some lava wax that you definitely do NOT want to put anywhere on your body.
It is much easier to take your wax from a tacky consistency to a warmer, more fluid consistency due to how quickly Nova Wax melts down. Liz’s transition from her tacky wax consistency to her warmer, more fluid facial wax consistency was only 3 minutes!
On the other hand, trying to take your wax from warm to tacky will require a lot of time, and you’ll spend more of your time waiting to remove hair than actually removing it.
Luckily there is a quick fix if you get into this sticky situation - just add more Nova tablets or beads (if space allows) to your hard wax warmer! The fresh wax will help cool down the hot wax by bringing in some tackiness (once they’re a little bit melted) to help get that consistency back on track.
Monitoring Hard Wax Temperature and Consistency Throughout Services
This is where you let out your inner DJ! We wish it was as simple as setting one temperature and just letting it ride, but that isn’t the deal here. You will need to continually adjust your temperature as you are waxing away in order to keep that consistency right where you need it.
As you move along and use more wax, your pot will slowly empty out and that heat won't be distributed the same way it was when the pot was full. Like we have said before, wax temperature and consistency is a science but experimentation is key!
Throughout the service, it is important to continuously dipclean spatulas into the formula and see if the honey-like texture is still there.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to get your hard wax temperature and hard wax consistency right is a big concern for a lot of people! If you’re just starting out, try not to get discouraged because even the best speed waxers you know had to learn what temperature is ideal for meltdown and mess around to get the best hard wax consistency.
Paying attention to how your hard wax is before the service is important but monitoring the wax temperature throughout the service is too! You can always refer to our tips and tricks on how to get the best hard wax temperature and consistency if you’re feeling lost. Happy hard waxing!
