Stretch Your Beauty Dollar

Wax On, Wax Off

With a little practice -- and these smart tips -- you can clean up your bikini line as fast and accurately as the experts (we promise!).

• Overapplying hot wax can burn skin, says Janet Chao, head aesthetician at the hair-removal company Parissa Laboratories. The solution: pre-coated strips, which contain just the right amount. Before applying the strip, trim hairs to the length of a grain of rice (anything longer gets messy) -- and don't wash the area. "Your natural body oils act as a protective barrier," Chao explains.
• Soften the strips by rubbing them in your hands until warm. Pull them apart, prop up one leg to stretch skin so wax goes on evenly, then press the strip on in the same direction as hair growth.
• Hold skin taut with one hand, then quickly pull off the strip with the other in the opposite direction of hair growth. Rub off any residue with olive oil; it dissolves wax.

See a pro if...

You want a Brazilian wax (to be done only by experts) or if your bikini line is prone to ingrown hairs.