Sugaring Hair Removal Paste Recipe

Simple, Inexpensive & Easy To Use!

You can either buy a manufactured sugaring hair removal product, or make up a batch yourself.

This recipe creates a nice sugar mixture that can be used straight out of the container. No heating, and no strips necessary!

The recipe is super simple, free of any chemicals, and works surprisingly well...

Sugaring Hair Removal Recipe

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes until mixture has turned a rich amber color.

Sugaring ingredients combined in saucepan.

Fully cooked sugaring ingredients in saucepan.

'Firm Ball Stage'
by: EllaBella
If you are looking for the exact consistency, and you have a candy thermometer, heat the mixture to 246 degrees.
This is called the 'firm ball' stage in candy making, which is effectively what you are doing here.
Love the recipe, thanks!

Lift the saucepan off the heat occasionally so that the bubbles will calm down and you can keep an eye on the color.

It gives off a nice cooked lemon sort of aroma when it's finished.

Move off the heat and allow the mixture to partially cool in the pot until it begins to thicken (about 15 minutes).

It's important that the mixture is heated long enough. Otherwise you'll have problems with the final product being too sticky and not solidifying enough to use.

Pour the mixture into an air-tight container and allow to cool fully before handling. There you go! You just made your own, at home, quick and easy hair removal potion!

Make adjustments for altitude

After several comments about this recipe turning out too sticky, I did some research on how sea level affects candy recipes. There is a bit of tweaking that needs to be done for the recipe to work if you live at a higher altitude.

Decreasing the cooking temperature by one degree for every 500 feet above sea level you live will give you better results.

So if the recipe calls for 246°F (119°C), which is where a candy reaches the 'firm ball stage,' and you live 4000 feet above sea level, you should cook the recipe to 238°F (115°C).

Sugaring Hair Removal Application

Use it Cold!
Once completely cooled, this sugaring paste can be applied directly onto the hair and pulled off. Just grab a big chunk out of the container (put a bit of muscle into it to get it out).

The sugaring paste can be warmed and used with muslin strips, just like wax, if you prefer. I like the simplicity of using it cold. There's no muss, no fuss... and that suits me just fine.

How Much?
If you're doing your legs, or another large surface area (i.e., back, chest), use a bigger piece of the sugaring paste. It works well to use half of your mixture at a time, then one half can cool off (from the heat of your hands) while you continue to work with the other half.

Smaller pieces can be used on eyebrows, facial hair, bikini line, etc.

The paste will adhere best to hair that is at least 1/4 inch long, so you may want to grow it out just a bit (if you can stand it) for best results. Hair that is longer than an inch should be trimmed down a bit.

Prepare Your Paste
Flatten the paste out in your hands. Try not to work with it too much as it'll get sticky from the heat of your hands. Press the paste firmly onto an area you want to remove hair from.

Make sure that your piece of sugaring paste stays at least 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick so that it'll pull off easily.

When you've got it flattened and pressed into the skin, flick up the end of your piece to remove enough to be able to grab it. Pull the skin taut and yank the sugaring paste off quickly in the opposite direction of the hair growth.

Fold the piece in half until it's the size you need it for the next area and press it on again. Repeat until the piece becomes too sticky to work with from the heat of your skin. Then discard that piece and grab another and continue if necessary.

When you're finished in an area, simply wipe it down with a warm, wet washcloth. The sugaring paste is water soluble, so it cleans up quick and easy.

Use the form below to ask questions about this method. Please see the existing questions/answers before posting a new one. Your query may have already been discussed.

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What Other Visitors Have Said

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Ooowwwwww Omg ok so im doing this on my bikini and wow this hurts so bad! Any way to make it hurt less?

too hard hi, tried recipe, didn heat for long, maybe 10 min on low heat, ended up dark brown and rock hard when cooled:( what did i do wrong? can it be salvaged?...

Sugary clump I poured the recipe into the jars and then it turns into this sugary clump. I can't work with it. What have I done wrong?

Life-span.... I was wondering how long the sugar wax will last in the container, like what is its shelf life? or is this something you need to use the day you make it?...

Can I rescue this batch? Well, I followed this recipe to the teeth, except that I was out of lemon or lime juice, so I used orange juice instead. I cooked the concoction for exactly ...

I Have to Use Strips I've made many batches and used a candy thermometer, but I still cannot get it to work cold without cloth strips. I finally gave up. I now heat the mixture ...

how long should I use each piece? Hi, I've been making the sugaring paste for 3 months now, and still haven't got it perfectly right, but I'll keep doing it though.
Anywho, my question ...

Idid it and so loving it right now.. no more spending money on razors!! i did the recipe and it came out exact color and texture that it said it would be but jus when i applied it to my skin it didn't peel off and it said it ...

Appropriate for bikini area? Can I safely use this mixture in my bikini area? (not just my bikini line) I want to get rid of my hair down there, but at home.

types of sugar? what would happen if one used brown sugar or icing sugar instead of the white sugar called for in the recipe? would the hair removal still work, does it ...

Not sticking to hair? Once cooled to room temperature, my paste does not stick to my hair at all. However, heating it up, even only 15 seconds, makes it too hot to touch. Suggestions?...

PROVEN SUGARING PASTE RECIPE - read me!! 300g sugar
40g water
6 g citric acid (granulated,powdered)

The ingredients have to be weighed accurately (the concentration of sugar in the firm-ball ...

Is it okay if... Is it okay if I will not use lemons in making sugar paste?

265-270 degrees I have tryed this cooking it to 250 before and I had to use trial and error. Finially on the third try I got it right bringing the temp to 265 to 270. When ...

Vinegar = fail I didn't have any lemon juice on hand, so I tried this recipe with vinegar and it evaporated more quickly than I think the lemon juice might have. The ...

sticks to my skin I have not been able to make a paste that doesn't stick to my skin. When I try to pull it off, most of it is left sitting on my skin and only washing it ...

help it's turning out too hard when mine cools it is as hard as a rock help. also i tried it 3 times and still no luck

to sticky, can you recook? if the paste was not cooked enough the first time, can you reheat it to get the right consistency?

it seperated :( well i tried this recipe at home, and it seperated, i mean after i let it cool down in the refigerator, the sugar sank the water was floating on top! it ...

has anyone actually tested the vinegar meathod? i don't have any lemon or lime juice on hand, has anyone successfully used vinegar? otherwise i find this recipe very useful.

Not getting it right I made this recipe quite a few times now, the first time it was runny and I had to use the strips, it was quite messy...Tried to make it about 6 more times,...

Sugaring paste too running!! What am I doing wrong? I am boiling the mixture of 2 cups white sugar, 1/3 pure lemon juice and 1/3 water. When it boiled it foamed alot. I had a thermometer ...

Cool down? So i just made some of this wonderful recipe, but i was wondering... is it okay to let it cool in the refrigerator? and when you mentioned using the recipe ...

Pull direction You can apply the paste against the direction of the hair and then pull off with the direction of hair. (This is how sugaring should be done, without strips....

Can it be overcooked? I've just tried my first batch of sugar paste, and it all went fine, I got the change of colour and poured it into a jar. When it cooled though it went ...

Pulling against direction of hair growth? I have read that sugaring should be done by applying against the direction of hair growth and pulling off with the direction of hair growth. Please clarify-...

Why not just use plain syrup? Just apply a THIN coat of syrup, apply a cloth and pull off.

Cook it longer for better results... I followed the recipe exactly, but I cooked the mixture for 20-25 minutes instead of the recommended 15. After fully cooling in the fridge overnight, it ...

Its not turning amber colored! I'm doing exactly as it says but the wax stuff is a clear color not an amber color???!!!!

A little more specifics, please I followed the instructions diligently and when my mixture became that nice amber color, I let it cool in the pot. However, just as you mentioned that ...

Halving the recipe Hi, I was wondering if sugaring would work if i halve recipe? I've had some bad experiences with waxing, so I want to try it out cautiously first, just ...

can we eat this ? :))) can we eat this ? :)))

How long to harden? How long does it take for this stuff to get hard enough to use cold? Its not working for me warm, and it stays a little harder than honey forever, no matter ...

Time... So how fast does the hair grow back?

Reducing amount of Product To create half the amount just follow this recepie:
1/8 cup of lemon juice
1/8 cup of water
1 cup of sugar

1/8 cup is 2 tablespoons
1 cup is 16 ...

hair removal in sensitive areas? I am a guy. and I want something that will work on sensitive areas. will this work without problems around the genitals and anus?

Did this My mixture was way too sticky, will try again but make it more cold this time :)

Talcum powder Just gonna try this recipe out now ^-^ Do you have to put Talcum powder on the skin before you place the sugaring mixture on?
Thanks :)

Thankyou! wow! you're amazing. This method is incredible and I am so thankful to you for giving such a great procedure! thanks

Did I overcook it? Mine turned out to be a really dark amber color. I haven't had the chance to try it yet, because it is still cooling; but did I overcook it? How will ...

question about sugar paste is this safe to use on the upper lip?

I live twice as high as it says to change the temp at!?!?! I live above the tree line so im way above what it says to change the temp! what should i change it to?

Using popsicle sticks I have been using the sugaring method for quite some time and I found that it's easier for me to get it pliable in my hands from my body heat and then ...

Overcooked? I tried making my sugaring paste at home but,whas very dark colored and when it was suposed to "cool" it got as hard as a rock... For my next try, should ...

How long? Hi! This recipe looks cool, Ill try it as soon as I can. I suppose that when its already cool it should be like clay? or has to be really sticky

not working? I did everything step by step the sugar is too sticky....what did i do wrong?

works but leaves a "stuble" ???? can anyone please tell me why in spots it removes my hair completely and in some other spots theres a stumble? i did get kinda impatient after a lil bit ...

Burnt it when I finished cooking the paste. I noticed that its burnt. What will I do? Is it a failure? So, I just have to throw it away?

how long does it keep? How long is the solution good for if not all used in one time?

Room temperature? can you just leave it at room temperature ?
then use it for the whole week?

Removing I have mostly read that for sugaring you are supposed to pull it off in the same direction as the hair growth Usually when I make this and it is amber ...

If it's too sticky If it turns out to be too sticky then can you fix it some how?

DU First it says no heating required and then you tell us to heat it

Firm ball stage got sugar crystals in it Hey, I've tried to do the cold water test, when it reaches the firm ball stage I realize it still got some unsolved sugar crystal in it. Lots! If I heated ...

Used with Muslin Strips I followed this recipe and it turned out gooey, so I just used some muslin waxing strips and it worked great! So much cheaper than going to get waxed....

Great stuff!! I've tried this recipe before but this time with a little patience, it turned out great!! I had to recook the sugar many times to get it to the consistency ...

Problem I used this recipe. It took a day to harden. Once It did I dug it out of the containter, flattened, and put it on my leg as it says. The problem was that ...

Storage Can you store the final product and use at later times?

try try try ! wow. im in the midst of making the recipe, so far so good. it smells delicious. and *blush* i even tried a bit. yuummm. :) im sure this will turn out lovely....

Hurt? Des it Hurt? and YOU CAN EAT IT!

does it work on fine hair? I was wondering if sugaring worked on fine hair.

Problem! I followed the instructions accurately, but the final result was something hard like candy not a paste.

works amazing!! the paste works really well, but for more coarse hair it didn't grab all the hairs. I would suggest when applying the paste to press it in the direction ...

works great and so cheap! it works great, and i use a piece of fabric it works much better for this wax. when making it just make sure u hav the right a mount of ingredient, i once ...

never hardened this is the second time ive made it. i let it cool over night and even put it in the fridge but its still like syrup. do i need to cook it longeR?

$90/session down to $.50/session I love it! I followed the directions exactly and it works perfectly. I use a wooden spoon to help me get wax out b/c it really does require some muscle....

Way too runny help! I have tried this recipe for the third time now. i followed it to a T and i used a candy thermometer and everything. its been cooling for hours and its ...

didnt really work, but ill try again so to my understanding i did every thing the way the instructions said to.. first the mixture was too sticky so i heated it let it cool n tried to use ...

just a little bit of hair? what is the amount of ingredients that you use for a little bit of hair? i dont want to use the full amount because im not going to use it all the time ...

Worked perfectly Thanks for the recipe. It worked perfectly.

Works Great !!!!!!! Thank you so much. It works great(and tastes good too, lol). Can't wait to tell my friends.

Vanilla Flavoring & another homemade tidbit! I haven't tried the recipe yet-but I am. I have very light facial hair that shows up when wearing makeup-I don't like it. I love the fragrance of Vanilla-...

Lemon for sugaring Do you use fresh lemon?

Way too sticky... I followed these directions to a T.... I cooked mine until it was amber-colored and smelled like cooked lemon, and my candy thermometer said it had reached ...

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE RECIPE! My daughter use body Sugaring hair removal every 5 weeks on her face. I said Thank you so much for your recipe because today I been searching for it, and ...

frenchie thanks, that was super helpful! i'm still a little nervous as i am a first-time waxer, but this recipe seems trustworthy.
thanks so much!

How to get the right consistency Color is not the best way to determine. I also triedwatching by soft/firm ball stage but still wasnt getting itright
Spend 5-9$ on a candy thermometer ...

Good Stuff This works! But do your research! I watched a few "sugaring hair removal" videos, and I also googled "firm ball stage" (you don't need a candy thermometer,...

sugaring fun! I am going to try this recipe for my spa party!

its been drying for a while! It is fully cooled but it is still really goopy and I followed the instructions exactly!

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