What Is the Difference Between a Hollywood and a Brazilian Wax?

Let’s get one thing straight: there is no right or wrong way to deal with pubic hair, and what you do (or don’t do) is entirely up to you. However, since waxing—a famous method of hair removal—isn’t exactly a common subject at the dinner table, most people looking for advice on their first wax turn to the internet. What’s the issue with that? People sometimes confuse Brazilian and Hollywood waxes, which can easily become an issue if you ask the technician for anything you don’t really want when it’s waxing time.

Table of Content:

What Is a Brazilian Bikni Wax?
What Is a Hollywood Wax?
What Is the Waxing Process Like for Each?
The Aftercare
Shop Waxing Care Products

True, both Hollywood and Brazilian waxes eliminate the majority of the hair on the lower legs, but there is a distinction between the two. We enlisted the support of Noemi Grupenmager, the founder of Uni K Wax, and Helene Marie, a waxing pro at European Wax Center.

Learn the difference between a Hollywood wax and a Brazilian wax in the following pages.

What Is a Brazilian Bikini Wax and How Does It Work?

A Brazilian wax eliminates all surrounding hair, including hair on your backside, leaving a thin strip of hair (triangle, square, rectangular, or oval-shaped) at the front of the pubic region. How does this vary from a standard bikini wax or a French bikini wax, for example? Grupenmager elucidates: “A bikini wax is when we wax your pantyline and around the top of your body to avoid any hairs from peeking out when you’re wearing a bikini. A French bikini wax is literally a Brazilian bikini wax without the buttocks.

In the front, your waxer will remove the majority of your pubic hair, leaving a thin triangle or rectangular strip.”

What Is a Hollywood Wax and How Does It Work?

A Hollywood wax, unlike a Brazilian wax (which leaves a strip of hair behind), removes all of the hair from the front to the middle and all the way to the back, leaving you absolutely naked. A Hollywood wax, according to Grupenmager and Marie, is simply another term for a full Brazilian bikini wax; the former term was introduced by some salons due to the service’s success in Hollywood.

It’s especially important to recognize the variations when selecting a salon and a treatment, not just because price points vary for different styles (though that is a major factor), but also because a quick clean-up of hair outside the underwear would take less time than going all-out and removing all of the pubic hair. A Hollywood wax can take longer and will need a different technician than a bikini line wax.

What Is Each Waxing Technique Like?

The Brazilian waxing technique varies depending on where you go. “At Uni K, we start by toning the skin with our natural pre-depilatory toner. We add Uni K powder (100 percent corn starch) to the skin after it has been prepped, and then we apply thin layers of our all-natural, gluten-free wax, which is often applied at body temperature. For optimum comfort on the most sensitive skin, our pine-based proprietary elastic-wax formula is made with pure, truthful ingredients “Grupenmager explains. “After the waxing, we add a cold pack to close the pores and cover the skin with our post depilatory bikini gel,” says the therapist.

Waxing in Hollywood is exactly the same as waxing at home, with the exception of waxing your backside. If you’re new to waxing, it’s best to start with a standard bikini wax and work your way up to a Brazilian and then a Hollywood. Waxing your bikini area bald from the start can cause more pain and discomfort than you expected. (Don’t worry; it will get easier with practice.)

The Following-Up

Marie recommends against exercising or wearing warm, sweaty clothing right after waxing. “After a wax, your skin is so young, and your pores are still open and vulnerable to bacteria,” she says. “Rather, please relax for the rest of the day.” In between visits, Marie suggests exfoliating and moisturising every day to keep the fragile skin in good condition. “Exfoliating removes dead skin and moisturising keeps good skin nourished,” she says.

Waxing, unlike shaving, extracts hair from the roots. If you want to keep it bare down there, Grupenmager says touchups are typically needed every four to six weeks.

Waxing Care Items are available for Shop.

Here are our favorite things to hold in your arsenal, whether you want a Brazilian wax or a Hollywood wax.

Fur Oil:

This light oil, formulated especially for the pubic region, holds ingrown hairs at bay while softening the skin.

Reveal Me Body Exfoliating Gel

This Reveal Me Body Exfoliating Gel is recommended by Marie because of its ability to eliminate dead skin cells with a powerful (yet non-abrasive) formula.