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If you have any unwanted hair, the best home waxing kits are a great choice for removing it. Whether it’s whisking off a few stragglers on your upper lip, shaping your eyebrows, de-fuzzing your legs or manscaping your entire torso, the advantages of waxing in the comfort of your own home are extremely appealing. You can achieve a smooth finish whenever you want, and there’s no finding a salon or waiting for an appointment. Better still, you don’t have to bare your bits to anyone, and you can wince, grimace and even swear as you pull off those strips.

Home waxing isn’t any less painful, of course, but we do have some tips to help minimise the discomfort. And afterwards, you can relax at home, leaving your newly smooth skin free of potentially irritating clothing. This selection of home waxing kits, suitable for everyone, will enable you to achieve a salon-smooth finish, for all areas of the body.

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Waxing removes hairs from the root, giving you super-smooth skin that can last for up to four weeks. Regrowth feels less prickly because new hairs have tapered tips, whereas shaving means blunt, stubbly regrowth.

Cold wax: This is usually sold as pre-spread disposable strips and used for small areas such as women’s upper lips and bikini line or eyebrows. These strips are one of the cheapest options available.

Hot wax: The wax must be heated before use in a microwave or by immersing the container in very hot water until its texture is like runny honey. You can also buy electric wax warmers, but you’ll pay more for the convenience.

Soft hot wax: This has to be heated as above, but remains soft throughout use. It’s best for larger areas, such as the legs or chest. Melt it, then use the spatula to spread on a small amount in the direction of growth. Press on a fabric strip, then pull off in the opposite direction.

Hot waxing kits typically include spatulas to spread the wax (usually wooden – the more, the better), washable fabric strips, and post-wax soothing cream or oil wipes to remove residue.

Hard hot wax (stripless hot wax): This wax hardens in place as it cools, then you pull it off. It adheres to the hairs, not the skin, so it’s less painful, and is best for smaller, more sensitive areas, such as the bikini line.

Sugar wax: A mix of sugar, water and lemon juice. This method has been used since ancient Egyptian times and can be hot or cold. Sugaring, as it’s known, is perceived as less painful than waxing because it sticks only to the hairs, making it better for sensitive skin. Apply the sugar mixture against the direction of hair growth, and remove it in the opposite direction. Because sugar is water-soluble, cleaning up is easy too.

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Price: £6 | Buy now from Boots

Nair has a long history of hair removal, launching in 1940 with its depilatory cream and then bringing out its first wax product in 1990. Its wax has come quite a way since then, and these strips are ideal for small areas such as the face and toes. They’re easy to use: slightly press between your palms, then apply in the direction of hair growth before pulling away.

Because the wax is cold, it sticks a little less effectively to the hairs than the hot stuff, so you may have to reapply to an area to catch all of them – fortunately, Nair includes a wipe with camomile extract and vitamin E to clean up any residue. This repeated application can make the area a little tender, so it pays to spend a bit of time reading up on the most effective technique. On the whole, though, these strips are affordable and straightforward.

Key details – Number of wax strips: 20; Wax type: Cold; Area/s: Face, eyebrow, other small areas; Suitable for vegans: Yes

Price: £13 | Buy now from Boots

If a visit to a traditional barber isn’t an option, this does the job in a place that’s difficult to tidy up, except with a nasal trimmer or scissors. Waxing gives a longer-lasting result too and doesn’t need such a steady hand.

Smother the bulbous end of the applicator with the melted wax, which includes almond oil, aloe vera, camomile oil and beeswax among the ingredients, and insert into your nostril. Leave the wax to set for one minute then pull out the applicator in one swift movement. Surprisingly, it isn’t as eyewatering as you’d expect, and certainly much less painful than tweezing.

You can also use the flat end of the double-ended applicator for waxing the outside of the nose or between the brows as well. Moreover, there are several moustache-protecting stencils in the pack, so there’s no need to worry about losing that tache in the process.

Key details – Wax weight: 45g; Number of applicators: 8 (4 applications); Wax type: Hot; Area/s: Nostrils, tip of nose, between brows; Suitable for vegans: No

Price: £12 | Buy now from Amazon

This is a super-simple formula from hair removal experts Nair, which contains just five ingredients: sugar, for effective hair removal; glycerine, to allow the wax to smooth on and hydrate skin; citric acid, for optimal wax consistency; Rosa damascena, a rose extract; and water.

Once the wax is warmed to runny-honey consistency in the microwave or a water bath, it’s ready to smooth on in a thin layer. This takes a steady hand, as does keeping stray sugary strands to a minimum, but this improves with practice. The upside, however, is that ripping off the fabric strip causes much less discomfort than conventional hot waxing, making it ideal for sensitive skin.

What’s more, as the wax is water-soluble, it can be rinsed off the non-woven strips so you can reuse them. The 350ml pot is enough for three complete lower-leg waxings, or several bikini line and underarm sessions.

Key details – Wax weight: 350ml; Number of applicators: 1; Number of strips: 14; Wax type: Hot sugar; Area/s: Body, legs; bikini line; underarm; Suitable for vegans: Yes

Price: £36 | Buy now from Feel Unique

In a pretty peach-coloured box is a heating pot, as well as four packets of wax beads – original, lavender, chocolate and camomile – which contain beeswax as well as resin. This kit is incredibly easy to use: simply pour in the wax, set the temperature and stir occasionally until melted. An automatic cut-out prevents overheating, which is a nice additional safety feature.

As this is a hard hot wax, it cools quickly once out of the pot, and takes a bit of practice to apply the right thickness, so expect a bit of trial and error if you’re new to this style of waxing. Cleaning up is easier than application. The wax comes off quickly and if there’s any left over at the end, you can leave it to set in the pot, ready to re-melt next time.

Key details – Wax weight: 400g; Number of applicators: 10; Wax type: Hard hot; Area/s: Everywhere; Suitable for vegans: No

Buy now from Feel Unique

Price: £13 | Buy now from Amazon

Sugar Coated’s simple sugar and water mixture is a pleasure to use. It gives off a delicious caramel smell when heated in the microwave and is easy to apply in a suitably thin layer to the chest and legs, spreading more easily than cold wax.

As it contains just sugar and water, the mix is water-soluble, meaning it’s easy to clean up any residue on the skin with soap and water. Better still, the reusable cloth strips, which you can cut to size for smaller areas, are easy to clean as well. A nice inclusive touch is the variety of hair types depicted in the instruction leaflet.

Key details – Wax weight: 250g; Number of applicators: 3 (2 large, 1 small); Number of strips: 15; Wax type: Hot sugar; Area/s: Legs, upper lip, bikini line, underarm; Suitable for vegans: Yes

Price: £9 | Buy now from Amazon

There’s no need to heat this cold sugar wax, which is already like runny honey in consistency. Simply apply it in the direction of hair growth, press on one of the 100% cotton fabric strips included in the kit and quickly pull it off.

Applying a thin enough layer took a few attempts, and the stretchy, sticky, sugary strands between the skin and the spatula were a little hard to control initially. However, pulling off the strips was noticeably less painful than standard waxing and this soluble blend washes off easily from both the fabric strips and spatula for reuse. Once you’ve got the knack, this is an ideal alternative to hot waxing.

Key details – Wax weight: 170g; Number of applicators: 6; Number of strips: 10; Wax type: Cold sugar; Area/s: Face, body, arms, bikini line, legs; Suitable for vegans: Yes

Price: £16 | Buy now from Amazon

From the makers of No Mo-Stache, credited with creating the world’s first portable waxing kit, is this No-Mo bikini-line kit. The disposable, peel-apart strips are just the right size to apply one on each side of the bikini line and the main ingredient is colophonium, a resin derived from pine trees – no beeswax here.

Like other disposable cold wax strips, we found No-Mo easy to use. Simply warm the paper between the palms, then apply in position, rubbing in the direction of hair growth. The wax distribution was also pleasingly even on both sides, something that can be a problem with disposable wax sheets. We like that the tin comes with two sachets of post-wax aloe cream, though this sadly isn’t enough for every use.

Key details – Number of strips: 8; Wax type: Cold; Area/s: Bikini line; Suitable for vegans: Yes

Price: £18 | Buy now from Amazon

Here’s another handy kit-for-a-bit from No Mo. In the tin you get 24 wax strips, one aloe vera cream sachet and a pair of teeny-weeny tweezers for post-waxing tidy-ups. Once the strip is warmed between the palms, peel apart and press it into place, rubbing in the direction of hair growth.

These cold wax strips are the smallest we’ve encountered, which means they’re useful for precision shaping anywhere on the body. Use them above the brow, on your hands, feet and upper lip too. Again, it’s a shame the kit doesn’t come with more aloe sachets, but the addition of the tweezers is enough to give this kit a big thumbs up.

Key details – Number of strips: 24; Wax type: Cold; Area/s: Between the brows; Suitable for vegans: Yes

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