Cassandra ordered sugar via TheWickedHair.com, and from what I can tell re: the ship dates, she had it about a weekend.

By Monday morning at 8:11 AM local time, the following was submitted via TheWickedHair.com's contact form:

Hi I'm experiencing the wax basically melting down to super sticky goo and sticking to my skin making a mess that doesn't work the way it should. Help!! What could I be doing wrong? I've tried using powder first. Tried with and without gloves. I get maybe 2 good swipes and by the 3rd or 4th swipe it turns to goo.

Now I know where Cassandra had the Removal Formula  shipped to. And I also happen to know that the locale was experiencing one of its last 80ish degree weekends for the year. She (statistically speaking) is unlikely to have air conditioning. And if she's working from home these days....

SHE WANTED OUTSIDE!! NOW.

So I spent a few minutes downloading the information I have in my brain and thought about what I would ask her if she presented this problem during one of her Brazilians.

Here is my emailed response to her:

Hi Cassandra - 

When your Removal Formula (RF) is melting all over and turning into a sticky goo, there are a few things that could be happening: 

• You’re not using enough
• Your wrist is dropping and you’re using the pads of your fingers instead of the tips
• You’re showering prior to using the Removal Formula
• It’s too hot where you are 
• This whole sugaring thing is making you nervous
• You’re working it too much prior to starting
• Your skin is moist or damp.

 These are all things that might be occurring, and some even happen in combination. 

Other questions that come to mind are: 

What area are you sugaring?

Have you watched the instructional videos on TheWickedHair.com?

Just an FYI here, while I'm thinking about it: The premium course gives video demonstrations of this exact issue, and helps troubleshoot. You may consider purchasing to help with that.

Solutions include:

You may need to be using more RF. You want to have enough Removal Formula to spread AND retain some in your fingertips. The contact between your fingers and the sugar is important. When you don’t use enough, there isn’t enough on your fingers to stay attached to the stuff you’ve spread on your body - and then you can’t get enough leverage to lift the RF that’s on your body off during the Swoop.

Speaking of Swoop: Ensure your Scoop is on point. Watch Lesson 3 of Sugaring School again. Remember: The fingertips shall be the spreader of the RF, not the pads of your fingers. Keep your fingers in the Trowel position and make sure they are perpendicular to your skin. The angle of your wrist should be as close to 90 degrees as you can get. This will prevent you from spreading the RF like butter and minimize the amount of contact you have with it. 

Remember RF is a natural product and will melt if there’s too much heat and/or humidity. The ideal temperature for RF usage is 71 degrees Fahrenheit. A little cooler will make it more stiff to start with, a little warmer will make it softer right out of the jar and you’ll need to work quickly to prevent it melting before you have a chance to make progress.

This heat and humidity situation could be exacerbated if you shower or bathe or spend a bunch of time in the sun prior to using the RF. It could also happen if you’re using it just after a workout. The warmer you are internally, the faster the RF will become soft.

Also: Your hands may run hot. Or sweaty. Or both. Run them under cold water and dry them very well prior to using the RF until you get the hang of it. Keep a dry cloth close to blot the area you're working.

Remember! You’re not going to be very good at it at first. It takes time to practice, and that can be frustrating. Frustration and “THIS STUFF DOESN’T WORK” thoughts can contribute to the stress response, which makes hands/palms more warm and sweaty…which will in turn heat the RF too much too quickly. You’ll easily find yourself more focused on your frustration than your technique, which will lead to more frustration and less effective hair removal.

The RF may feel a bit stiff when you first get it out of the jar. It’s natural to want to “warm it up” and "get it more workable” prior to starting. I recommend starting immediately (while the RF is still stiff) and really concentrate on your proper form and technique. This will give you a few practice scoops and swoops to make sure your form is on point before the RF gets too soft and you lose your concentration. Get the flow going and as the RF warms you’ll be able to get more and more hair.

These are just the first few things that jump to mind. If you’d like me to critique your work, please send a video to [email protected] and I’ll be happy to review for you.

RF will pick up powder off your skin; it does not create a barrier to prevent melting. It's also perfect for removing old adhesive from band-aids and hormone patches.

Gloves are great for cleaning up quickly once you’re finished using the RF. However, they are not insulating against hand or body heat. They can hinder proper technique, as well. I often see people using gloves that are too big for them. When they use RF with gloves that are too big, the tips of the glove gets tangled with the RF, they end up with nitrile trails in their Scoop, and then the angle is not correct for the Swoop.

See how it all fits together? 

You can do this. You're gonna have to practice, though.

So try again, watch the videos, and let me know how it all progresses.

Talk to you soon - 
JMS

PS - Remember that RF is water soluble. This is perfect because it's super easy to clean up, but a shortcoming because it also makes it subject to dilution when sweat mixes with it. Dilution + warm hands = big melty mess.