Does Hair Removal Equal Better Sex?

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Let’s first start off by stating that there is SO MUCH INFO on this topic. Somewhat controversial? Yes. Super interesting? VERY.

And so it begins.

Is there a correlation between lack of hair (ahem–down there) and better sex? Turns out, the answer might be a big, fat YUP. So why might this be? Here are a few reasons we may feel sexier, bare:

  1. Your bare parts feel sexier against panties and briefs.
  2. No hair means more direct skin sensation.
  3. Your partner, while down there, has an easier time finding the goods.
  4. Your nether-regions stay cooler and less sweaty.
  5. Lack of hair helps to lessen odor.
  6. Women feel more secure in bikinis without having to worry about stray and visible hair.

“In a study of 2,453 adult women in the US – that pubic hair removal was associated with more positive scores on the Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSIS) and also more positive female sexual function as measured by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). In particular, women who sometimes removed all of their hair (went “bare”) tended to have higher scores even after controlling for things like younger age which are known to be linked to positive sexual function.” –Psychology Today (1)

And women aren’t the only ones to love the look and feel of a hairless vagina:

“Data revealed that a huge 46% of men prefer women to go completely bare, 30% like it neatly trimmed and 12% favour a landing strip…only 6% prefer a natural look.” –Independent Magazine (2)

It’s more common for women to talk about body hair removal than men, but men love do it too. In an article by Cosmopolitan Magazine titled 4 Twentysomething Men Explain Why They Shave Their Pubic Hair, one man said “”It makes you feel more like Ken, even if you don’t have the sports car or the dream house.” (3)

To read the full article (which is AWESOME), click on the link above or below that refers to it.

There’s also a theory that supports the correlation between no hair and better sex. It’s called The Naked Love Theory, and it talks about hairlessness from an evolutionary perspective. Interested? You can read all about it HERE.

Bottom line? Bare is sexy, and it’s about time we all felt sexier. To book an appointment today, visit our website and choose a location close to you.

Dare to be (completely) bare, friends! xo

References

(1) https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-pleasures-sex/201203/what-pubic-hair-its-removal-has-do-better-sex

(2) https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/female-pubic-hair-male-opinion-women-body-relationship-split-deal-breaker-a7705861.html

(3) https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a61408/why-men-shave-their-pubic-hair/

 

 

5 Ways to Love Yourself Better

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Hey, friends! This week on the Sugar’d blog: the importance of self-love. Do you practice it? If not, we strongly suggest you consider it.

Here are 5 ways to love yourself better:

Take Time for Yourself

Truth, guys. Honestly, it’s like the flight attendants say: you need to place the oxygen mask over your own face first, otherwise you won’t be helping anybody.

When we take the time to care for ourselves, we’re in a better mental and emotional position to care for others. When you can love yourself, that love extends to your love for others. You have to understand love to give love.

Right?

Pamper Your Body and Brain

Obviously, our minds and bodies need some love. They can’t be expected to be run ragged all the time—that’s not fair, and eventually, those practices catch up to us in the form of chronic stress, panic attacks, ill health, and more.

Curb those illnesses and diseases by allowing yourself to mindfully notice what you need, and then give it to yourself—because honestly? No one else will.

This includes eating food that nourishes you, exercising your body, and resting when you need it.

Sloooow Doooown

During this major time of technological advancement that includes constant access to anything we could ever want all the time, we forget to slow down and unplug. Practicing self-love can include limiting screen time, setting your iPhone down and walking away, making a conscious choice to turn the television off, and power down our brains.

Your brain needs a rest! Hook it up!

Set a Good Example

By giving yourself a few moments to meditate in the afternoon, or take a long bath before bed, or make yourself a healthy meal, you convey care and kindness—and your friends and family will take note.

We give our children time outs when they are stressed; why not forgo the wine and give yourself one? When they’re tired, we make them nap. Why not skip the coffee and lay down for awhile?

By loving ourselves the way we love our children, they’ll notice and become more open to practicing self-love for themselves.

Know that You Deserve It

Your body works hard for you. Like, so hard. Every inch of your beautiful self gives its all to you every damn day. Right? So give it some love back! Stop being so hard on yourself and start recognizing every little thing that your body does for you on a daily basis.

Bottom line is that you deserve to be cared for, and no one will do it better than yourself.

Why?

Because you know what you need without having to try and figure it out. And you should be your own number one priority! After all, if you didn’t exist, nothing else would for you, either. Staying well and happy is imperative to living a long, healthy life.

The choice is yours, and it begins with self-love.

And if self-love includes a monthly trip to Sugar’d, we’d be more than happy to help you with that! Contact us to book and appointment, and if you need other ideas to help you with your new quest for self-love, just ask.

 

Sugaring for Everybody!

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At Sugar’d, we thrive on promoting a healthy body image for all our clients: we need to stick together and lift each other up, whether we identify as male or female, and regardless of our weight, skin colour and ethnic backgrounds.

We’re all the same—we just want to feel comfortable and happy at the beach in a bathing suit this summer, right?

If you hadn’t already noticed, Sugar’d has 4 locations, and each location is owned and operated by women who look very different from one another. We take pride in our diverse appearances, and so should you!

While other hair removal businesses advertise what the media depicts as ‘ideal bodies’ in tight bikinis, we want to be true to ourselves and realistic—we all come in different shapes and sizes, and it doesn’t matter what we look like, where we’ve been, or where we’re going—we want your hair removal experiences to be comfortable (silly, even!), professional, and performed by someone who knows that people don’t come in a standard, uniform shape.

(You know, regular humans.)

More than recognizing that we’re all unique and that’s what makes us all interesting and amazing people, we also strive to poke a little fun at the idea of hair removal in general.

We provide Muff Wipes at the time of your sugaring appointment so you can freshen up beforehand should you choose to do so, and tiny, squishy beavers to grip and squish during your appointment in case the hurt gets to be a little much. (Like around the time of menstruation.)

We also sing to you if you need a silly song. (Just joking—but if you asked, we’d probably do it.)

Bottom line? Hair removal should be as pleasant and comfortable as possible, and we want to make that happen for you. We don’t bat an eye over gender, weight, hair growth, age, race, or anything else.

We remove hair for a living. From private parts. You don’t scare us, and we promise not to scare YOU. So don’t beat around the bush (get it?)—call the location nearest you today to book your sugaring appointment.

Dare to be bare, friends!

It’s liberating, and we’ll help you feel your best by doing our best at making you feel comfortable and at home here.

See you soon, and happy June!

Sugar’d and International Women’s Day

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March 8th is International Women’s Day, and we want to celebrate our female friends, family, and colleagues!

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, by women. The day also marks an incredibly important call to action for accelerating gender equality, which is a topic that has received a lot of media attention as of late.

HERstory

International Women’s Day (IWD) has been observed since the early 1900’s. This decade was a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw incredible population growth and the rise of radical, new, ideas.

No single government, NGO, charity, corporation, academic institution, women’s network or media hub is primarily responsible for this globally recognized day. Many organizations declare an annual IWD theme that supports their specific agenda or cause, and some of these are adopted more widely with relevance than others:

“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” –Gloria Steinem

Thus, International Women’s Day is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action. And one thing is for sure: International Women’s Day has been celebrated for well over a hundred years and continues to grow larger and stronger with each passing year.

How Sugar’d is Celebrating

Sugar’d is completely invested in supporting local women in business:

  • We employ exclusively women.
  • We carry products created by women.
  • We are helping to raise awareness of the importance of healthy female body image, one blog post at a time.

Also, we’ll be donating 10% of our Abbotsford location’s proceeds on Thursday, March 8th to SARA for Women. (Read about this incredible organization HERE.)

How will YOU celebrate International Women’s Day this week? Let us know by leaving a comment on this blog post, below.

Happy International Women’s Day!

5 Reasons to Practice Self-Care

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Hey, friends! This week on the Sugar’d blog: the importance of self-care. Do you practice it? If not, you should consider it. Here are 5 reasons why self-care leads to a happier life:

You Can Better Care for Others When You Care for Yourself

Truth, guys. Honestly, it’s like the flight attendants say: you need to place the oxygen mask over your own face first, otherwise you won’t be helping anybody.

When we take the time to care for ourselves, we’re in a better mental and emotional position to care for others.

You’ll Set a Good Example

By giving yourself a few moments to meditate in the afternoon, or take a long bath before bed, or make yourself a healthy meal, you convey care and kindness—and your friends and family will take note.

We give our children time outs when they are stressed; why not forgo the wine and give yourself one? When they’re tired, we make them nap. Why not skip the coffee and lay down for awhile?

By helping ourselves the way we help our children, they’ll notice and become more open to practicing self-care for themselves.

Your Mind and Body Will Benefit

Obviously, our minds and bodies need some love. They can’t be expected to be run ragged all the time—that’s not fair, and eventually, those practices catch up to us in the form of chronic stress, panic attacks, ill health, and more.

Curb those illnesses and diseases by allowing yourself to mindfully notice what you need, and then give it to yourself—because honestly? No one else will.

We Don’t Slow Down Enough

During this major time of technological advancement that includes constant access to anything we could ever want all the time, we forget to slow down and unplug. Practicing self-care can include limiting screen time, setting your iPhone down and walking away, making a conscious choice to turn the television off, and power down our brains.

Your brain needs a rest! Hook it up!

C’mon—You Deserve It

Bottom line is that you deserve to be cared for, and no one will do it better than yourself. Why? Because you know what you need without having to try and figure it out. And you should be your own number one priority! After all, if you didn’t exist, nothing else would for you, either. Staying well and happy is imperative to living a long, healthy life.

The choice is yours, and it begins with self-care.

And if self-care includes a monthly trip to Sugar’d, we’d be more than happy to help you with that! Contact us to book and appointment, and if you need other ideas to help you with your new quest for self-care, just ask.

 

 

 

Simple Ways to Improve Your Body Image

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At Sugar’d, we see people in an intimate setting—especially if they’re having bikini and brazilian treatments. It’s natural to feel insecure when another person sees you in a literally naked state, where everything is laid on the table. If you have a negative body image, attending these appointments can be stressful; we totally get it.

We have women who ask us if their vaginas are too fat. Seriously. Or people who want to know if they’re too hairy or overweight or underweight or smell bad.

Friends: we get body image issues—we all have them to some extent. But it’s time to give ourselves—and our bodies—a little well-deserved love. Here’s how:

Avoid Negative Media

What we choose to spend our time reading or viewing has a huge impact on how we feel about ourselves. Because of this, we should all be very particular about the magazines, websites, and television programs we choose to absorb.

Fashion and gossip media are awful—if you’re trying to improve your body image, it’s important to avoid TV programs that are blatantly image-focused. Also, try to avoid ads.

Alternatively, consciously seek out media that reinforces positive self-image. Gravitate towards travel, wellness and entrepreneurial media and magazines.

Choose Where You Shop for Clothing Wisely

Clothing stores that depict ultra-skinny mannequins and cater to those who fall between a size double zero and size 6 are straight-up depressing. (What even is a double zero, anyway?! Who started this weird size?)

Places like these are total insecurity dens. Everything is designed to make you feel dirty and inadequate—and it’s a highly successful form of manipulation.

When we feel inferior, we are much more pliable to the whispering suggestions of display windows. Shopping centres aren’t only taking your money, they can also be places where positive self-esteem goes to curl up and die.

Instead, shop where you feel good, and where the overall vibe isn’t depressing or straight-up ridiculous. Also, instil this practice amongst your children—because clothing stores that cater to today’s adolescents are the absolute worst.

Avoid Materialistic Conversations about Appearance

Whenever someone starts to talk about the way they look in a disparaging way, most of us will inadvertently internalize it. Getting stuck in a conversation about the way someone else looks, whether they have put on weight and so on, inevitably leads to thoughts on our own appearance.

This can be unhelpful if we’re trying to feel better about ourselves.

Treat Your Body Gently and with Respect

When’s the last time you treated yourself to a facial at a spa? Or your partner gave you a shoulder rub? Or the last time someone gave you a tight squeeze?

Touch is an incredibly powerful way of reinforcing the way you feel about your body. And if you’re touched gently, with love and care, you’ll feel good. So, try to practice gentle love and care with yourself.

Treat yourself to a facial. Give yourself a massage when you’re applying moisturizer. It feels good, and it reinforces a positive, kind relationship with your body. Thank your body for working for you.

Meditate and Try Yoga

Meditation is an incredibly effective tool for clearing away unhelpful thought cycles. Thirty minutes. Five minutes. One.

Whatever.

Just sit, close your eyes and breathe. If you want, you can inhale and exhale a body acceptance affirmation such as “I love and accept my body exactly as it is.”

This is where yoga comes in.

Yoga helps to increase positive body image, through its positive spiritual teachings. It’s a common misconception that everyone who goes to yoga has a tight body and cute yoga gear. Yoga is a practice that celebrates every body, and often includes some sort of meditative and affirmative moment.

Also, yoga is a very community oriented practice, and you might meet new friends that are striving to attain healthier body images, as well.

Treat Food as Fuel and Eat Mindfully

Thinking of food as fuel for your body means being mindful of the nutrients that your body requires to function. It means eating plenty of good-quality food and ditching crappy foods that compromise our digestive health, our hormonal balance, our mood and energy levels.

Equally important is finding the ability to move past the binge-fast guilt cycle. If you eat something unhealthy, don’t punish yourself or try to restrict caloric intake. Healthy eating and body respect is not about food deprivation—it’s about food celebration.

Remember: moderation is key.

Turn Negative Thoughts into Positive Ones

When you look in the mirror, try to replace any negative thoughts about your body image that pop up with an affirming thought about the way you look or feel. Replace a disapproving scowl with a confident smile. Instead of thinking “I wish I could lose ten pounds,” think “I’m grateful for this functioning body that allows me to live my life.”

Create Purpose

People who have purpose are too busy getting stuff done to worry about how they look. In the end, creative expression, passionate parenting, and effective leadership are far more satisfying than making sure your butt looks good in your new jeans.

The bottom line? Positive body image is a habit, not an attribute. None of us always feel great about every aspect of the way we look, but if you’re having a day where you’re feeling less than confident, try pulling your shoulders back, holding your head up high, and friends?

Fake it ‘til you make it. You’ll get there.

 

Let’s Talk Body Image

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Let’s face it: we (as in the majority of North America) are a society that places incredible emphasis on what the general population deems to be beautiful. We’ve chosen a certain type of body that we feel is aesthetically pleasing, and then placed that body image on a pedestal so high that all we can do it stare up at it in awe, and know we’ll never reach it or even come close.

What is that doing to us? What is that doing to our children? To our self-esteem and priorities and evaluation skills?

Everywhere we look, we’re marketed to on the topic of beauty. We buy makeup and hair product and clothing that we feel inches us closer to the body image that’s pushed in our faces.

We purchase gym memberships and fat-free food and acne medications.

All for the sake of making ourselves appear more in line with what our neighbours and friends and family are telling us is perfect—a description that doesn’t even make sense and is certainly not attainable. You lose before you begin. Trying to keep up with today’s conventional beauty standards is impossible and harmful.

The goal simply cannot be attained.

We know this, because models in magazines are airbrushed. They go to makeup and hair for four hours before they begin shooting their spreads, and when they’re done, they go workout for more hours so they can keep up the illusion of their perfect bodies.

Here’s the thing: unless we’re identical twins and share exactly the same DNA, none of us look the same. We’re different. And if we all looked the same, wouldn’t that be boring?

(Or creepy? Thinking Village of The Damned, here…)

Instead of teaching our kids to groom themselves a certain way, dress the way we dress, or adore images of “perfect” people, let’s give them the gift of diversity! We are a diverse species…wouldn’t it be simpler and more satisfying and interesting to just let everyone be themselves and look however they want to look?

Who cares if your hair isn’t as long as your best friend’s. Why does it matter if you have freckles or big thighs or small boobs or big feet? Do having these trivial differences make an actual difference in your quality of life?

Be proud of who you are, what you do, and how you conduct yourself. We can’t choose our genetics and we shouldn’t have to feel pressured to look a certain way. But we can choose other things, like how we treat people, how well we take care of ourselves, and what kind of friends we choose to associate with.

And we can choose to love our bodies because they work for us every single day. They deserve gratitude, not pressure! Work on developing a positive body image, not one that will create confusion. Life is confusing enough, already!

Here’s our advice: be you. It really is the only option, and once we all accept that diversity is a blessing and not intimidating, we can take a deep, collective breath and enjoy our lives just a little bit more. Be proud of you for you, and don’t try to live up to anyone else’s beauty standards but your own.

What do YOU find beautiful about people? If you really think about that question, we doubt anything cosmetic pops into your head, first.

Beauty is diverse—so be your diverse self.

And remember that if you like hair removal, that sugaring is for every body, not just one type. We promise.