# Hair care professionals: Is it safe to wax a head? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-care-professionals-is-it-safe-to-wax-a-head/212607 "2003-11-11T14:07:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-care-professionals-is-it-safe-to-wax-a-head/212607/1 "2003-11-11T14:07:26Z")
This is inspired by [another thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=222613). I’m bald and I shave my head. I don’t mind being bald, and I like the shape of my head, but I’m not very good about shaving as often as I would like. It takes a while, it’s hard to see the back side of the head and shaving cuts sting when I rinse. So I want to wax it. I want a clean, shiny, smooth head. Can I do it? Is it safe to wax the head? If it is safe, have you waxed someone’s head? How much or how little stubble should there be before waxing? ---
**Author:** ![Aankh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-care-professionals-is-it-safe-to-wax-a-head/212607/2 "2003-11-11T15:44:29Z")
IANAHaircare-professional, but I would not recommend waxing the head for the following reasons: 1. It will hurt like hell. If you’re thinking of waxing as an option to avoid the sting of a cut, dream on! In my experience, those parts of the body that have thicker hair (e.g. groin, pits) seem to hurt a heck of a lot more to wax than do areas with finer hair (e.g. arms). There’s a religious sect in India, the followers of which wrench their hair out manually twice a year or so. The process looks very, very painful. Really painful. Really, really painful. Did I mention it looked painful? 2. Generally speaking, repeated waxing tends to reduce hair-growth in the waxed areas, both in terms of density and thickness. I doubt if that’s a good thing for your head in the long-term. What if you decide you want to change your hairstyle and it turns out your growth is all patchy? Disaster! 3. Waxing is a messy process. Why? Because it involves things like wax and melted sugar. If you’re going to do your own head, I wish you luck with the back. 4. Never in my entire life, in all four countries that I have travelled to, in all the hair salons I have been to, have I ever seen a scalp wax service provided. There has to be a reason why not, don’t you think? ---
**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-care-professionals-is-it-safe-to-wax-a-head/212607/3 "2003-11-11T18:47:27Z")
I do think there has to be a reason more people don’t do it. I just want to hear what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-care-professionals-is-it-safe-to-wax-a-head/212607/4 "2003-11-11T19:03:59Z")
Wild guess: Most waxing that I’ve seen recommends something like a quarter-inch of stubble before you re-wax - in other words, significant hair growth. Women can wear thick nylons or pants to hide legs that are not-quite-stubbly-enough for waxing, but your head is another matter.