An intimates expert has issued a warning against a dangerous TikTok trend which can cause burns and scarring on your private parts.
The social media platform has seen tons of users posting videos about “sugaring” – with many of the short clips going viral.
Sugaring is usually carried out by a professional in a salon and is a way of removing hair from the body.
Beauticians pull roots of the hair out with the use of a sugar gel which binds the hair together so it’s easier to remove.
However, many people have decided to try and do the technique themselves at home during the coronavirus lockdown while salons are closed.
When done correctly, sugaring can cause less irritation than traditional waxing or shaving. However one expert has warned that it could do more damage than good.
Stephanie Taylor, who is intimate health expert and managing director of Kegel8, said people should think twice before opting to try home beauty treatments while in lockdown.
She said: “Some women (and some men) have taken to waxing their legs and armpits using the sugaring technique, while others, are trying it out on their pubic hair too.”
The expert continued telling The Sun: “Sugaring, which involves mixing sugar and lemon with boiling water to create a sticky solution that will pull hair from the skin, can cause severe scolding to the sensitive skin in your intimate area if the temperature of the water is too hot when applied.
“This can leave you with painful burns, dangerous infections and irreversible scarring.”
TikTok has become a hotbed for life hacks during lockdown, with tags relating to sugaring, such as “sugaringwax” have gotten more than 30million views, as people try out the technique at home.
Stephanie said people have been making the wax with household products, such as sugar, lemon and water. However, she said they are very similar to a dangerous substance.
She added: “Very worryingly, the recipe is very similar to a homemade substance often used by prison inmates as a weapon, known colloquially as napalm. The mixture sticks to the skin and intensifies burns, leaving people with horrific injuries.
“This lockdown, I’d recommend leaving intimate waxing to the experts or buying an at-home kit from a recognised brand which come with tried and tested instructions to keep you safe.”
One TikTok users, called Mira, claims she’s been waxing her legs with a sugaring technique for years, and says the trick is to use an oiled surface.
She demonstrates the DIY beauty treatment on the social media site using her own ‘disgusting’ legs, which she says she hasn’t touched in a month due to her being in quarantine.
Explaining that she takes 64g of sugar and 32g of lemon juice and pours it into a saucepan, Mira said: “This is the way I grew up doing it.”
She added: “You mix it, when it turns caramel coloured, you put it on an oiled – and that’s the trick – and oiled surface.
“And then you take a little bit of water and you stretch it out as it’s cooling.
“Just to make sure it’s cool and stretchy, it should look something like this.
“Then make sure you have a wet rag, because you will need it to wipe your hands so the sugar doesn’t keep sticking to your hands.
“So you spread it on my disgusting leg, which as you can see, it’s been a month I’ve been in quarantine.”
Mira’s clip had been watched eight million times on TikTok, with people amazed by the home beauty hack.