Does waxing make the hair grow back softer?

There are almost as many myths and old wives' tales concerning hair and skin care as there are people to perpetuate them. It seems that everyone has their own personal beauty "secret" that has been handed down from generation to generation over the years. But how many of these beauty "secrets" have any merit to them? How many are just wishful thinking? 

Despite popular belief, shaving does not change the texture or growth rate of hair in any way. Hair properties are determined hormonally and through genetics, and no method of hair removal will change them. However, shaving does differ from waxing in that shaving cuts the hair right at the skin's surface rather than removing it completely. The hair that grows back after being removed with wax is a brand new hair with a naturally tapered end.

The hair that grows back after being shaved is the dull-edged cut hair that was only removed above the surface level of the skin. Because of this, the hair that grows back after waxing may feel softer and smoother to the touch than that removed by shaving even though it is not any different in texture than the pre-waxed hair. Another aspect that may make the new hair growth seem softer is the texture of the skin that it grows from. Waxing can make the skin feel softer.

When you wax an area of the body, you not only remove the hair but also the dead skin cells around it. This provides the added benefit of skin exfoliation along with the hair removal, and it makes the skin feel softer and smoother. This fact may lend to the illusion that the newly grown hair is softer after a waxing.

Hair removed by waxing may not grow back for two to eight weeks whereas hair removed by shaving generally returns within a few days. Thus, to keep the skin hairless, shaving must be done much more frequently than waxing. This provides more opportunities for the skin to become irritated and can result in the skin and new hair growth feeling much rougher to the touch. So, while waxing does not change the true texture of the hair in any way, there are many aspects that can make it appear that waxing makes hair grow back softer. The newly grown hair and surrounding skin can certainly feel much softer to the touch when the area was waxed instead of shaved.