MOOM Hair Removal Kit with Tea Tree Oil (Classic) Review
I Did It! At-Home Waxing!
MOOM Hair Removal Kit with Tea Tree Oil (Classic) ($19.95) is a sugar-based hair removal system. According to MOOM, the creator brought “sugar, chamomile, lemon juice, water, and tea tree oil” together to create the system. It’s supposed to contain certified organic chamomile, lemon juice, tea tree oil, sugar; and then water. The idea behind MOOM was to combine the benefits of waxing and sugaring without any drawbacks.
Since moving, I had to give up my previous wax therapist. I’ve tried waxing at a local spa here, which was rather expensive, and it was the most painful waxing experience I’ve ever had. It’s amazing how important it is to have a good experience; even if painful, a good therapist will help you through it, whether by helping you time your breathing, applying pressure, etc. I had painful bruising that lasted for four days. I’ve used two therapists (both were excellent) prior to the bad experience, so luckily, I didn’t swear off of waxing–but I might have if my more recent experience was my first.
I decided to do something I didn’t think I’d ever attempt again: at-home bikini waxing. The last time I attempted this, it ended with me on the floor–crying–trying to remove all the wax and feeling like there was no hope for removal. It was rather traumatic at the time, LOL! I looked on Amazon for highly reviewed hair removal products, and I ended up purchasing MOOM (4/5 stars, 320 reviews, Prime shipping, and $13.33!).
I wasn’t expecting to write a review, but I was so impressed by the product that I felt compelled to share! The kit contained 6 oz. of the hair remover, 18 washable/reusable fabric strips, and 4 wooden applicators (two small, two large). It actually wasn’t very painful. It’s not something that feels good, but it’s more than tolerable and doesn’t persist. I was surprised at how little pain there was. What impressed me more was that the remover was truly water soluble and while sticky like honey, it completely dissolved in seconds under water. The fabric strips really are reusable, too, as the remover dissolves and dislodges from the fabric, along with any hair.
The removal process is very much like waxing. You heat up the jar in 10-second increments until it’s warm but not hot–and it actually holds temperature well, as I didn’t need to reheat it during the time I was using it (about a half hour). Then, you use the wooden spatula to spread a thin layer across the area, spreading in the direction of the hair growth. Next, press the fabric strip over the area and smooth it over a few times. Finally, pull the fabric strip in the opposite direction of the hair growth.
I’m pleased to report soft, smooth, hair-free skin that’s neither red, irritated, or bruised. MOOM was exactly as described, and extremely impressive for someone who was rather nervous about doing it themselves! I’m over the moon that the fabric strips are reusable, because those are often the most costly part of at-home waxing. I used about half the jar for this go-round, which would be 3 oz., but it was my first try, so I might be more efficient next time 🙂 You can purchase 12 oz. jars of MOOM for $19.95 (MSRP). Compared to a $75 wax at the salon, ~$5 each time is a total steal.
You can get the fabric strips at places like Sally Beauty in bulk for fairly cheap. Also, orange sticks (the wooden cuticle pushers) make fantastic wax applicators! When you’re pulling the wax/fabric, make sure you pull your skin taut the opposite way from where you’re waxing to ease some of the pain. 🙂
Thanks for the honest review on a sensitive (no pun intended) topic. I’m scared to death of going for a professional wax so I’ll take MOOM into consideration.
Let me know if you give it a try 🙂
My first waxing experience was too painful. I really believe the waxing lady was sadistic or something, since I was close to tears all the time. My pores bled and my legs were bruised for over a week. I never tried waxing again :/
OH NO! That is awful 🙁
Have you tried Persian Cold Wax? They sell it here in Canada pretty much everywhere, and while it’s not organic, it has pretty much all the properties you’ve described (including dissolving in water almost instantly). Might do in a pinch if you don’t have any MOOM on hand or want a budget alternative. 🙂
I haven’t heard of it! I will definitely look into it!
So glad you posted this. I trust your reviews completely and now I Can try this on my own. THANK YOU!
Aw, thanks, Jennifer!
Christine, I think you’re steering me towards MOOM with this review. It reminds me of NADS, an all-natural Australian product that was sold via infomercials. I tried NADS before, and I think I was just such a novice with waxing at the time that I couldn’t handle it. Now I’ve been using the Bliss At-Home Wax Strips, which have been effective, but any residual wax is a pain to clean up. Thanks for recommending this new option!
I couldn’t get over how easy the clean-up was. I was like, “Really? All gone? What?”
I do my own sugar wax at home, like in the hammams, it´s so easy to use and painless!
This one seems to be a good one for the lazy days…
Glad you found an effective, inexpensive, and relatively pain free product. I waxed for years and years having a really good technician in the city. When I moved out to the sticks, I was forced to find an alternative and that’s when I had a particularly bad experience and swore off waxing forever. I ended up having super short notice of a necessary trip with H and pulled an ad from the damn yellow pages in desperation since I hadn’t got around to doing any research since the move. So, I rushed over to the closest ‘spa’, had the wax done, drove home, threw my clothes in a suitcase, and it was a mad dash off to the airport. I had felt a lot of discomfort during the wax job.. the wax felt awfully hot to me and I mentioned it twice to the ‘technician’ who reassured me that everything was fine. I just wanted to get done and get the hell outta there. Anyhow.. imagine being on a plane with your privates on FIRE (Yes, NARS Fire Down Below always reminds me of this episode). I arrived at my destination with my pants stuck to me in ways which I can’t describe and once at my hotel, I had to gingerly and painfully peel off my pants along with I don’t know how many layers of skin which has blistered and was oozing!!! Blah blah blah.. you get the nasty picture. It was so horrible, painful, not to mention disgusting, and it took weeks to heal. I was super pissed!!!
When I got back home a week later, I decided to research a good laser technician and I paid a LOT of money to have hair eradicated from legs, bikini, underarms. What hairs have grown back in since then are barely noticeable and easily removed with a gentle hair remover. Laser I can highly recommended in the hands of a qualified technician.. but it’s wickedly expensive. For me, it was worth it.
Now, I know absolutely nothing about sugaring, or sugaring/waxing combined, but with a microwave involved, please, BE CAREFUL to not burn yourself. It may not feel like you are burning your skin at the time, just a touch too hot. They should provide a temperature in the instructions that it optimal for hair removal, but I’m guessing everyone’s skin is different. I think you could at least check the temperature of the paste with a thermometer since it is water soluble.. just sayin..
Ouch!! I thought about lasering, but the price holds me back – glad to hear it worked well for you, Wendy!
Is it possible to laser off aall the hair or just like the bikini liine? can you like laser a brazilian?
You can laser whatever parts you want — whether all hair everywhere on your torso, just the bikini line or a full Brazilian. Funny story: the last time I went in, about a year ago, the technician was telling me how the fastest growing group for laser hair treatments were men. And not just areas like the back. Guess where? Ballsy-wallsies! (In fact, a full Brazilian is quite popular for men too.) I personally don’t find the laser treatment painful but I can’t imagine the pain level for a man who isn’t used to waxing and when he’s having it done on parts of his genitalia. O_O
LoL
Anywhere you have hair, it’s safe to laser. I found lasering to be completely tolerable even in the most sensitive areas. There was only one area where I felt I could possibly carry on like Steve Carell.. the tendon between your pelvis and your leg. Yeowch! !! The rest was easy for me. A lot has to do with your pain threshold. Some people are just more sensitive. The girls told me the guys were the worst.
Interesting. Do you have any opinions on traditional wax vs. sugar/water soluble waxes? Have you tried both and found them to be equally effective/not effective?
I’ve tried sugar based waxes twice (long time ago don’t remember what kind) and they never seemed to remove hair well for me. It was terrible; it pulled and ripped at my skin without even the benefit of removing hair.
I gave up on waxing till I tried non-soluble wax and found it did the job. Since then if I wax at all I’ve only done it with the kind of wax that requires oil to remove.
I’ve done hard wax at Stript Wax bar, and then hard wax at European Wax Center. I’m not sure what the place used last time, but I believe it was hard wax as well. However, none of them needed oil post-removal to remove that I can remember!
It was as easy/about as painful as both hard waxes for me – perhaps a little less painful but not significantly lower.
Oh the oil was just to remove any stray bits of wax that didn’t get picked up with the strip, it’s not necessary if I did a clean pull and got all the wax.
Also, do the reusable strips have finished edges on them so they wont fray when washed? I agree that the most expensive thing about waxing was having to keep on buying more strips to use!
I don’t think they’re finished, because I did see some threads.
my first waxing experience was HORRIBLE.
the therapist was extremely rough and wasn’t properly trained i suppose.
it left my skin red and slightly bumpy for about 2 weeks after:(
then i went to another waxing salon and i’m glad to say, SHE IS SOOO MUCH BETTER!!
but the price is of course, higher. might look into trying MOOM because of that.
thanks christine!:)
Sorry if this question is TMI or inappropriate, but…how DO you wax your bikini area by yourself? Would I have to sit in front of a mirror…? I just feel like I’d have a really hard time positioning myself and being able to see what I’m doing. Any insight, from anyone who’s not made uncomfortable by this question, is appreciated. 🙂
Also, are there any specific precautions you have to take to make sure everything is sanitary and avoid infection? I’ve only ever been waxed in spas, never at home on my own, so I don’t know. Thanks!
I just stood and was able to crane my neck enough to do about 95% of the job – it’s not nearly as quick or as neat as when someone else has done it, but for my first time, I think I did okay, lol!
Good to know, thanks Christine!
Watch this, she explains very thoroughly! HAha, I was curious too =D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsNkWU5w5k8&feature=plcp
That was very informative, thanks for sharing! Maybe I will be brave and give it a try. 🙂
Good to hear it was a success! I’m a bit traumatised by DIY waxing…
Hm. I’m not sure even a rave review from you will make me risk sugar/soluble waxes. I grew up doing traditional waxes so I don’t usually have issues the method or the pain factor, but some years back, when it was first big and much talked about, I tried NADS. OH.MY.BLEEPING.GOD!!!!!!!!!!! One of the most physically painful, utterly useless experiences ever. It was so bad, I gave up on all waxing, period. Now, I stick to shaving but, one of these days, when I get the money, I will get the laser treatment on my body. I’ve done it on the face and it’s extremely effective, though it took me a number of visits.
Hi, could you tell me how many sitting did you have for you laser hair removal? i have had 8, its effective in some areas on my face but not all..
Hi XYXL, I did about 8, I think. After 5, a large majority was gone but there were some stubborn hairs. The real problem were the super fine hairs, almost like baby hairs. So, after the 5th session, they told me to order some liquid spray thing from a Florida site and to use it daily for 4 weeks. The problem was that the hairs were too fine and not coarse enough to properly absorb the laser light, so the spray solved that problem. I still get an occasional few hairs, here or there, but that is solely because (as they’ve explained it) new cells grow, creating new follicles. But it’s hardly anything as compared to before. I have jet black hair and olive skin which makes a difference (according to what I hear) in helps in increasing the chances of almost permanent hair removal.
What is your colouring? If your hair is very fine and/or light-coloured, *and/or* if your skin colouring is very light, then you may want to get that spray (whose name I can dig up for you if you’re interested) to help make the hairs more susceptible to absorbing the rays. Oh, and it makes a BIG diff. what sort of laser they use!! There are around 4 diff. types, if I recall correctly. Success rate depends on using the right kind of laser for your hair/skin colouring but some are much more effective than others. I think they used the Diode laser on me, not the Ruby, Alexandrine (?) or the other one with a weird initials. Was your treatment recent and with the newest laser type? If not, that is another factor which may explain why your treatment wasn’t wholly effective. I hope that helps but feel free to ask away if you have more questions. 🙂
I would love the name of that spray! Thanks in advance 🙂
It’s called Meladine. It’s intended for people with blonde, grey or white hair, as well as anyone who has very fine hair. “Meladine™, the only patented natural melanin enhancer, is used to increase pigment in non-pigmented hair follicles for treatment by laser hair removal.” I was given this site from which to buy it: http://www.sunrisemedicalsupplies.com/pre-treatment-supplies/meladine-natural-melanin-enhancer I think the prices there are cheaper than other places, like Amazon, which sells it via a 3rd party seller for much, much more. Also, if any Temptalia readers outside the US are interested in it, I found a UK site that sells it overseas when I was googling for the link, so it’s not hard to get. Actually, that UK site is pretty helpful for the FAQ, product details, application and usage information for Meladine, so here it is as well: http://www.so-smooth.co.uk/meladine-281-p.asp Hope that helps. 🙂
thanx to my Indian roots and PCOS i am super hairy. I’m surprised waxing is that expensive in the west.i spend about less than $30 for a whole body hot wax with cotton strips including bikini and Brazilian once a month.i have 2 therapists do it together so I’m done in 40 mins.
Brazilian is $60-75 + 20% tip here!
Wow …..
MOOM is the best! I, too, researched when I decided to make the leap to DIY waxing and settled on MOOM, and I haven’t looked back since. Easy to work with, and pain has definitely gotten less and less the more I do it. So much so that I even do my own Brazilian. Yes — you heard that right, lol!
P.S. While the reusable fabric strips worked fine, I found ones that worked even better: http://parissa.com/catalog/product/epilation-strips-large
did you do a brazilian or just the sides?? i am interested in trying but last time i tried, i bled so badly 🙁
I did a Brazilian 🙂
OK, I bow before you! I am very brave and have a high pain tolerance, but Brazilians just slay me. Due to cost and the whole, well, someone all up in my business during the process, I’ve considered going DIY. I will certainly try the MOOM + watch the video someone recommends downthread. Thanks for all you do!
I’m of Greek descent, and I have come to terms with my body hair. No amount of pain, no matter how little, is worth it when it comes to certain body parts. I use an epilator on my legs (below the knee), but everywhere else I just shave.
I tried an “at-home” wax *many* years ago, on my bikini line, and needless to say, only one side got done. I’ve also tried NADS, and though not painful, not one hair was actually removed. I even ordered 2X, thinking I got a “dud”, and my mom haad the same experience with her order as well.
I think I got the same NADS deal you did: 2 boxes. And not ONE hair was removed. Not one.
The thing is, they were all *separate* orders! I only tried them on my “stache”, which is pretty fine, and *nothing*!
I’m in the process of removing my bikini hair with laser because I’m very sensitive when it comes to waxing that place.
But I wasn’t told how really painful laser hair removal can be! Yeow!
Sometimes I wish I could go back to wax… but I hope this will be the end of the bikini hair!
Anyhow, this seems very interesting. I’ll definitely consider using this wax for my legs.
Thanks for sharing!
Tip: If you still use traditional wax,MAC fix+ will remove wax residue very well!
I’m so excited to try this out! Being in school, you need to save as much as money as you can! Would this still be okay to use even though I honestly have NO IDEA what i’m doing?
It’s not hard, and because it washes off with water, if you find that you just can’t get it… you can easily remove the sticky stuff, LOL!
You don’t need to buy a kit. I make my own sugar wax on the stove. In a heavy duty saucepan, add 2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil stirring frequently, it must be watched carefully because sugar can burn quickly. Adjust heat as needed and cook mixture until it is the color of honey. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. I store mine in a wide mouth Mason jar. I cut up some of DD’s old cloth diapers into strips that work beautifully. I launder them and reuse them. This is soooo much better than traditional wax. I actually have a scar on my leg where I got some wax on too thickly and couldn’t get even any oil to break it down so I actually scrubbed a raw spot on my leg that left an ugly scar. Sugar wax is wonderful!
I just ordered this, it should be here on Friday! Lol, Amazon is probably wondering why this product is selling so fast today. I follow MOOM on Twitter, but I’ve never tried their products. For shame!
I hope this works, as I’ve been plucking my bikini area. Yes, PLUCKING… It was the only way I could prevent ingrowns, as shaving and my own waxing attempts did nothing but cause and irritate them. Even if it takes me twice as long as you, it still won’t be as long and arduous as it has been!! XD
ohhh this sounds so much cleaner and easier than the surgi brazilian wax though that, once you get the hang of it, is pretty nice and quite affordable too (:
That’s the stuff I use, the surgi wax (no strips) and I find it’s far easier than MOOM
I have a fantastic esthetician who does all my waxing, but I’m probably going to start doing laser treatments at least on my face and underarms. I have dark hair and pale skin, and my hair is relatively coarse, so I’m like the ideal candidate for it. But I have to admit, I love my esthetician, and I feel guilty taking away a source of income because I’m one of her regulars and she’s getting married and…oy. 😛
Do it. You won’t regret it, I’ve had it done on various parts of my body and the results are amazing. Because my hair is coarse even with waxing it made regrowth a pain. Ingrown hairs (no matter how much you exfoliate) etc.
Ok. I might be willing to try this. Although , I tried an at home wax kit on my face, and I burned my face ( yes , I know this is a different body part ). Now to get enough courage to wax another part of my body thats not my eyebrows …
I’m terrified of waxing my own brows! You can’t make mistakes there or else everyone will know, lol! I prefer tweezing but waxing is good if you haven’t figured out your shape yet!
I LOVE this stuff! It’s the only at-home hair removal product that has worked on me. I usually put an ice pack over the cloth strip to help it “dry” a little faster (and it numbs the area before I rip the hair out!)
I have to say I don’t like Moom. It doesn’t get rid of finer hair and fuzz. For that I prefer Anastasia’s hard wax kits.
It IS much more gentle on the skin than hard wax (or normal strip wax) for that reason-it doesn’t remove all the hair.
Oops-Anastasia’s wax kits are the strip wax kits, the hard wax kit I got from shoppers drug mart. I’m tired today
I know this review was posted some time ago, but I stumbled upon it, decided to purchase this, and now I am wondering–is there a way to disinfect the strips before re-using them?
You should be able to wash them!