What is “sugar waxing”? Dangerous TikTok trend leaves teen scarred for life

❘ Published: 2024-04-19T04:30:13

Allison Boles at the hospital after receiving 2nd-degree burns, as seen on the right hand side.

Facebook: Natalie Renken

A mom is warning others about the dangers of the DIY “sugar waxing” trend on TikTok after her teenage daughter was left with a “significant” 2nd degree burn.

A new cosmetic trend has taken over TikTok, teaching users to save money at the salon by cooking up their own sugar wax at home.

Sugar waxing, also known as sugaring, refers to a method of hair removal that has been used since 1900 BC. It involves making a paste of sugar, lemon, and water before applying it while heated to unwanted hair. The paste is then quickly removed, taking the hair with it. That’s how it’s designed to work, on paper at least.

According to reports online, the process is supposed to be less painful than regular waxing and won’t cause as much irritation… but Iowa mom Natalie Renken would disagree.

Iowa daughter left with 2nd degree burns

Allison Boles was left with 2nd-degree burns after participating in the TikTok trend.

Renken’s 17-year-old daughter had to be rushed to the emergency room after suffering 2nd-degree burns while making sugar wax, leaving her with a blister “bigger than her thumb.”

Taking to Facebook, Renken issued a warning on the unseen dangers that many TikTokers have failed to mention in their sugar waxing tutorials.

“If your child comes to you [and] says ‘I’m going to make sugar wax,’ caution them against it. The ER doctor said that those videos are not giving the disclaimer that when you reheat the wax, it’s uneven, and then when you stir it, there’s a reaction between the hot and cold elements to this homemade wax,” Renken explained.

“That is what happened here. She stirred it and it POPPED on her thumb [causing] a significant 2nd-degree burn that will take weekly trips to the burn clinic [and] months to heal.”

The sugar wax burned off skin from Boles’ hand.

The blister popped by itself overnight, with the burn reportedly taking four weeks to heal. As per the New York Post, Renken claimed her daughter now feels “deceived” by the TikTok videos on her For You page advertising sugar waxing.

“I think with every DIY project video [on TikTok] there should be some parental consent or age recommendations on the video just like there are on toys,” she said.