I am going to start this post about wax play backwards; starting with cleanup and working back to the beginning. There is a very very very very important reason for this.
The wax gets fucking everywhere, and to emphasize EVERYFUCKINGWHERE!
Clean Up
Seriously you want a high thread count quality large piece of cloth that you really don’t care about if you want to safeguard your floor/carpet/sofa/bed.
UPDATE: I don’t have a set of these myself but many people I trust do Sheets of San Francisco
I hope that if your take nothing else away from this (really I hope you take lots away) it is that wax play is exceedingly messy, so make like a Boy (whatever your gender identification) Scout and “Be Prepared” because not only does the application have the potential for disaster, but then you’ve got to do something with the wax that you have splattered/poured/dripped/tortured on your partner. Now the type of candle you use will impact many things and cleanup is prime among them. We have found that if we want removal to go easier using a massage candle first and working that oil in prior to wax play makes removal a snap, but you will definitely want to shower when you have played to your hearts content before gathering up all the wax on your drop sheet and taking it out to the trash to clear it off for the next use. Soy candles offer many advantages but are actually messier upon removal because the wax tends to crumble when you try to peel it off. I suggest a scraper (old credit card, Blockbuster video card, etc ) since the wax has a tendency to stick to your fingers as well as the body parts you are trying to clean off. Paraffin candle wax comes off very cleanly and in large easy to manage chunks (body hair can complicate this) and doesn’t turn into wax dust. For me personally I always like to use a knife since that extends the play a bit longer and makes clean up into a sexually charged event of its own. Please, if you use a knife be extremely careful and of course always have prior and enthusiastic consent.
Application
So you have spread that drop cloth over everything you care about, right?
Some (should be) obvious things first, keep hot wax away from the face, eyes and hair (yes wax in pubes might mean a new look) and of course there is the fact that you will literally play with fire, so have a small bucket of water handy just in case thing go wrong. You should always test your candles on yourself before trying them on someone else so you have an idea how hot the wax is at various heights.
With your victim in place and safety checked you can light one candle and hold it so that the wax begins to pool at the top. The longer you wait for the top of the candle to melt the more wax you will have to drip. Start with the candle well above their body since that means the wax will have time to cool before making contact with the skin. Be aware that greater height=greater splatter so be ready. As you determine their reaction to the wax you can begin to lower the candle slowly always being careful not to drip too much wax at once until you know how they will react to it. Then decorate at will!
Preparation
Once you have decided to embark on your journey into the hot sexy world of wax play you will need to get yourself some supplies, have I mentioned anything about a sheet yet? And what would wax play be without some candles.
Buying candles is an important process, I know you have candles laying around your home that you think will be just fine, but the short answer is probably not, at least not to start with. I highly recommend that you start out with some soy based candles either from Bondageman or KinkCraft or KandlesbyKitten if you are in the UK or Agreeable Agony if you are US based.
The reason I suggest these candles is that they are very low temperature when compared to Paraffin candles and a much safer starting point. Soy or Soy/Paraffin mix candles melt at around 125°F/54°C whereas White Paraffin ranges 46°C and 68 °C (115 and 154 °F) and solid color/glitter candles can run much hotter and even leave significant burns if not very carefully applied.
A note of warning
Pure Beeswax does indeed have a low melting point but almost all commercially available beeswax candles have hardeners added which raises the melting point to a dangerous level and any candles labeled smoke-less or drip-less are a definite no-no
Oddly we have found that the candles that melt at the temperature that Molly likes best are the candles we buy at the local hardware store, the colors aren’t pretty for photos but she does loooooove how they feel and peel.
So there you have it… most of what I know about wax. Did I miss any major points? Do you have any suggestions or tips you have learned that I didn’t cover? Tell me in the comment thingy at the bottom… under the sheet…
Michael
P.S. Do you have that sheet yet?
P.P.S. By the way, never buy a sealing wax kit for sealing envelopes with a seal with your initial because, as it turns out, it isn’t wax at all, but plastic that will catch on fire!