Sharonelle Soft Wax vs Hard Wax vs Roll-On: Which Wax to Use

By Edmond Lin, M1 Nail & Beauty Supply, Markham, Ontario. Last updated 8 October 2026. Product details are taken from the labels on our Sharonelle stock.

Sharonelle wax comes in three types. Soft wax, sold in cans, tins, a microwavable jar and roll-on cartridges, is spread thin and removed with a strip, which makes it the quick choice for legs, arms and backs. Strip-less hard wax is applied thick, sets on the skin and is lifted by hand, and salons usually keep it for the face, underarms and bikini line. Sharonelle is made in Toronto by The Canadian Wax Company, and the cans carry the line "Canada's Wax Since 1995". The company has no product website we could find, so this guide works from what is printed on the packaging.

The five Sharonelle wax formats at a glance

Sharonelle soft wax: can, tin or microwavable jar

The canned soft wax is the core of the range. The front of the can reads "Natural Depilatory Wax" and "low temperature melting wax", and a scale printed on the side runs from 40 to 90 °C and marks cold, ready and too hot. The 18 oz / 500 ml can is the tall metal can; the 14 oz / 400 g tin is wide and low with a plastic lid. Check which shape your wax heater takes before ordering.

Sharonelle Honey Microwavable Wax is the same kind of strip wax in a 16 oz / 473 ml plastic jar that can be heated in a microwave. It suits mobile technicians and rooms without a heater. Microwaved wax heats unevenly, so stir it and test the temperature every time.

Which Sharonelle soft wax version to pick

M1 stocks seven versions of the 18 oz can. The version name is printed on the lid, not on the side of the can, so check the lid when you restock. This is what the packaging tells you about each one:

• Honey: The standard all-purpose version and the best seller at M1. Also in the 14 oz tin, the microwavable jar and as a roll-on.
• Tea Tree: The tea tree version, second in sales at M1. Also in the 14 oz tin.
• Azulene: The only can labelled "for sensitive skin". Also sold as a roll-on.
• Milk Cream: Lid reads Milk Cream / Crème de Lait. A cream wax; also in the 14 oz tin.
• Pink Cream: Lid reads Pink Cream / Crème Rose. The pink cream wax.
• Zinc Oxide: The zinc oxide version.
• Lavender: Lid reads Lavender / Lavande.

Sharonelle does not print a skin-type chart, so beyond the "sensitive skin" label on Azulene we do not claim one version is gentler than another. What we can report is sales: at M1, over the 12 months to October 2026, Honey sold most, then Tea Tree, then Azulene.

What is in Sharonelle soft wax

The ingredient panel on the can lists colophony, rosin ester, liquid paraffin and aroma oil, and says the wax may contain D&C colour, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and mica. The roll-on cartridge lists colophony, ester gum and paraffinum liquidum, and may contain parfum, D&C colour and titanium dioxide. Colophony is pine rosin, the base of most soft waxes and a known skin sensitiser: ask new clients about reactions to rosin or adhesive bandages and patch test when in doubt.

When to use Sharonelle hard wax

Sharonelle Honey Strip-Less Hard Wax comes in a 14 oz tin. Hard wax grips the hair and shrinks around it as it cools, and it is lifted off by its own edge, with no strip. Salons usually choose it for small or delicate areas: brows, lip, underarms and bikini line.

It is slower and uses more wax per area than soft wax, which is why most rooms keep both: hard wax for the face and bikini line, soft wax for legs, arms and backs.

When to use Sharonelle roll-on wax

Roll-on wax is soft wax in a 100 g / 3.5 oz cartridge with a roller head. It is warmed in a roll-on heater and rolled straight onto the skin in a thin, even layer, then removed with a strip. There is no pot and no spatula, nothing drips, and a cartridge can be kept to one client.

M1 stocks three: Honey, Azulene and Pink, each also by the case of 60.

A full waxing service, step by step

How to use Sharonelle soft wax (directions from the can)

1. Open the can and place it in a wax heater.
2. Let the wax melt completely to a lukewarm temperature and stir it to an even consistency. The scale printed on the can runs from 40 to 90 °C and marks cold, ready and too hot.
3. Test the temperature, and clean the area to be waxed.
4. With a spatula, spread a thin layer in the direction of hair growth.
5. Lay a cotton or non-woven strip over the wax and rub firmly in the direction of hair growth.
6. Hold the skin taut with one hand and pull the strip off in one quick movement against the direction of hair growth. Finish with an after-wax lotion.

Caution (from the label): do not apply wax to pimples, moles, warts, sunburn or inflamed areas.

How to use Sharonelle hard wax (directions from the tin)

1. Melt the wax over low heat. It should not be hot.
2. Test for the correct temperature on a small area.
3. Make sure the skin is clean.
4. Apply the wax thickly in the direction of hair growth.
5. When the wax has cooled, roll it off against the direction of hair growth.

Caution (from the label): do not use on skin treated with glycolic acid, alpha hydroxy products or Retin-A, and do not apply to pimples, moles, warts, sunburn or inflamed areas.

Buying by the case

Most Sharonelle wax at M1 leaves by the case. Every soft wax version has a case of 24, hard wax comes in a case of 24 tins and roll-on in a case of 60 cartridges. Case links are on each product page.

Sharonelle wax questions

Directions, cautions, ingredients, sizes and the "for sensitive skin" wording are taken from the labels on our stock in October 2026. The roll-on and microwave notes are general practice, not printed directions. Which body areas each wax suits is common salon practice, not a Sharonelle statement. Sales rankings are M1's own.