Safety
razor blades are traditionally wrapped in waxed paper to make handling them less dangerous. From the early 1950s to the mid-1990s, waxed paper was used as a common wrapping for sports card packages (O-Pee-Chee, Topps, Donruss, etc.). It was notorious for leaving wax markings on the back card where the waxed paper was heated to be sealed. Waxed paper was used as a way to keep the enclosed piece of
bubble gum protected. In the mid-1990s, sports card manufacturers stopped including pieces of bubble gum in packs of sports cards, thus ending the need for waxed paper packs.
Plastic (often,
mylar) or other
plastic/paper blends were used from then on. A version of the paper, trademarked
Waxtite, was used to protect early packages of
Kellogg's cereal. Waxed paper is also commonly used to attach pattern pieces to fabric while cutting it for sewing. One presses an iron over the waxed paper briefly and attaches it to the cloth, making it easier to trace while cutting. Waxed paper's particularly high
dielectric strength makes it a practical
electrical insulator, although modern materials have surpassed and mostly replaced it. Common applications are coil winding separators and
capacitor dielectrics, and other applications requiring resilience against a potential difference up to the order of a few thousand volts per layer. In
photography, waxed paper can be used as a light diffuser. Making
waxed paper roses was a hobby among
Sri Lankan women. ==Environmental issues==