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What is the best method of hair removal you know of?
I am Italian and we tend to have dark hair in most places, lol. & in my early 20's. I really dislike most hair on my body. I do not have any kind of phobia but I would rather be clean shaven. (I only say shaven because that is the only form of hair removal I have ever tried) I am open for any and all suggestions. I personally like to keep my ENTIRE bikini area clean. This is mainly why I came here to ask - I would much rather find a way to get the results of a Brazilian wax myself.
Have any of y'all used a certain product/razor/wax/laser ect that absolutely worked for you? I cannot do the shaving much longer because of the ingrown hairs (ew I know)
I just recently bought the COOCHY line, and it has helped SO much.
LASERS
but that's permanent reduction and after 6-12 session will require annual "touch-ups"
Electrolysis is permanent hair removal but it hurts SO BAD
choose thy fate.
lol. I have been looking and something called a no!no! and Tria(?). They are pricey as hell. I am willing to invest in one, but I would have to hear from a few people who have personally used them & loved them before I would make the purchase.
For my armpits definitely plucking and epilating, shaving just doesn't cut it for me. I also epilate my legs but it's a lot of hassle, I find it snaps a lot of the hairs which leaves them feeling bristly so I pluck stray hairs which takes a long time, I also shave them on top of that. For pubic hair, shaving, I epilate and pluck my bikini line from time to time but I could never epilate all of it.
Plucking hurts in areas that aren't sensitive, how can you bare plucking in places like the armpits? Do you have a method that helps with the pain, do you have a high pain tolerance, or do you just suck it up pluck?
lol! That's what I was thinking..
It just stopped hurting after the first couple of times, same with epilating, I don't really feel it at all anymore.
Oh my. That seems very very time consuming. I will definitely look into the epilating thing. Cant hurt to try it. Thanks!
For my face: tweeze and wax For my armpits: I've always shaved, but I'm trying out waxing now. For my legs: shaving. Anything else is just too much to deal with. For my bikini area: like my armpits, I've always shaved, but I'm trying out waxing now.
I'm currently in the process of trying out different waxes to see how well they work (I pretty much do everything at home besides my eyebrows... Last time I did those on my own I took the whole eyebrow off, plus a few eyelashes) so other than that I can't really help.
That's what im interested in.. What kind of wax have you tried/trying? Recommendations? Thanks!
I haven't personally waxed ANYTHING, so Im pretty much a newbie at this point, so hints/tricks you've picked up on is appreciated!
Well my mom has this at home waxing kit. I have no idea what it's called, so I'll have to ask her. Basically it has this heating rack with these roll on tubes of wax. That has always worked really well on eyebrows and upper lips (I've never tried it anywhere else). But I remember it was kinda spendy, and now that I don't live with my mom I can't use it all of the time.
The only other wax I've tried is the Sally Hanson pre waxed strips. I bought the ones for face/bikini area, and the ones for body (for my underarms). I haven't had to use the facial ones yet, but the body ones kinda suck. I could be doing it wrong, but I tried it on my underarms and it left a bunch of lingering hairs. I'm going to try it again in a few weeks, but that's my opinion for now.
I use Veet on my entire bikini area. I cover all my sensitive squishy bits with Vaseline to protect them and that works quite well. The results are akin to a wax after a few days. Not as smooth, and the hair grows back faster, but it's wayyy cheaper and totally painless. Caveat: most hair removal lotions say they're not supposed to be used on the bikini area (aside from the bikini line). My skin isn't very sensitive and as long as I use the Vaseline first I rarely have problems. But it's not exactly recommended usage so be cautious if you try it.
My NP yelled at me for vaseline down there. She said it's yeast food :( Minerin cream isn't bad, though, but it's pricey.
Im going to try this out. Thanks!
I have gotten laser Hair removal and it worked great for me but its a but too expensive for me long term. I simply shave with creams now.
Has anyone tried the NoNo hair removal thing thats all over TV?
That's pretty much my reason for posting this, lol. I wanted to see who has used these products. They are still quite pricey but I would definitely invest in one soon if I talked to few people about it first.
for eyebrows: threading. It's pretty goddamn painful but they look so good after. Indian women really know how to thread so try going to an "Indian salon"
Yesss. Im so glad you said this. I have been curious about threading. I have done it once while I was out of town, I just found out my local mall has a booth so I will be going back for that.
Agree with eyebrow threading. It's great and highly recommended. I will still pluck sometimes too.
yeah, unfortunately my hair grows back so fast that I still pluck, but the initial threading gives the eyebrows such a great shape
I'm a hairy Indian woman. I started waxing everything (no cheating) about ten years ago. My hair growth has decreased dramatically. I went in for a laser hair removal estimate and they said that I didnt qualify because my hair growth was so little and sporadic. What?! I couldn't believe it. I'd wax and wax and wax until it never comes back! If all else fails - LASER IT ALL AWAY. WORTH EVERY PENNY from what I hear and you can get great groupon deals.
I'm a hairy Indian woman as well. I need more wax in my life clearly lol
Woo! This is EXACTLY what I wanted to hear. Thank youuu.
What kind of wax do you use? Hints/tips/suggestions? Any advice on this would be soo appreciated!
I prefer the green european wax or the light pink wax. I always grow mine out for as long as possible to get the look that I want. For the first time, my lady waxed my forehead. The whole thing! She said my makeup would look nicer and my skin fresher. I didn't believe her that I had forehead hair but she showed me and I sure do! She was also very right - I do look much better without a furry forehead. Make sure she shapes your brows to match the shape and angle of your brow bone. As you can see, I'm a brow fanatic. I really think they can make or break a face (I also do makeup professionally).
I just realized that I responded to my eyebrow comment from another thread. WHOOPS. For your bikini area definitely use hard wax. It's the bomb and so much less painful.
I wax my eyebrows (unibrow and arches) about every 2 weeks. I used to wax my mustache at the same time, but that hurts like hell and always made me break out, so now I bleach it about once a month. There are a few great big wiry hairs that pop up on my chin sometimes, I tweeze them as necessary.
I shave everything from outer labia to asscrack once or twice a week, more for hygiene than aesthetics.
I have an epilator that I use everywhere else... but I don't bother unless I'm going to be wearing a miniskirt or a swimsuit or something. Even though I don't like being hairy, I super super hate removing all that hair even more.
The real reason the mustache area has been bothering me lately is because they seem to be much longer. Maybe I am just not paying attention - but either way it makes me really self conscious. It hasn't become a problem to the point of where people notice and talk about it, but I would rather not ever get to that point. lol.
A friend of mine shaves hers, and gossssh - when it starts to come back even the slightest bit it looks SO bad. She never had much of a problem with it until she started shaving it (peer pressure I assume lol). I haven't ever said anything to her but I can CLEARLY notice when she has just shaved. I just want mine to be unnoticeable.
Shaving that often for me would be an ingrown hair nightmare! You don't have any problems with that?
If you don't mind it being a little expensive, waxing is one of my favorite ways. It kind of sucks that you have to wait for your hair to grow back to get it waxed again, but you learn to deal with it. I also have very dark and thick hair everywhere and it amazes me how smooth everything is. After a few months, your hair will lessen and it won't be as thick in between. Hope this helps!
That is exactly what I wanted to hear! lol.
What is your preferred brand of wax?
Also! Ingrown hairs a problem at all? Thanks!
I go to a salon...there's no way i'm doing that on my own. They get EVERYTHING. The first time she told me to roll over on my stomach and spread my legs to get the backside, I was shocked.
Also, when waxing, I noticed significantly fewer ingrown hairs. There are still some, but I take care of those on my own and by the next time I get waxed, no big deal.
I have tried shaving - it's good for a quick and non-time consuming method of hair removal. Results only last a couple days before I have to do it again which I don't like.
I have done laser hair removal - a lot more expensive, very painful for me, didn't get results that looks like I actually got it done. I had to get numbing creme at the office before doing the procedure. I always want to add that many others had better experiences than me. It also works much better if you have dark hair on light skin so the laser can see your hair roots better. :)
Waxing - A little more expensive but the results last longer! I have waxed my face, back, legs, bikini, you name it. The more you do it, the hairs become less thicker. I do this on my legs because of ingrown hair and rashes that I always get. Helps a ton!!! I have never plucked anything other than eyebrows in between waxing or epilating (which I heard hurts like hell but I have a fairly high pain tolerance)
Thank you thank you! This is what I wanted to know lol. What kind of wax do you use or prefer to use? Hints? Tips?
This is the route I plan on taking (until I find out about the no!no! and whatnot)and I know nothing about it, so anything you can share I would greatly appreciate! Thanks so much.
Well, there's a sort of hair removal cream that works pretty well and it's completely painless. I don't like shaving because I'm scared I'll cut myself, and waxing is painful and difficult...
What's this?
I'm sure there are different brands depending on the country, but here you go.
(Also, I want to apologize for seeming like a passive aggressive little shit, it was not intended.)
Yes it was. ;)
Let me rephrase my question. What kind of hair removal cream have you tried? Do you personally use it? Does it actually work?
Yes, it works, though I let it stay on a bit longer than the time written in the instructions (only about a minute longer) to make it gets time for all the hair it's covering.
I've tried Veet, though I don't use it as much anymore (I rarely remove any body hair aside from stray eyebrow hairs and the hair in my armpits). Part of why I don't use it as much is because my sister complains the bathroom smells horrible after the cream has been used, so I guess that might be a downside to it.
I've never used it on the whole pubic area, just along the sides to keep any hair from sticking out from underwear/bikini bottoms.
Thanks for the info!
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LOL. I was like.. :( Haha, thanks.
Laser hair removal. But it's expensive. I get groupons. I don't know about bikini line though, I hear it hurts a lot.
Just had my first bikini line session and it was totally painless-I went in pretty nervous because I've had a tatoo lasered off which was very painful.
I know the price probably varies from place to place but if you don't mind me asking, about how much was it? Is there some sort of a "treatment plan" until you get desired results or anything like that?
I actually got a Groupon-it was $139 for six treatments. Usually six will do it, might need touch-ups in the future. I get vicious ingrowns whatever I do, so fingers crossed this will work.
Holy crap! That's all. I was on here looking for this very answer. I'd love to get this done for such an affordable price. I'd pay more if I had to... I'm desperate. I'm to the point is get drunk and epilate the crap out if everything below my hips. Lol.
I mostly use wax and an epilator because it lasts longer than shaving (up to 4 weeks for me). I know it hurts but it's worth it because in time you will have less and less hair. Good luck! :)
What kind of wax do you use?
I use the Veet Wax Strips for sensitive skin for armpits and bikini area. They can also be used on legs and arms and there are other Wax Strips for face too. They also have a good price. I recommend the Veet Wax Strips :) Here's more info if you need: https://www.veet.co.uk/wax-products.php
I just pay for waxing. I've tried it myself (Brazilian) and it was a disaster. Many places offer package deals.
You can use Veet to remove body hair on most places of your body; just don't use it on your face or beyond the bikini line area on your lady bits. For those places, you'll just have to shave (or wax).
I actually started using an electric shaver recently and I am pleasantly surprised by how well it works! I use it on my legs, armpits and bikini area (took a few tries to get the hang of it there though). Its not always quite as smooth as shaving with a razor but there is zero skin irritation/ingrown hairs this way. And for me it's well worth it because my skin is so sensitive! Exfoliating regularly would probably help to get a smoother shave. I've been using the Panasonic Close Curves and it has been great so far. Quick, painless, no irritation.
I have been curious about the electric shavers for awhile.. I may have to check it out! Thanks
I sugar wax legs, pussy area and underarms.(http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-sugar-wax-your-legs/ ) Yes, it hurts, but it's the shit. Eco-friendly, cheep, and the hairs that grow out feels thinner and softer.
Thank you! I am going to try this out! How long have you been doing it?
A few months only. But it's addicting, i'm like, "Grow little hairs so i can wax you!"
If you want to have laser hair removal but find it too expensive, Philips sells a laser treatment for at home. I bought it a few months ago, great value for money! Only downside is that it's not suitable for people with dark skin- there are charts on the website to check whether your skin is suitable.
Philips IPL
I don't want to put you on the spot and ask you to "review" the product but....Haha. How well does it work?
I wax down there when I can. Sometimes I pay for it but other times I do it myself. If you get the right products and watch some how-to videos you're off to a good start. I wax everything down there (or maybe keep a landing strip), but can wax myself front to back now. You'll find yourself in some silly positions but IMO it's worth it. I also get ingrown hairs and I think I get them far worse with regular shaving than I ever do with waxing. The Coochy line is great, though--stick with that!
Fair warning: the first time you wax yourself will be awful. It'll take you forever and hurts like hell (waxing by a pro does too, but I swear it's worse doing it to yourself the first time). I did get the hang of it after a few times and now it's a less expensive way to get that ultra-smooth feeling. They also sell some numbing creams in the home wax section and those are great. Do NOT skip picking up a wax removal cream also! And others are right--if you keep after it you'll find less hair regrowth after time. They say not to, but I do some shaving between waxings when I want to clean up.
As for everywhere else...razor. Until I spring for the laser hair removal, that is. Can't wait for that day.
Ingrown hairs are my biggggest thing. It annoys me, and come on..lets be honest - its not cute LOL.
What kind do you use? hints/tips?
Thanks so much btw!
Ha ha...yeah, ingrown hairs are not cute at all.
I bought my products at Sally's Beauty Supply when I started (but I know there are plenty of online places to buy from also). In the beginning I wanted to talk to someone face-to-face and get advice. I bought the GiGi line and have been very happy with it. I own a warmer, all-purpose wax, natural muslin strips, and a cream called Wax Off (crucial for clean up). I don't have any numbing cream on hand at the moment but it's called something super obvious and right in the aisle with everything else.
Warmer: I own the GiGi Space Saving Warmer. It says it's for professional use, but it looks pretty personal sized to me. When I've been to salons for a wax theirs are more heavy duty and larger. I like this one for the following reasons: easy to store because of size, the wax is always heated to just the right temperature. I've never been burned by the wax being overly hot and the wax has never been too thick to spread from being too cold. This one is 120 VAC / 60 HZ / 125 W so use those specs to judge power if you purchase a different brand.
Wax: GiGi All Purpose Honee. Being of the same brand it obviously fits right into the warmer nicely. When I first started I told the lady at the store what I'd be waxing and she told me not to really bother with all the different types of wax for different areas and to just stick with the all purpose. So far she's been on point. No complaints. But...I have not ever used it on my face so try that at your own discretion. They do make face-specific or more gentle waxes.
Strips: GiGi Natural Muslin Epilating Strips. Don't even waste your time on the papery type. Muslin is the way to go. I also buy the longer strips and just cut them into the appropriate size pieces as I'm waiting for the wax to heat up. The ones I buy come in strips of about 7" - 8" L x 2.5" - 3" W out of the package. I cut them along the width to about 1" sections.
Clean up: GiGi Wax Off. The wax will get everywhere, especially in the beginning as you are learning. That stuff is fabulous for cleaning up down there, your hands, and anything else you've touched.
Cost: I believe I spent about $50 on products as an initial investment, which is the cost of only one Brazilian at the salon. It'll take you a long time to go through a pack of strips and a can of wax so doing it yourself is a far more cost effective option. I'm also a Sally's member so I get a small discount on all the things I buy there.
Side note: Until this post I had no idea I'd purchased everything from the same product line. No affiliation with GiGi or Sally's, just a pleased customer. I usually base my buying decisions on a combination of functionality and price so I'm guessing I felt that all my items were all fairly priced when comparing side-by-side.
My prep process...
Throw on some tunes or a movie (nothing you have to pay super close attention to, though).
I lay out a towel wherever I'm going to do this, plug in the warmer, and let the wax start to heat. It doesn't take long, but long enough for me to gather the rest of the supplies. I also grab a pillow or something comfy to lean against.
Cut the strips up. I like to spread them out a bit on one side of the towel--makes them easier to grab when my fingers are sticky. I usually have at least three long strips cut up into pieces to start. It's better to have more pre-cut than to run out. You can always save what you don't use for a future waxing.
Grab a mirror. It should be the kind that can stand up on its own and is angle adjustable. Mine is a pretty cheap makeup mirror from Target or wherever.
I also collect (although these are optional): a good pair of tweezers, a paper towel, possibly the numbing cream, and keep the Wax Off nearby. The paper towel is solely in case I need to touch something mid-wax. It's there for a just in case.
You will also need some sort of wax spreader. I use a plastic knife. Just the kind that's leftover when I pick up lunch from the deli and they give me that me that fork/knife/napkin/s&p combo pack along with my food. Sally's also sells glorified popsicle sticks for this task if you're looking to purchase something. Whatever you use, make sure it's disposable. There in no universe in which you want to clean and re-use your spreader afterwards. I like the knife because I feel it gives me more control as to the spreading thickness, direction, etc of the wax.
Just before starting is the time to use the numbing cream (if you're using it). Just follow the directions on the bottle. Now you have your supplies, the wax is certainly warm, and you're ready to go!
Tips... Make sure your room is very well light. Soft lighting and shadows casted down below are not your friend right now.
Stay hydrated before you wax. This helps lift the hair follicle up and your skin to react better to the shock of what is happening.
Go pee before you start.
Make sure the hair on your head is pulled back. You definitely don't want it getting in the way since your head will be tilted down for some time. I also like to wear a comfy t-shirt that obviously isn't too long.
You should be spreading the wax in the same direction as the hair growth and pulling the strip off against the direction of the hair growth. As the hair changes directions as you move around your area, the direction you spread and pull should too.
I prefer to start with the mons and work down/back. I start on one side at the top, work inward until about the halfway point, go to the other side, and work in to that same point. Then on to the next "row," and so on.
I find that the labia just outside my clitoris is the most difficult and sensitive. Work in smaller areas as you get closer. This allows you to use your other fingers/hand to keep the skin taught and to not stop in pain mid-rip. You DO NOT want to leave a strip not fully pulled off. Once you pull, pull the whole thing. This goes for your entire area.
Keeping the skin taught in the area you are about to pull from is a must. Do it every time.
Using too much wax will be globby and make it hard to rip the strip off. Don't overdo it. Practice ahead of time on something else if you must. Your vagina is no place for experiments.
I hold the skin taught, spread the wax on, set the knife on the edge of the wax rim, grab a strip, place it on, smooth/press the strip onto the wax, grab the bottom of the strip, and pull. This should all only take a second or two; you don't want the wax to get too cool (then the muslin won't stick to the wax correctly and you'll be left tearing at it possibly leaving behind wax and hair or losing some skin). When I was newer at this I would often pre-determine which strip I was going to use before spreading the wax and place it on my leg or something for easy access.
Try not to wax over the same area twice. That is how you start losing skin. You already grabbed tweezers for cleaning up any strays later on. The area surrounding the anus can sometimes take a repeat, but overall it's not advised as all the skin down there is just too delicate.
Stay calm and take your time. Breathe and don't be afraid to pump yourself up before a pull if needed.
Use the mirror to assist you as you get down toward your vaginal opening and anus.
When I'm all done waxing I go back through and tweeze out any strays that remain. There generally aren't many, and certainly far less now that I'm more practiced at this. You don't have to do this, though. Personally, if I'm going to the trouble to wax I want it beautifully clean. At this point you'll barely even feel a tweezer pull anyway.
Now for the Wax Off. I spread it all over down there. Personally I let it sit on the area for a few minutes while I clean everything up; I like the cooling and moisturizing sensation in addition to it cleaning up any remaining wax. The wax container will still be hot so be careful touching it. Throw away the knife and used strips and go clean up. I use the Wax Off on my tweezers, the mirror edges where I touched it to adjust the angle, and anything else I may have touched. Use the Wax Off on your hands and wipe it out well from down there (this is where I make use of that paper towel too). Then wash up. The wax should come right off.
You WILL be red and tender down there. Don't plan on getting in a pool or the ocean right away. Ouch! I've made that mistake before. I don't even really like having sex the same night I waxed because I'm tender and a little desensitized but it can be done if your partner is gentle. You'll have to judge that for yourself.
Don't be discouraged if your first couple waxes don't go as well as you'd hoped. I promise you'll get better and find what works for you. It's tough to learn to do on yourself, no question.
Things I've heard from other women... I've heard that some women can't wax while on their period because it's extra sensitive down there. This hasn't been a problem for me but just wanted to give you a heads up.
If you're worried about the pain you can put a washcloth in the freezer for a cooling application afterwards, but I haven't needed this.
To help with pain or inflammation you can take one or two aspirin or ibuprofen a little while beforehand. Also never needed this either.
So, now you're freshly waxed and ready to go! By the next morning you'll be back to normal and so smooth you'll have a hard time not touching just to feel your smoothness. The hair takes weeks to fully come back so waxing is worth it in my opinion.
I hope you found all this helpful! Happy waxing!
Edit: spelling error
Couple additional notes...
Your skin should be clean and completely dry before starting a wax.
You can dust a light layer on talcum powder on your skin before waxing to soak up any excess oil. Dust it on and rub it in.
After you yank off a strip you can press on the area with your hand. This helps with the pain.
epilate everything.
Tend Skin is the best thing I've found to help prevent and combat ingrown hairs. It's pricey but I've never found anything that worked as well so depending on how badly you get them this might be a worthy investment. It is available on Amazon, at some salons, Walgreens and CVS (online for sure, not sure about in store). It is the absolute best.