With summer (and spring) just around the corner, every girl is probably getting ready to put on those shorts and skirts, tanks and camisoles. Painting your nails, fingers and toes, busting out the florals, neons, and all those colourful clothes are fun, but warmer weather tends to mean that any unsightly hair is going to be aired to the world to see.
I think for any girl, hair removal is one of the worst things to do. It can be expensive (think: laser treatments), especially painful (think: waxing), or just too damn time consuming (think: tweezing). I'll be honest - I hate waxing purely because I have a low pain tolerance. But I have done it a couple of times in order to ensure that I don't get myself into any embarrassing situations. To get a little insight on what I tend to do:
Eyebrows: I have never waxed them. Waxing just seemed a little dangerous in the sense a) I did not want hot wax near my face, b) I didn't want my face to sag after a billion waxings (that might just something I'm imagining, not sure if it's true), c) If the esthetician screws up, there is almost no going back.
I have been doing my eyebrows since I was 16 (but probably should've done them earlier per my mom). From 16 until most recently (maybe a few years ago), I had been tweezing them. Recently there was a beauty spa/salon opened near my place that offered threading for a very reasonable price. As such, I have been threading my eyebrows maybe once a month and tweezing it in between. I go to get them threaded in order to do a massive clean up, and maintain with tweezers until I realize that the odd day I forgot to tweeze starts to show (haha).
From my experience, tweezing and threading are much more precise, and harder to mess up with. Yes it is more painful, but at the same time threading frequently has helped my eye brows out in the sense that there has been less growth. This is evident in another area that I thread (read further down). I also think tweezing is convenient because it can be done whenever, wherever, and it's 0 mess.
Armpits: I use the Schick Quattro (with the trimmer at the other end) - I will be reviewing two razors that I use later. In the winter, I usually don't shave as often purely because no one is going to see my armpits anyways, and the longer the hair, the better the shave (unless you have a dull blade). I find in the summer with the Schick Quattro I was able to get a better and cleaner shave. Obviously you still get (what my mom calls) "poppy seeds" due to the nature of shaving - it doesn't take the hair out from the root. However, there are quick fixes to help reduce the darkness, such as exfoliating your armpits at least once a week, really cleaning them from the anti-persperant/deodorant you use as well as moisturizing them. I think for a big big event (ie: wedding) I would try and wax them.
I did laser my armpits for a few months two years ago - however this was very expensive and after 6 treatments I was still growing around the same amount of armpit hair. It wasn't reduced significantly, and one time they upped the laser too much and my armpits were burning for a while. That was not fun. However, laser treatments can be purchased at reasonable rates now via Groupons, so if you are interested in it, you can always check.
My Laser Experience
I might as well talk about this while we are on the subject. The first thing that happens is that they have to do a consultation and see if you are even eligible. Usually you are eligible if there is a large contrast in the colour of your hair and your skin, and if your hairs are coarse and dark. If you have waxed a couple of times in that area, you are probably likely NOT to be eligible because your hairs will be much finer.
When the hair is actually lasered, it first feels like the area of skin is being suctioned up, and then a pin prick. As each treatment goes on, the pin prick feeling gets a little sharper because the laser gets stronger. Right after it is done, a cream is put on and you shouldn't expose the area for a while (a day at best).
The advice I got from the girl who did my armpits was a) shave frequently (because it will allow the hairs to grow a bit coarser despite being fine...I know, contradictory much? But it helps the laser spot and kill the hairs) and b) exfoliate frequently so the hairs will come out. When you get lasered, the hairs don't just disappear - the laser kills the root so when you rub or exfoliate your skin, the hairs should fall out and leave you with nice clear skin.
Ho-hum...that wasn't really the case because, as you might have figured out...not all the hairs like to fall out at the same time!! Hahaha...so I had patchy armpits. Would I go back? I don't know - my results were subpar and I wasn't totally impressed, and it definitely isn't pain free. For now I'm sticking with shaving. I know waxing is a better alternative but I've heard some friends who have had horrible experiences with the armpits and as such I'm a little apprehensive.
Upper lip: Not a lot of girls have upper lip hair, but I do have a bit and it gets annoying. I actually got teased by one high school boy about it, but aside from that no one else even said anything (not even my ex boyfriend). I used to (note the past tense) wax, however, after a mishap with hot wax (I got burned after someone re-waxed the same patch twice), and my skin becoming excessively sensitive after I used facial waxing strips, I decided to stop waxing and go with threading.
I'll be honest, threading is JUST as painful as waxing the upper lip, however there is less sensitivity and of course a lower chance of having skin irritations.
A word about threading: make sure that the thread that is used is cotton, and that the individual is relatively experienced, otherwise it could be even more painful than usual! When threading eyebrows, there will be certain instances where you will have to help the threader hold the skin taut. This will also be the case for your upper lip, but instead of holding the upper lip, you will have to use your tongue and "poke" the inside of your mouth (if you get what I mean).
Legs: I have never shaved my legs. I wax my legs (and only recently too) because I have seen the horrors of people shaving their legs. I have tried using cold wax, wax strips and will be trying out a warm wax. Waxing is just so much easier and yields better results than shaving in my opinion.
Bikini: This might get a bit too intimate for some people, but for the most part I will wax and trim. Even if you decide not to wear any super short shorts or bikinis or swim suits, it's just better (especially in hot weather) to make sure that down there is well maintained in order to reduce any odors, since hair traps bacteria.
Word of advice for anyone waxing "down there" - it is going to be painful, no doubt, so I suggest taking a painkiller (Tylenol or Advil) about 30 minutes to an hour before you go for your appointment. This helps the pain to be a little more bearable. Regarding the time of day to go, not sure if morning or afternoon has much of an effect. Also, concentrate on your breathing - when the person is removing the wax strip, exhale! It helps to lessen the painful feeling.
After a bikini wax, I suggest putting on a panty liner and making sure you have breathable clothing and underwear. You do not want anything rubbing against your skin because it will get irritated!
Stay tuned for Part II where I will be reviewing the tools I use for my personal hair removal (tweezers, waxes, shavers)
Readers: What methods do you prefer to use for hair removal?
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