CherryTalk: Hair removal Part II - Veet vs Nair

This is Part II of my CherryTalk on Hair Removal.  For Part I, check here.

Today I will be comparing two waxing products:

(Disclaimer: I was in no way asked to review these products, nor am I getting paid for these reviews.  I have purchased these products with my own money and the following reviews are purely based on my own experience)

Veet ready-to-use wax strips (green box for legs and larger areas, little blue box for upper lip vs Nair Brazillian Spa Clay Roll on Wax

1. Veet Ready-to-use wax strips

I bought mine from Walmart but these are available at all drugstores.  You can get them in packs of 40 or 20 (for the larger one).  I used to use the facial wax strips but after a lot of irritation on my upper lip I stopped using it (I got burning sensations which is a sign it's not good for me).

Basically these are large wax strips that you heat up by rubbing them in your hands, and then separating it into two wax strips.  Now separating them evenly can be a bit of a hit or miss - you could end up with this:

This is what happens when you don't evenly heat up the entire strip...a bit hard when you are rubbing it in your hands.

This is one of the problems with the larger wax strips - it is insanely difficult to be able to heat it up so it peels nice and even.  I'm debating on maybe trying with a hair dryer on the lowest setting. 

So after you separate it, slap it on your hairy leg (lol) and rub down in the direction of the hair.  This also helps warm up the wax some more so it adheres better to the hairs.  Then you pull it off in the opposite direction (pull towards you not away from you).

The results are pretty satisfactory - it removed most of the hair but in areas that you didn't rub enough, it would leave the waxy residue.  The issue is that if you didn't separate it evenly to start with, you won't get a good result (as in, less hair removal, possibly more wax residue).  To get rid of the wax residue, the kit comes with "Perfect Finish Wipes"

These wipes are oil based and take out all the wax reside really easily - only issue is that there are not a lot of them in the box (or sufficient number of them), and they dry out fast so you could probably only reuse it once or twice.  I have noted that using Bio-oil works like a charm (I have that in my bathroom for stretch marks) or baby oil as noted on the packaging would work too.

Verdict: This is pretty easy to use and mess free in the sense you don't get wax everywhere.  It's pretty simple and straightforward, however, I find the results are very iffy.  I've had good results on some days (ie: when the strips separate evenly) and bad results on other days (ie: like this time around when the wax decided not to separate evenly).  It's also a pain to sometimes remove the residue - at times the finishing wipes are not wet enough to remove it all, or you think you got rid of it but it's still there.  The results do last long, however I don't have much leg hair to start with...you'll see in the Nair review :P

Pros:

* Quick and mess free

* Relatively cheap to purchase

* Hair removal is effective in the sense that it lasts for a few weeks as claimed on the box

Cons:

* Uneven wax strips - heating the strips by rubbing them in your hands does not always mean that you will get a perfect two strips

* Does not contour skin very well (ie: getting the rounder parts of your legs and your knees especially)

* Does not always removal all the hair from the area

* Wax not easily removed - have to use the provided wipes or baby oil/bio-oil (after running out of the wipes)

2. Nair Brazillian Spa Clay Roll On Wax

I was originally going to buy the same one but in Milk & Honey but this was the one that was advertise on TV (since it's the newest one) so I figured I might as well try it.  What I thought was cool about this one was that it's a warm wax that is supposed to be almost mess free with a roll on applicator.  Sounds like fun!  The reason why I wanted the Milk & Honey one was because it was supposed to be good for sensitive skin, as well as moisturizing.  However this new one (Brazillian Spa Clay) has mango butter and other ingredients that are supposed to help keep legs moisturized and keep it hair free for longer.  Waxing not only takes out the hairs, but also the top layer of skin, so it's important to moisturize after waxing!

Per the instructions, you have to take out the plug from the wax bottle, put back on the rolling device and heat it up in the microwave for 15 seconds on HIGH.  It's important to put the wax bottle on the edge of the microwave plate so it gets evenly heated.  After that, knead the bottle a bit to distribute the heat (and reheat if necessary).  Test it on one of the strips that are provided to make sure that it rolls on nice and smooth.  This is what should happen:

You can kind of see the rectangle of yellow wax

The rest is self explanatory: roll wax in direction of the hair and then apply a wax strip.  The good thing is these wax strips are a) pretty long and b) reusable (will explain later).  Press and smooth down in direction of hair and then pull towards you.

Ta da - quite a lot of leg hair on it :P  Are you grossed out yet?

There was not a lot of residue left behind on my leg from the wax.  However, I did noticed after a few applications that the following occurred:

I don't know if it's because one or two times I rolled the opposite direction by accident, but even then, wax oozes from the edges.  It's not too problematic - I end up spreading the goop onto my leg, and then smoothing it out with the roller.  The good thing is that you don't get a goopy uneven strip - the roller helps to even it all out.

The packaging provides a base for the bottle to be propped on while you are removing your wax strips

I thought that was pretty well thought out.  Except that I realized that this may have contributed to the goopiness, and also contributed to the following problem:

After you're finished waxing, there's all this wax that is still stuck on your roller and inside - it would take a long time for it to go back into the bottle if you were to prop it up the other way around.  And you can't exactly put it away unless the roller is absolutely wax-free (otherwise I can picture a huge sticky mess).  Because the wax can be washed off by water (one of the BIGGEST pluses), I rinsed the roller for a bit to get rid of some of the wax.

Verdict: I think I got into a sticky mess because I wasn't used to it, but honestly speaking this should be relatively mess free aside from having the sticky wax strips.  The wax strips are reusable and easy to wash since the wax is water soluble.  I just washed all my wash strips with hot water and then left them to try on a hanger (pat dry with a towel first to take out the most water).  I like the roll on applicator and I found it was more effective at hair removal because the wax was really in contact with the skin (with the Veet strips, when I was trying to do my knees especially, there would be gaping and this would result in a less effective hair removal - I would use smaller strips to help get rid of any missed hairs).  Warm wax in general tends to yield more effective results per my experience at the salon, at home with this kit, and with cold wax kits that I've used (the Veet one reviewed above and another one I had purchased in Hong Kong in my earlier days).  I really like the Nair one because it's more consistent in results.  However, it is not as quick to use as the Veet ones because of the prep work to be done.

Pros:

* Wax easily washable with water - easy removal of any excess wax on skin

* Even wax application allows for better results - more hair removed in one single strip

* Reusable wax strips - easy to wash off the wax and use the strips again no problem

* Strips are nice and long so you can get a larger area done in less time

Cons:

* Extra work to heat up the wax

* Roller can get a little messy

* Excess wax buildup in the roller can be problematic once waxing is finished

Overall comparing the two, I have to say I like the Nair one a lot better now!  I was using the Veet ones in the past because it was so much more convenient and not messy.  I don't mind taking the extra step with Nair roll on wax, and even if it gets a little messy at times, I think it's more effective.  In terms of pain, I actually think the Veet one hurt a bit more than the Nair one - not sure why.

A few tips for at home waxing:

1) Make sure your skin is moisturized beforehand, and when I say beforehand, I mean the past few days leading up to waxing.  You can't have any creams on your skin before waxing because it makes it less effective.

2) If your skin is extremely sensitive, consider putting a light dusting of baby powder on your skin - this will prevent the wax from adhering to your skin, which causes a bit more irritation and discomfort.

3) Wax near a sink - it's just easier to clean up any messes!  I know people who like to do it in their rooms.  Seriously...it might not be bright enough (and you'll miss a spot) and if your hands are sticky, well you don't want to get it everywhere!!

Readers: Have you tried either of these products, and if so, which one do you prefer?  What is your favourite waxing product?