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Question about body hair removal...

Kari

Veteran

Okay, I hope this isn't too much information, but... for those of you that are waxers (or sugar waxers, or epilators - something similar where you need a certain amount of hair growth in order to remove it), how do you cope with the hair growth while you are waiting for it to get long enough to remove?

I have been a life-long shaver. Recently I scored a really, really good groupon for 6 sessions of laser hair removal, but due to the busy schedule of the salon, my first appointment isn't for a few more weeks, so I'm still shaving under my arms.

I also decided to try sugaring for the first time, so grew out my leg hair. And it is driving me *nuts.* It's itchy and is making my skin flaky, and is really, really uncomfortable. Being a dress/skirt girl most of the time makes it even worse, although I'm still itchy in jeans. I am not bothered so much about the visual appearance of having hair on my legs as it's relatively light in color, but it's very much about the physical sensation.

I was hoping to make a sugaring appointment before leaving on a work trip to Las Vegas so I can stroll around totally smooth-legged, but unfortunately there wasn't enough time to have an appointment. Then, I tried at-home sugaring and the results were... very sticky, and not terribly productive.
I'm probably going to give in and shave before my trip, but am still tempted to try sugaring. It's just that the process of having to wait for my leg hair to grow out for weeks, and dealing with feeling extremely itchy and uncomfortable in the meantime, is daunting.

I'm very curious about how the rest of you cope, and whether you can offer any strategies to avoid the itchy discomfort of regrowth.

General

19 replies

Latest reply was from rosee

mumtojessandluke

Kari- I have no idea what sugaring is :(.
But I do know how to make wax for doing legs ect. It is made from sugar.

In any case, I'm not a hairy person. I go without shaving or waxing for at least 3 or so weeks, and I jump in the pool every week. If if was a little long it would be nipped in the bud. Because it is so infrequent due to my fine, blonde hair I just shave (just below my knees with a little soap (hair isn't growing on my thighs anyway). Just discovered DH's shaver this morning... beautiful! It was a free product sent out, and we are sure glad we tried it. I'll properly buy another one (i'll need to ;), DH isn't going to let me have his).

mumtojessandluke

Just googled 'sugaring' you can DYI this quite easily if you want to do it before your trip Kari.

From another web site;
This is a recipe that the ancient Egyptians used for hair removal.

2 cups white sugar
1 cup water (less 2 tablespoons)
Juice of 1/4 lemon

In a stainless-steel saucepan, heat sugar and water (electric stove, number six). The mixture must bubble continuously otherwise it will not firm up. Pour the lemon juice into the mixture and continue to boil until it becomes caramel in colour. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

After having made this hair removal wax for several years, I can now generally get it to the desired consistency first off, but it is advisable to leave it in the saucepan to test if it is firm enough. It can be a little tricky. When I first attempted it, I had my fair share of disasters, but don't despair.

When the wax has completely cooled, press your finger into it - it should not be sticky and you should be able to leave a fingerprint in it. The wax must not be hard and should feel a little like firm jelly. Once you are satisfied with the desired consistency, reheat the wax until melted and transfer into a plastic container (you can use recycled yoghurt containers). Pop the wax into the microwave for 20 to 50 seconds, depending on the amount of wax and the consistency. Using a plastic spatula, apply the wax to your leg and then apply a strip of cotton fabric (I buy unbleached cotton fabric and tear it into strips). Press down and pull in the opposite direction of hair growth. It really works!

Hope this helps

Kari

Veteran

I think that the homemade wax you are talking about basically is sugaring - here's a page that describes the process:
http://www.sweetspahh.com/What.....ring_.html

What razor does your husband use? I've heard that men's razors often are higher quality & have a cleaner cut than what us ladies use.

My qualms about shaving - particularly my legs - are that I generally shave in the shower when I have no contacts or glasses in, and am prone to cutting the bony areas on my legs. Ouch! Plus, my hair (although light) is somewhat coarse and grows back quickly, so I usually have leg stubble by the end of the day.

Kari

Veteran

Oh! Yes, basically what you described is what I made and tried to wax from at home.

Unfortunately, I really made a pig's ear out of it. I'm just not coordinated enough and ended up getting really, really sticky without much hair removal, so I thought I'd turn to a pro.

mumtojessandluke

Fair enough Kari Sometimes it is great to have a pro do it. My husband uses a Schick Hydro 5. It was a freebie as I just had to 'like' it on FB. DH was rapped. They are a little dear at $10, but he has used that one razor several times now without fail. I love it too. It has got life in it still, but I'll need to buy a replacement one day. He likes it better than his electric one! It would be difficult to cut yourself with to be honest.
Hear is a pic;
http://schickfreeyourskin.com......28-b4321b/
Cheers
B

Maya

Veteran

I think the only option you have for in-between stages, aside from shaving, is using an epilator. It will remove the hair in a similar way as sugaring or waxing, but you won't need it to be long. I have heard that it is quite painful, but I'm not sure how it compares to sugaring and waxing. I find any kind of uprooting forms of hair removal excruciating, personally.

It's worth mentioning that hair often becomes finer and grows less densely when waxed and sugared over a period of time, so you may not find shaving as irritating.

Lena

Kari, I also can't seem to shave my feet and bony areas without accidents.

The epilator gets somewhat less painful with regular use, but I rarely get to that stage because I get impatient and just shave. I find that mine doesn't get very short hair, so I need to catch it at just the right stage, not too short, not too long. I got mine a long time ago (it was pricey, though), so maybe they've improved since then.

Auburn

Veteran

Kari,
I know this doesn't go to your precise question, but you may want to get a 2nd opinion on the laser. I've had multiple areas of my body done (including my armpits) and I am THRILLED with the results. Honestly don't know how I coped before it. BUT, I've heard and over and over from my doctor that the results are far less effective when the laser has difficulty distinguishing between skin and hair--because your skin is dark or your hair is fair in color...or both. The best results are people with very pale skin and very dark hair. Just something to consider since you mentioned your leg hair being very light in color. Your salon will likely advise you that your results may not be optimal and/or you may require additional sessions to see real hair reduction.
That said, if you have questions about the process itself, I'm happy to answer them!! PM is fine too.

Scarlet

Veteran

Kari, I am back to waxing now that I have finally found someone good again. If I shave I have to shave every day and then it still doesn't look good because my skin is irritated. Also it takes a lot of time every day. Epilating doesn't work for me because it gives me broken capillaries. My skin just can't take it. I deal with the growth by wearing pants for a week or nude micro-fishnets that hide a little sin. This works for me because I often have to cover my legs anyway for work. Also I find I need to do my lower leg more often, but the upper leg can go much longer between treatments.

Regarding the itching, this should get better after your first couple of times because the hair grows back much weaker. You need to exfoliate religiously to avoid ingrown hair though.

I think there is no perfect solution.

Oh yes, Schick used to make a razor with little wires wrapped around the blades that made it hard to nick yourself. This really worked well for me to avoid nicks. However those crazy people have stopped selling this blade in the US. It is still available in Europe. Maybe check online in Canada?

Irene

Veteran

I epilate every two or three days -no kidding. I'm not very hairy, so it doesn't take me a long time to epilate, but for some reason it grows super super super fast. Shaving is useless for me because it lasts only for some hours. I have problems with ingrown hair as well, any ways of solving that? My legs look pretty awful right now due to red marks, but I still wear short pants if I need to.

Kari

Veteran

Auburn, the hair under my arms is quite a bit darker & coarser than the rest of my body hair. A female relative, who has a very similar body hair texture & skin color to mine, has been doing laser hair removal under her arms with great results. I'm hoping that it will work as well on me.

Scarlet, I remember those blades. I think that's what I used when I was a teenager and first shaving. Unfortunately, with the amount of hair that I have, the blades got clogged *way* too easily.

I think the perfect solution would be to shave with my contacts in *grin*, but my eyes don't wake up early enough to put contacts in right away.

I guess what it comes down to is that hair removal is always going to be a pain one way or another.

Scarlet

Veteran

I forgot to mention--have you tried a depilatory cream? They are much better than they use to be (when I was a teenager). I was happy using one from Veet for awhile, but unfortunately I developed an allergy to it. My skin can develop an allergy to just about anything, so don't take that as the cream's fault.

suzanne

Kari, I'm very sorry to sound like a party-pooper, but I’m very skeptical as to whether lasering will work for you. My hair colour is light auburn and my body hair has a chestnut tinge. I went for lasering. BIG mistake. Although the laser-lady assured me that my body hair was dark enough to laser, it wasn't. Apparently if you have even a smidgeon of red in the hair it will influence the lasering outcome negatively. Please get a second opinion - lasering is an expensive experiment.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I am using Veet for sensitive skin now and do not have any bad reaction to it. I like it better than shaving because after regular shaving my hair became more coarse and noticeable but after using Veet regularly it becomes thinner and less dense. Oh and no nicks on my legs is a bonus too!
I have tried waxing but I cannot stand that pain...

Louise

Veteran

I can't stand the pain for epilation I bought one did one pass over my leg and put it back in the box! I get my legs waxed every 4 weeks (3 in summer) The regrowth is very sparse and fine so unnoticeable unless you are close up and for the week before waxing I just wear leggings/ pants to hide the more visible regrowth. I get no pain from waxing apart from a bit around the back of my ankles. I think the amount of pain depends on how good the person doing the waxing is x

Kari

Veteran

Scarlet & Sveta, you know, I never have. My skin is also quite sensitive (though less so on my legs than my face) but I'd be willing to test it out if nothing else works. Thanks for the recommendation!

Suzanne, there is no red in my body hair (and actually no red in my *real* hair color.) The hair under my arms is quite dark and coarse compared to the hair on my legs. One of my relatives had laser hair removal done under her arms, and her natural hair color, body hair type, and complexion are very similar to mine, and it's worked quite well for her.

Louise, the issue isn't so much that I feel like I have to hide the hair while it's grown out - it's that I find the stubble/regrowth terribly itchy and uncomfortable, even if I'm wearing leggings or pants. I only have 3 weeks of growth (still pretty long) on my legs, and I can hardly stand it.

bella

(website)

Veteran

exfoliate! that's the little hairs trying to make their way through your skin, so give them a push by getting rid of dead cells. I use the St.Ives apricot scrub. Then moisturize liberally!

Kari

Veteran

Bella, I feel like a dunce, but I simply hadn't thought that the itchiness might be due not exfoliating enough (since I already scrub my legs with a washcloth every day.) I'll give the St. Ives scrub a try. Thanks!

rosee

Veteran

a Mediterranean girl responds (i.e. dark hair), and I've done it all:

- if lasering, don't sugar or wax or epilate. There needs to be some hair below the skin for the laser to target. Shaving is actually recommended for laser appointments and in-between maintenance.

- if red-haired or light-haired, get a good second opinion about lasering b/c many lasers don't target lighter pigments in those hair follicles. It may be possible but it also may be a very expensive waste of time.

- lasers effectively remove the particular hair follicle targeted over time (a few sessions) but they can also stimulate other follicles to produce thicker /darker hairs. Happened to me and I've read others too (internet search, don't have the link right now). This is one of the side effects they tend not to tell you about but seems to be common. Hormones also affect the new hair growth.

- a common problem with epilation /waxing /sugaring is that you can get in-grown hairs, and these can scar the skin. I don't use these methods any more b/c my skin is too sensitive and it took me a very long time to get rid of most of my scars (legs and bikini line).

- HOW you wax /sugar is important: the wax must be applied thinly and smoothly to the skin, the strip firmly pressed into the wax, and it must be quickly lifted away in the opposite direction of hair growth.
I've gotten quite good at waxing over 15 years, and I find I often do a better job than they do in the salon. Mind you, I learned this technique from an aesthetician in a salon.

- back to shaving for me, and yes men's razors seem to be better than women's for some reason (cleaner shave). I want to do more LHR (laser hair removal) again in the future though. There are products like TendSkin ( salicylic acid -- basically aspirin in a bottle) that are good for in-grown hairs. Paula's Choice also makes one, can't remember the name of it though (it's in men's skin care).

- haven't personally had success with products like VEET, but I have heard that others with less-coarse hair have.

I haven't read all the above comments, so I may be repeating some, but then it is just confirmation of that point.
Best wishes!!!