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Shaving or Waxing

How often do you shave in a month and how do you know which kind of hair removal method is the best for you hair? I've been shaving with Veet bladeless razor lately and I find that the cream that was included in the kit gives me really bad case rashes and pain. I was thinking about waxing but I heard that it hurts a lot, especially for people with longer and thicker hair like mine. I remember that back in grade 8, this girl in my phys.ed class shaved so much, that I could see huge black pores popping out from her thighs. That's why shaving was never really my favourite option. So if you have any suggestion, please leave a message, thanks. :)


Sat. Aug 5, 11:32am

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I didnt mind the sting of waxing when i had it done for my honeymoon about 3 yrs ago........and i have had it done once sine then,.I did whole leg and bikini area. My ONLY problem was the expense of it! I have tried using the at home stuff but it never works. Plus my waxer does a great bikini line ;)
I have only been a few times but never had a bad experience ;) Just need to make more money so i can get it done all the time !

Saturday, August 05, 2006, 11:44 AM

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You forgot one but again cost would be a factor. BUT I would love to have it done. Laser treatments! They don't hurt, they last for a LONG time and man anything to not have to shave! I shave but I am blonde, an honest to God true blonde really light hair and really thin nice for shaving issues sucks for hair on my head!

Saturday, August 05, 2006, 1:03 PM

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I've never waxed personally but I do have an obsession with shaving. Pretty much my eye brows and my actual hair on the top of my head is the only hair anywhere. I find scrubbing your body 100% down and then shaving and then scrubbing again and follow with a good cream, will keep you good for longer.

My mom actually had the lazer done on her face and she has 0 hairs now. So I bet it's a good investment if you think razors and do a use over time equation.

Saturday, August 05, 2006, 6:21 PM

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Ahhh - thank you for that kick in the pants. I've been considering laser for underarms and bikini and now I will stop putting it off til 'someday'.

I have done some waxing and i like it but my skin is so sensitive that I am red and irritated for days and get terrible ingrown hairs (even though I scrub and put on toner afterwards). I have fair skin and coarse, dark hair. I would love to at least not have to worry about teh bikini line and underarms anymore. I shave every 3-4 days (every other day in the summer) and use the Gilette Mach3 so razors definitely add up - especially since I like 'em sharp and change often.

Saturday, August 05, 2006, 11:28 PM

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Good old waxing. Does it hurt? Yes. Will you survive? Absolutely. I strongly suggest finding an experienced esthetician to do the waxing. When I was learning how to do it in school we had to learn on eachother. Let me tell you, that was very painful, but not because of the process. If you can find someone who can pull correctly and QUICKLY, the pain is minimized. Also, if you are serious about getting rid of hair in the long term, then make a commitment to going in every 4-6 weeks (depending on the rate of hair growth) with no shaving in between visits. Within 7-8 visits your hair will all be in the same growth cycle, making the outcome much better (no stray hairs that seem to grow the next day).


Sunday, August 06, 2006, 5:17 PM

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I shave my legs everyday... I can't stand having any kind of stubble on them.. it drives me crazy... as for my bikini line, my lip, and my brows? I am an avid fan of waxing.. especially when it comes to the bikini line! No bumps, less hair grows back in and it grows back in thinner and it really only hurts while they're doing it and it's just like a stinging... after they're all done I find that I have no lingering pain. As previous posters have said, the only problem is the cost. However, I highly recommend it!

Sunday, August 06, 2006, 8:18 PM

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i shave (although most of the time w/ an electric razor, so none of the nicks, and need to do it in the shower, i have awful vision and shaving in the shower means i can't see what i'm doing at all!) however my hair is dark and grows back in minites, i kid you not, in order to be smooth all day i'd have to shave 3 or 4 times a day! (not that i actually do that)

Sunday, August 06, 2006, 8:40 PM

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niether use nair!!

Monday, August 07, 2006, 2:56 AM

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Nads is a great home waxing option because it washes off with water and the strips are cotton and reusable.

Monday, August 07, 2006, 8:38 AM

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Posters that lasered....how much would you say each visit is for your under arms? I just got a $300 gift cert. to a laser place and I am very curious to find out how much that will cover!!

Monday, August 07, 2006, 12:33 PM

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to the poster who suggested using nair . . .the op may want to avoid that as she was saying veet gave her a rash/pain. Nair and Veet are both the same type of chemicals-while great at removing hair quickly, i know from personal experience that once you get a rash from one of those, your skin will always be sensitive to it! ouch!!!

Monday, August 07, 2006, 2:37 PM

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If you use Nair or Veet or any chemical depilitory, be sure to follow up with a toner. All of those kind of products are very alkaline, and the skin is naturally more acidic in order to keep bacteria at bay. When you use chemical depilitories without re-balancing the ph of the skin, you are leaving the skin open to bacteria and infection (AKA breakouts!). Whatever works for you though. Although I do waxing, I still tend to shave. Lazy? Yep!

Thursday, August 10, 2006, 12:08 AM

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I shave my legs if I'm getting together with someone who may be touching them, or if I'm sowing leg (shave the calves for capris, just the lower thigh/.knee/upper calf for boots and skirt...). Pluck my brows, usually actually pluck arm pits too- shave if I've been lazy... Bikini I trim with an electric razor- he won't shave or wax, so why would I?

Friday, August 11, 2006, 3:06 PM

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I neither wax nor shave. I have a Philips epilator (basically electric rotating tweezers) that I swear by. I use it on my legs, underarms, and intimate region (obviously with proper hygiene precautions.) Actually the underarms hurt the most to start with, but this is completely bearable after two/three times and virtually pain-free after a couple of months as the hair is thinner and sparser. I'd say I freshen myself up every three weeks or so, but I'd say two is most women's average. It cost about $100 (€ 80), with is nothing to sneeze at, but when you consider the cost of prepackaged wax, creams, blade re-fills, professional wax, etc. you easily break even in a few months, and you save time as it is no longer a part of your morning routine. And, no, I'm not a paid representative, just a very happy, hairless girl. Do your research if you're interested as I'm sure there are many good quality epilators costing less. Mine just happened to have a few extra gadgets. Also, follow all instructions to avoid ingrown hairs, etc. as they can be avoided or at least minimised. Happy hair-removal!

Friday, August 11, 2006, 4:23 PM

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Bikini Bump

Either way, if you wax or shave you're gonna want to use an after wax or shave product called Bikini Zone. You can get it at Wal-Mart or Walgreens or at www.bikinizone.com It gets rid of razor burn/wax burn and those unwanted painful Bikini Bumps. It's amazing!

Link

Monday, September 08, 2008, 2:30 PM

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Sugaring is the way to go!

So I was sugaring this morning and thought, hey maybe some of the women on PT would like to know about this, and here this thread is...
A few months ago I went to go get my legs waxed for the first time. I have really light hair and normally shave, but hated having to do it everyday. Waxing was okay, but you really have to go often to make it worth while, and it's so expensive that I could not justify going back that often.

Anyways, I found out the details for sugaring, and now it costs me less than $1.00 to have hair gone for as long as shaving. The best part is that sugaring is better for your skin, a lot easier to clean up (just water), it won't ruin your clothes like wax can, and no garbage - everything is reusable!

So if you are interested in trying it here is the method:

You need some old cotton - sheet material (non stretchy). I used some old curtains, cut into 3x5 inch strips. The more pieces you have the more area you can sugar at once.

In a small pot combine 1 cup white sugar, 2Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Cook this on the stove on low-medium heat (2 or 3 on my dial), stirring constantly for 5-8 minutes. You want the sugar to dissolve but not start to thicken to a toffee. I usually let it slightly boil for 30seconds to 1 minute then take it off.

Put this mixture into a mug (or something heat resistant that can go in the microwave), and put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes is up get a butter knife and stir up the liquid. It should be kind of like honey. Test a small amount to make sure it's not too hot to put on your skin. I actually stick my finger in this and then lick it off... because remember this is completely edible!

If the temperature is right you can start sugaring:
-spread a thin layer of the "wax" onto you skin in the direction your hair grows with the butter knife (like spreading honey on toast)
-smooth a piece of cotton over the "wax" with the grain leaving a flap at the bottom to grab
-rip the cotton off against the grain, pulling 180degrees to the way the cotton went on (same as waxing)
And voila! the hair should come too! I actually find that waxing and ripping in the opposite directions than I just said works better for hair in different areas. Do what works best for you. Pulling the hair out in the direction it grows can be less painful.

This recipe makes enough for up to 2 legs (maybe less). As with any waxing you do need a bit of hair to grab, so it won`t work if your hair is too short.
If you have leftover "wax" you can refrigerate it. And when you want to use it pop the mug in the microwave for 30 seconds (that time varies... just make sure it's liquidy enough, but not too hot).

I also take the used cotton pieces and wash them in the sink. I dry them on the line because they don't have sown edges so they will fray. The mug, knife and pot can all go in the dishwasher - so no waste!

Cheers to smooth legs... and arms, and face, and armpits, and bikini zone - you can do it all because it's so cheap!

-Christine

Monday, September 08, 2008, 10:24 PM

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I don't care if it ends up looking like there's a rainforest growing down there, I don't think I could ever get a bikini wax.

Would a guy be able to handle that do you think? I saw the clip from 40 year old virgin...Hilarious. Is it really that bad?

-buzzard

Tuesday, September 09, 2008, 1:01 PM

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christine-

Very interesting about your "waxing" recipe. Is your hair thick or thin? I have thicker hair and know that things like nair wont work for me. I've only tried one or two waxes (at home) and its so horrible sticky that I can't seem to pull any hair out. I'm interested to try your method.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008, 2:13 PM

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I have fair skin, but also light/fine hair. My skin gets too irritated by shaving, I can't take it.

I like the results from waxing, but I find doing it myself is awkward (trying to get backs of legs), and it is time consuming. It does sting a bit, but not that painful. And it is expensive to be having it done at a salon/spa all the time. Plus, you do have to let the hair grow out in between which is inconvenient during the summer.

I also have an epilator (Braun), and I find it works pretty well. Also stings a bit, but bearable. However it can be a bit irritating to the skin, particularly if there is a lot of hair to remove all at once. My epilator also comes with a shaver head, doesn't give a particularly close shave but it does okay in a pinch.

So, in the winter, when I'm not going bare legged anywhere, I will usually use the electric shaver (least amount of skin irritation). Then in the spring, I will let the hair grow long enough and go for a wax, then use the epilator once a week or so during the summer to keep up with the hair growth.

If I'm going to be wearing a bathing suit, I usually spring for a professional bikini wax.

I still use a razor for under the arms.


Tuesday, September 09, 2008, 2:42 PM

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Most of my body hair is thin, except for my bikini area. Too much detail? Sorry. And the sugaring method works all over - it's the same as waxing - just you don't have to deal with the cost and mess of wax!

I used to use Nair/Veet but since it only weakens the hair at the skin (it doesn't remove the root of the hair like ripping it out - waxing, sugaring, plucking etc.) I found it wasn't any better than shaving. I guess you don't have to worry about cutting yourself, but just standing around for 15 minutes before you can remove it is a pain. I tried the quick 3 minute stuff and it burned the hair follicles and left sores then scabs - much more painful than a little shaving nick!

buzzard - pain tolerance is very different for different people. Taking a pill before waxing works for a lot of women Overall I think women can take more than men (pregnancy!), we sure do put ourselves through more, just for beauty's sake. But there are some men out there that like or need to be hairless: body builders, swimmers, runners, bicyclists, strippers, actors, and then those men that just don't like hair.
The bikini sugaring isn't as bad as I thought it would be - I do admit it took some courage to do.

-Christine

Tuesday, September 09, 2008, 2:45 PM

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If by 'pill' you mean a 'hammer to my head', then I'm with ya Christine;-) I think that's the only way I could ever ever ever ever ever do that. My toes are curling just thinking about it. I remember dropping to the floor one time when a hair, just one little pub, got stuck on the adhesive part of a pad once.

And yet I've stepped on razor blades in my stocking feet, cut part of me knee with a saws all, sliced and diced my hands, and have gotten shocked repeatedly, sometimes on purpose even, and I still don't think I could prepare myself for a bikini wax.

-buzzard

Tuesday, September 09, 2008, 6:29 PM

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