Beauty can be painful. Every woman- and even some men- have put themselves through multitudes of painful experiences in the name of beauty. One big trend that’s been going to decades is waxing. Waxing is a simple idea- smear wax on, stick a cloth strip to the wax, and then rip the strip off, in theory taking the hair with it, like a giant, super sticky band-aid. How is it that a woman can do this- rip hair out by the root- and still be afraid of a spider?
Well, my attempt at joining the thousands of waxers out there did not go so well. My first product was Veet’s Ready to Use Wax Strips. While they may have been the least messy and the easiest to use, they simply didn’t remove the hair from my leg, making the whole painful process useless. The strip was easy to apply, easy to peel off- if somewhat painful, though it really wasn’t that bad, but it only removed less a third of the hair. That is when I even considered opting for some of the aesthetic treatments for clients in New Jersey.
The second product I tried was Sally Hanson’s Spa Body Wax and Hair Remover Kit. This product seemed more professional than Veet’s pre-waxed strips, but it turns out, this kit too was a bust. While the waxed heated easily and could be easily spread with the included tongue depressors, once again, the strips simply did not remove all the hair. While this product did remove more than Veet, it also left more redness and irritation behind- not to mention wax! That sticky stuff spread easily- a little too easily! Within minutes, it was everywhere! My fingers, my legs, even my elbow! Panic set in- my toddler was about to wake from her nap and I had to get this stuff off fast! I read the directions, but they said nothing! Nothing! Uh, oh. Now what? I tried soap, cold water, hot water, even scrub! Nothing worked. Until I decided to just try the bottle of oil meant for the skin after waxing- and off it came. Whew! I had feared living a few days with sticky hands and legs.
So after all this trial, I still had hairy legs, some redness, and irritation. So, do I give up? Of course not. I decided to next try Nair’s new Shower Power cream. What through me off about this product was that for $7.99 a tube, there really wasn’t much cream. I might get two uses, maybe three if I’m lucky. The cream had that lovely stench that hair remover has and freezing cold to apply. I followed the directions, applying generously with the applicator sponge and letting it set before getting into the shower. Compared to the waxing, this one was much less painful! The sponge had a rough, porous side that when used to remove the cream, took the hair with it. However, much of the removal was uneven and the sponge left a few welts on my legs from the roughness. In the end, while less painful, the Nair Cream still did not compare to the smoothness and coverage of a sharp razor, and my razor doesn’t leave welts on my legs. After all this, I think I’ll just stick my razor.
