It would be dramatic to say that hair removal is the bane of my life, but hair removal is the bane of my life. I wish I was comfortable going au natural, but sadly I’m not – maybe one day, when the pursuit for dolphin-smooth skin becomes too much for me. I’ve tried four different methods of hair removal to see which is the best (or least-awful) for *down there*, to save you the time – and the pain.
By Beth Ludolf
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1 Shaving
My primary method over the years, for literally no reason other than the fact it doesn’t involve laying near enough naked – legs akimbo – in front of a woman you don’t know. I have sensitive skin which is prone to irritation and ingrown hairs. Read: shaving is not my friend. If you do it properly, it's better but it's definitely not my favourite.
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2 Waxing
For the sake of science (does this count as science?), I put on my big girl pants – or took them off depending on how you look at it – booked a Hollywood wax and spent the next month growing my hair and worrying about pain. The wax itself (hot wax, not strip) was quite painful – I have a low pain threshold – but it was over much quicker than expected. I was happy with the results but experienced some redness.
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3 Sugaring
I’ve heard people saying that sugaring is painless but I’ve never really believed them. I headed for a Hollywood – which took longer than with wax. I wouldn’t describe it as completely pain-free but it was far more bearable (I could hold a conversation throughout). The redness went down in a matter of hours too. Plus, the salon was millennial pink – major bonus points.
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4 Hair removal cream
I normally reserve hair removal cream for when I’ve left it a while – two weeks, a month, the whole of winter – between shaving my legs and don’t want to blunt my razor but alas, science (I’m classing it). While definitely convenient, there are certain areas you need to avoid (trust me) and I had to finish the job with my razor.
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5 So, which is best?
If your hair-removal routine is treatment-based, you need to fully commit, which means no shaving between appointments – this leads to uneven results. Personally, I’d recommend sugaring – it’s almost pain-free, lasts slightly longer than waxing (for some people) and is completely natural and vegan. Best of all, the results were flawless and I didn’t have to deal with any lingering redness. I’m sold.
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