Razor Burn, Chemical Burn and Ingrown Hairs (yes TMI)

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
1

Pubic hair is the bane of my existance. I hate it. I want it gone.

But, I have very sensitive skin. I have been trying to get rid of the hair since I was 12. I am 27 now. It’s not working. I can’t afford electrolysis and to be honest, it kinda scares me.

So, right now I am suffering from a combination of ingrown hairs, razor burn and mild chemical burn. I can’t do anything about any of it right now because I just got pierced and I don’t think it’s a good idea to use any type of removers or other chemicals while I’m healing.

Now the hair will grow back, the razor and chemical burns will go away, and I can take care of the ingrown hairs. And I will be right back where I started - perfect for starting with a clean slate (or crotch).

What do you suggest? Here are my attempts so far…

I have used razors and shaving cream, razors and soap, Nair type products, and electric shavers.

Razors: I have tried every brand. I have used “man” razors and “woman” razors. I do not use a dull blade. Actually, I will only use a blade once on that area, then the razor gets banished to the legs and pits. I ALWAYS get razor burn and ingrown hairs.

Shaving cream: Again, I’ve tried every brand. I’ve used regular stuff and the stuff specifically for sensitive skin. I’ve used stuff designed for the bikini area. I still get razor burn and ingrown hairs.

Soap: Bad idea - did it once, never again. :eek:

Nair: Can we say chemical burn? I used the bikini formula and I only kept it on for 2 minutes. I ended up with a severe case of chemical burn. And I still got ingrown hairs - in the few spots with successful removal after such a short amount of time.

Electric shaver: Ingrown hairs, itchy bumps which feel like razor burn but don’t look like razor burn, just cuts off the surface so I always have stubble - even immediately after doing it.

Other products I’ve tried: I just found this stuff which is supposed to neutralize the chemicals in all hair removal products. According to the package, hair removers, including shaving cream, will continue to work even after you wash them off. This stuff is supposed to turn pink when the chemicals are present and turn white when they’re all gone. It’s supposed to reduce irritation. I’ve used it 3 times. I still have razor burn. I also use the Bikini Zone stuff which is supposed to stop the itchy bumps before they start. Yeah right, and holy shit does that stuff burn.
Waxing - I can’t get the stuff to work when I try the home waxers. I’ve never successfully removed a single hair. I can’t even get it to work on my legs. I’m terrified of having someone else do it. I’ve had friends tell me horror stories of missing patches of skin, bad cases of ingrown hairs, fast regrowth, and itching. I also can’t seem to find anyone willing to do more than just the bikini line. I can’t be the only person who wants complete removal.

As far as getting it done professionally, I can’t even find someone to remove it all in Massachusetts. I live near Springfield and I’ve also checked near Worcester. Next week, I’m moving to North Bumfuck New York. The closest major city is across the lake in Vermont or over the border in Canada. I don’t think I’ll have much luck there either. I’m amazed I found someone to do the piercing.

In case it matters, my pubes are very straight. It’s kinda thick right above the naughty bits and thins out towards the legs. I am a redhead and I am very typical with the very sensitive skin (obviously).

I know there must be a way to get it all removed without pain and suffering. I’m apparently incapable of doing anything girly. I can’t wear makeup. I can’t put on pantyhose. I look stupid in a skirt. I can’t remove my pubes. I can walk in stillettos though.

What do I do? Anyone else suffer for years before finding the miracle solution? Please help! Also, if anyone knows of a removal professional in either Central or Western Massachusetts, anywhere in Vermont, the northern part of New York, or Montreal - please e-mail me with their info. I am not afraid to travel if it means I don’t have an itchy, painful crotch.

2

I think that you might want to consider trimming the hair closely, but not right down to the skin. There are electric hair trimmers available in most drug stores.

Or else you could have electrolysis done on the area, I guess. Though that would present problems of its own.

3

Why do you hate it so much?

4

Two things:

Shave with the hair, not against it.

And exfoliate before shaving.

This helps me avoid ingrown hair on my legs.

5

I use hair conditioner instead of shaving cream - reduces the irritation considerably. There are also gels to be applied after shaving that help reduce irritation.

6

Quiddity Glomfuster (heh, quiddity :smiley: ) I don’t know actually. I don’t mind it on other people. The only time it bothers me on a guy is when it gets in my throat :smiley: . But for some reason, I hate my own. Maybe it’s because it’s so straight. Being very straight, it is very unruly. It doesn’t just sit there looking all neat like curly pubes do. I have tried just leaving it alone but it doesn’t work. It always starts irritating me.

Maybe I could find a pube-haters support group? I might have more luck with that than with getting rid of the razor burn.

On preview jsgoddess I have tried shaving with, against and perpendicular. It doesn’t seem to make a difference. Actually it does. When I shave with the grain, it never seems to get a close shave. Is there a way to get really close without going against?

I’m curious about the conditioner idea SCL. Very curious. And, I’d be willing to give it a try now because I can’t imagine conditioner burning the “wound”.

7

I have this problem too. I get razor burn all the damn time, and I also can’t shave again (legs or naughty bits) until the hair has had a chance to grow out for a few days, or it gets horribly irritated.

The one thing I did notice, though, was that the areas closest to my naughty bits are the least sensitive. I can go over and over the same spot with a razor, in different directions, and it never gets irritated. Itchy when the stubble comes back, though. But the most sensitive part of my pubic area is the part the you can see while standing with legs together- that little triangle. What is it called? The Mons Pubis?

But the problem with electric shavers and shaving with the hair growth is that you don’t get rid of all the hair, there’s still stubble. And stubble is much worse than pubic hair IMO. Who wants to rub what feels like sandpaper? At least pubes aren’t as abrasive.

8

This is it exactly!! I can get right inside the little fold where the clit hood is and I have no problem at all. Along the sides are no problem. But that mound area is the worst. I look like I have a tropical skin disease. I’m sure it’s a real turn on when I take off my underpants in front of a guy :rolleyes:

9

This thread is useless without pictures!

:smiley:

10

I have a friend who doesn’t do any sort of hair removal for this reason. I believe the term she used was “diseased rubber chicken” which I agree is fitting after some of the razor burn/ingrown hairs I’ve experienced.

ETA: I appreciate the use of the term “underpants.” I hate the word “panties”, and I think “underpants” is fun. Makes me giggle.

11

Eww. You want pictures of my “diseased rubber chicken crotch” (thanks RedRoses’ friend! ). Dude, you have worse issues than I do. :smiley:
RedRosesForMe I actually call them “undies” most of the time. I called them underpants so you guys wouldn’t think I was a 12 year old posing as an adult. I hate the word “panties”. For some reason it strikes me as pretentious. Pajamas does too. I like “jammies”.

Ok, enough derailing my own tread. :smiley:

12

I only do legs and bikini area, but I’ve got really sensitive skin too, and spent 10 years suffering through constant razor burn and irritation, trying every razor and shaving product imaginable. I tried wax once and never went back.

I don’t use the precut strips, though. I use surgiwax, which you heat up in the microwave, use a little wooden trowel thing to apply, wait about 10 seconds, and pull off. No muslin bits, no trying to warm up strips that don’t work. Just good old fashioned wax. Unfortunately, they’ve changed their formula, which used to just be rosin, beeswax and glycerine, and I can’t find any other wax with just these ingredients, so I don’t like it quite as much as I used to. But for me it’s still far better than shaving.

I think you could probably find someone to do the waxing for you - what you’re looking for is a Brazillian wax job. Just look for local beauty salons and call around to see who does Brazillian waxing, or ask them for suggestions if the places you call don’t offer it. Or you could try doing it yourself with some real wax, not those crappy strips or the “sugar” or cold wax BS.

13

Hmmm… let’s see. 27, female, redhead, wants help with her pubes, lives within driving distance of my college.

Say, how about I help you out? Let’s get together sometime and I’ll take care of those nasty pubes! I promise you wont look like a “diseased rubber chicken crotch” :wink:

14

mlerose

A few questions for you.

  1. Do you have to rip fast or do you just pull it off? I hate those stupid strips because they never stick to the wax. So a no strip option would be great. I think what I’m trying to ask is can an uncoordinated person pull the wax off and actuall take the hair with it? Or does it require some kind of finesse?
  2. How bad is the pain really? And if a person lacks finesse, is the pain magnified?
15

You’re so sweet to offer :stuck_out_tongue:

Alas, I think I’ll be giving the surgiwax a try.

16

congodwarf, when you wax, don’t pull up. Pull backwards against the grain. You know when you are trying to peel a sticker or price tag off of a glass or tupperware? Grab the edge, sort of fold it back on itself, and peel. Fast or slow doesn’t matter. After the first couple of strips the endorphins kick in, and your pain tolerance goes way up. I have used wax since I was a teenager, and I am so used to the ouchy that I no longer flinch. First two hurt; remaining hurt less and less. You can also take ibuprofen or acetominiphin an hour or two before to lessen the sting. But not aspirin- don’t want to bleed.

I mentioned in an earlier waxing thread that life for us bare girls would be easier if our girlfriends could be our bikini wax partners. We must shrug off our inhibitions and help our sisters rid themselves of unwanted hair. Ladies: I beseech you. Unite! (Then come over and we’ll wax each other smooth. I have wax, tequila and a blender, and I know how to use them. We can get through this together.)

17

You might want to look into a product called Tend Skin that reduces razor burn and ingrown hairs. If you google the brand, you will see that they have a crazy low-rent web site, but it’s an actual product. The salon I go to sells it, so you can buy it in real life as well as online. Fortunately for me, I’m not prone to razor burn so I can’t give you a personal testimony, but I know several people who swear by it as the solution to their hair removal problems.

It is also seriously chemical, so if you ever decide to try it, be sure to do a small test area before putting it all over your personal bits.

18

I’ve waxed myself, and had someone else do it, and I much prefer someone else - psyching myself up to rip seems to add a level of anticipation pain which I can do without.

Using just the wax (instead of wax and cloth strip) is a lot less painful, and I’d definately recommend this option. In my part of the world, though a brazillian gives you a small landing strip - to have it all removed they tend to advertise an XXX wax. It may be different in the US. I’ve never done the full removal though - don’t think I could handle the pain! Bear in mind that redheads are meant to be more pain sensitive.

Haven’t tried it, but if you are looking for permanent hair removal, is laser hair removal something to consider?

19

Try the waxing. And I’d also suggest getting someone else to do it. An experienced beauty salon employee will know what she’s doing, and will do it quicker and neater than you can do it yourself.

And it hurts much less than you might think it would. Honestly. I was pretty surprised at how bearable it is. And you feel so smooth and delicious afterwards.

20

  1. Beaucarnea is right, what you have to do is roll up the end of the bit you’ve slathered on to give yourself a little handle, and pull directly backward, in the opposite direction of hair growth (you put the wax on in the direction of hair growth). You don’t pull up, you pull directly backward, like you would peeling a label or a sticker. Something else that helps me is to put a little bit of oil or lotion on my legs/bits first - some of the surgiwax comes with a topical oil that has a little bit of anaesthetic in it. But you could just use a bit of olive oil or massage oil or something. You don’t want a lot, just enough to make the skin not dry, so the wax sticks to the hairs and not the skin. I second taking some ibuprofen beforehand, but at this point the only part that hurts for me is the bikini area - my legs have been waxed so many times that it hardly hurts at all. It also helps to trim the hair to less than 1/2 inch and do small areas at a time when you’re first starting out.

  2. I think pain is probably a matter of personal experience, and also your mindset probably magnifies pain you’re expecting. A lot of people I know have someone else do it because it hurts more to do it themselves, since they have a hard time causing themselves pain. Me, I’d rather do it myself and know exactly when and how it’s going to hurt. I agree, the first couple hurt more than the later ones, and there’s something to be said for those little bits of endorphins. Though I think it would be easier to have someone else do the full monty wax job for you - one of the things about waxing is that it hurts a lot less if you can make the skin you’re working with taut, which is tough to do on your girl bits by yourself.