# Which depilatory to use on the er, starfish region? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 17, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107 "2010-09-17T17:35:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/1 "2010-09-17T17:35:25Z")
So I was sitting around talking to my wife yesterday, who has had laser hair removal from bellybutton to knees. She loves it, and let’s face it, so do I. I admitted as to how I might like a little trim, especially around the tainted region. Since I’m not sure I want it to be permanent, I thought I’d try a depilatory first, and then decide if I want to laser it away. I’m shying away from shaving, as I can imagine how irritating it would be when the stubble really gets going. Waxing is also out for now. So please let me know which you’ve used, with success, and what you’d recommend. Male opinions are especially solicited. Polling enabled for fun! ---
**Author:** ![Shark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Shark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/2 "2010-09-17T18:24:45Z")
Just light a fart. Seems I’ve heard many a story that that will do the trick whether you want it to or not. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/3 "2010-09-17T18:45:25Z")
> [@Shark](#): > > Just light a fart. Seems I’ve heard many a story that that will do the trick whether you want it to or not. I’ve used Nair on my nads, but not on my starfish. They don’t recommend either. In fact, they specifically state that you should not use their product on – well, just about any body part that you’d want to remove hair from. Except legs, of course. The stuff smells like crap, and doesn’t work all that well anyway. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/4 "2010-09-17T18:48:50Z")
You mean Flowbee doesn’t make an attachment? ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/5 "2010-09-17T18:50:28Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > You mean Flowbee doesn’t make an attachment? I’m not trying to feather it, I’m trying to get rid of it. And no, they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/6 "2010-09-17T18:59:03Z")
I don’t know what to use, but I’d definitely advise against nair. I tried that once. It’s the last area you want a chemical burn. ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/7 "2010-09-17T19:18:46Z")
> [@Mr.Accident](#): > > I don’t know what to use, but I’d definitely advise against nair. I tried that once. It’s the last area you want a chemical burn. Great username/post combination! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/8 "2010-09-17T20:31:23Z")
I honestly don’t know…but I just HAD to vote Slappy! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/9 "2010-09-17T20:49:32Z")
Female here. I’ve used Nair on the, er, starfish region, and it works for me. But note, I don’t have particularly sensitive skin, your results may vary. **Mr. Accident** is right, they say not to use it on the perianal area, but I like to live dangerously. 😉 That’s really it, as far as depilatories go. There are other brands, of course, but they all use the same active ingredient. Anything that can melt hair can burn skin. Your other options are waxing (REALLY hard to do yourself in that spot), sugaring (ditto), threading (ditto), tweezing (ow!), an epi-machine (mine won’t fit there, don’t know about others) or shaving (not really too bad growing back in that spot). If you decide to shave, I recommend doing it in the shower in a squatting position, as it spreads things out and makes the skin taught. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/10 "2010-09-17T22:41:52Z")
If you have $500 to toss around, you can get a home laser hair removal setup like [this](http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11525195&search=Silk%E2%80%99n%20SensEpil&Mo=1&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=Silk%E2%80%99n%20SensEpil&Ntt=Silk%E2%80%99n%20SensEpil&No=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1). It’s got a 4/5 star rating at Costco. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/11 "2010-09-17T23:16:45Z")
But after you do yourself…and your wife…and the cat…and the hamster, what are you gonna do with it? ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/12 "2010-09-17T23:55:24Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > But after you do yourself…and your wife…and the cat…and the hamster, what are you gonna do with it? There’s always ebay and craigslist. But it uses a light source (lamp?) that does burn out after a certain number of hours so you’d probably have to get a couple of replacement lamps depending on how much area you wanted/needed to cover. Those are a lot cheaper than the unit itself (which I think comes with 2 lamps), so you should still be able to get a couple hundred for the kit with no lamps. Also, even if you have dark hair (the best for laser treatments since it absorbs more light), you will probably have to go over the same area at least a few times. Of course once you’re done, you never have to worry about it again. There is probably some regrowth over time I would guess, but you should be able to handle any fuzz with a more conventional method, or you could just hang on to the unit. If you ever get bitten by a werewolf, you’re covered. And there are hairy palms. Supposedly there’s no way to get rid of that shit permanently - you know - until you deal with the “cause”. Hehehe. 😉 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/13 "2010-09-19T03:44:13Z")
Depilatory sounds awful, but I’ve never tried it. I’d go for a wax first. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/14 "2010-09-19T03:57:00Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Female here. I’ve used Nair on the, er, starfish region, and it works for me. But note, I don’t have particularly sensitive skin, your results may vary. **Mr. Accident** is right, they say not to use it on the perianal area, but I like to live dangerously. 😉 > > That’s really it, as far as depilatories go. There are other brands, of course, but they all use the same active ingredient. Anything that can melt hair can burn skin. > > Your other options are waxing (REALLY hard to do yourself in that spot), sugaring (ditto), threading (ditto), tweezing (ow!), an epi-machine (mine won’t fit there, don’t know about others) or shaving (not really too bad growing back in that spot). If you decide to shave, I recommend doing it in the shower in a squatting position, as it spreads things out and makes the skin taught. You forgot flicking your Bic. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/15 "2010-09-19T03:59:09Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > So I was sitting around talking to my wife yesterday, who has had laser hair removal from bellybutton to knees. She loves it, and let’s face it, so do I. I admitted as to how I might like a little trim, especially around the tainted region. > > Since I’m not sure I want it to be permanent, I thought I’d try a depilatory first, and then decide if I want to laser it away. > > I’m shying away from shaving, as I can imagine how irritating it would be when the stubble really gets going. Waxing is also out for now. > > So please let me know which you’ve used, with success, and what you’d recommend. Male opinions are especially solicited. > > Polling enabled for fun! I really hadn’t envisioned this when I was thinking of becoming a laser tech. Guess I pick the wrong week to start shaving assholes. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/16 "2010-09-19T04:06:11Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > You forgot flicking your Bic. oh excellent - the anal flame thrower should clean that area up nicely. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/17 "2010-09-19T07:24:27Z")
[Are you sure you want to be hairless down there?](http://forum.ebaumsworld.com/showthread.php?t=85555) ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/18 "2010-09-19T16:08:45Z")
I’ve had folks come to me with that as the funniest thing evar…I don’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/19 "2010-09-20T03:18:34Z")
I didn’t find it that funny either… especially since I shave my ass all the time and have never had a problem, so I think it’s entirely made up. That, or the person has horrendous hygiene to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107/20 "2010-09-20T03:26:09Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > I didn’t find it that funny either… especially since I shave my ass all the time and have never had a problem, so I think it’s entirely made up. That, or the person has horrendous hygiene to begin with. I think if I ran into that many problems I’d just put a shim between my ass cheeks until the hair grew back. My wife is advocating waxing, although it’s possible she just wants to see me cry like a teething infant. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-depilatory-to-use-on-the-er-starfish-region/554107.md?page=2)