I used to be in your shoes, and actually (due to financial limitations) waxed myself when I couldn’t afford to have it done. The drawback, though, as someone said, was “saving up” enough hair to have it done again (which was a real drawback during bathing suit season, because I’d find myself actually planning waxings around summer holidays, when I felt I was more likely to be invited to a pool party). My husband kept asking why I didn’t just shave, and finally I decided, “Screw it - I’ll give it a try.” I’d read at some point about exfoliation of the legs to prevent ingrowns and the like, so I went out and bought myself (Lord, hammercy) a bunch of those copper kitchen scrubbing pads and started scrubbing every day.
Lo and behold, I’m able to shave every couple of days (which is about how often I feel like it) without the problem of ingrowns and the like. I am silky smooth! (Well, OK, not right now, per se . . . )
I will say that if I were you, I’d skip the copper kitchen scrubbies and just get a Buf Puf or something. Live and learn.
My husband doesn’t care, either…in fact, I think he prefers it when I grow it out, because I have nasty stubble within one day of shaving.
In the winter, I wear jeans pretty much every day, so I don’t shave at all unless there is some event where I will be wearing a skirt.
In the summer, I tend to only shave my entire leg if I’m planning to go swimming or wear shorts (which is rare, as I don’t like to wear them to work). I do wear capris all summer, so I shave from the knees down just about every day. I am one who is just as hairy above the knees as below…and I have very dark, almost black hair that grows pretty thick, and very very pale skin, so I can’t get away with not shaving pretty much every day, if people are going to see my legs at all. I have noticed this year, though, the hair is getting either finer or sparser, I’m not sure which. There just isn’t as much as there used to be. Don’t know if this is my age, or if being pregnant has something to do with it. I just hope it continues!
My sister, on the other hand, is blonde, and can go 2 weeks without shaving, even in the summer, the little bitch.
I have problems using it in my armpits - those hairs are deeply rooted and they seem to only come out a couple at a time, and ever so slowly and fairly painfully. At one point I’d gotten them completely smooth and damn, I loved the complete lack of stubble (and the corresponding blue-black dots when a cut hair is at the surface but not out yet), but then I slacked off, and getting back into trying to epilate them seemed like too much effort.
I also have problems in the “bikini area” (I don’t do a full pluck there, just trim it back a lot); the hairs are also thick there so there’s some pain, and I seem to get a lot of ingrowns. I’m just lazy about exfoliating, I think. I went back to shaving but I hate the stubble.
I don’t have problems on my legs, but note that I can dry-shave them with a regular razor without much irritation. Trying to pluck the hairs with a tweezers hurts like a bitch, but the epilator doesn’t feel bad at all. Minor pain on occasion but mostly it just feels kind of scratchy. Don’t expect the hair to come off with a single swish of the epilator; you have to go over spots a few times, especially if your hair is really thin (like on my thighs). If I’m dedicated about it, I just do a touch-up every week or so, skimming it over my legs fairly quickly, and feeling for any obvious hairs with my other hand as I go. It does seem to have decreased the amount of hair that grows back. My calves used to get really furry if I stopped shaving; now if I don’t epilate for a few weeks, the hair is very sparsely scattered over the leg.
I had a roommate in school that had one. I’d never even heard of one, but it sounded like a fantastic idea. She warned me that it might hurt a tiny bit if you aren’t used to it, but it wasn’t too bad for her.
So about 6 months ago I figured I’d buy one and give it a shot. I start inspecting it and realize it’s basically a teeny machine that’ll tweeze your legs for you. Oof.
While trying it, I think I said: “Ow. Ow! Son of a… owowowowowowow. Christ, she was insane! Damn! Ow! Forget this shit.” Now if anything I use the regular electric-shaver attachment on the bloody thing.
Tiny torture devices, the lot of them. Apparently you do get used to it and it hurts less the more you do it, but I personally can’t imagine doing it long enough to get to that point.
As for shaving above the knee, I lucked out. If anything, all I need to shave is the front of my thighs. The back is very fine light blonde hair; more luck fuzz, really
Even then, doing the front isn’t necessary, but sometimes I get it in my head that I need to get rid of all of the hair.
Every day in the summer because I often go stockingless. Twice a week in winter. In wintertime, however, if I catch the glint in hubby’s eye that portends amatory adventures later on, I’ll shave because I feel sexier when I’m smooth.
Does it really grow in more slowly in the winter? I’ve always thought so, but I wonder if I just don’t care as much when I’m not wearing shorts and don’t notice as much. I’m also on the once-a-week in winter, every-other-day in summer schedule. There’s not much to see after two days in the summer, but if I’m going to wear shorts, I don’t like the feel of any stubble at all.
Legs - when I feel like it. Usually once or twice a year. I live in jeans 99.9% of the time, and the .1% that I’m out of them I’m only at home and not going out anyway so they can stay furry. Besides, I only grow hair around my ankles and a patch on the front of my knees. Never had to shave above the knees, and most of my calves just get a quick swipe.
Underarms - slightly more frequently. Usually when there’s half a cm of hair or so. I can’t shave that frequently under my arms, I have terribly sensitive skin no matter what I do (moisturising, exfoliating, shaving cream, conditioner, whatever) and as soon as I’ve shaved I get problems putting deodorant on for three days, so shaving the pits comes about once a month or so, or when I really feel feral.
Hubby doesn’t mind. Apparently he doesn’t notice most of the time. And frankly if he wants either done more often he can do them himself. It all just takes too damned long.
Can you believe my current bf will actually tell me that i need to shave my legs if i go an extra day?
Not to get too indiscreet, but what about bikini areas? I’m very interested in getting mine waxed, but i have no idea where to get it done! Shaving that sucks!
Legs - maybe once a month. My leg hair is fairly sparse and light colored, and luckily Mr. AdoptaMom has rough hands from being a carpenter so he can’t tell when I’ve shaved or when I haven’t.
Underarms - again very, very sparse (maybe 20 hairs in each armpit and they are light colored) so twice a month.
Eyebrows - waxed every three to four weeks.
Now, since this is primarily a girlie thread I’m gonna ask a question that I’ve been curious about for a long time but have been too embarrassed to ask. It seems that in the last 10-15 years it’s become more common for women to shave/wax their girlie bits quite a bit more than the occasional bikini trim I grew up doing. One of daughters trims back to a landing strip and the other shaves completely. Frankly, I dunno why? Especially in the younger one who shaves to baldness Why? I apologize in advance for the wording of my question but I just can’t think of a PC way to ask why a grown/semi grown woman wants to look like a child? Can anyone explain this to this 45 year old grandma?
I’m a DIYer and I’ve tried Nads and several other types of wax, some of them specifically for the bikini area. They HURT! They all left most of the hair behind and had me using every profane word I know. I never got very far.
I didn’t give up! I read a lot of reviews and opinions and bought “Gigi Brazilian Hard Wax” - in a kit including the warmer. They also have a Brazilian kit for the microwave… but I didn’t want to be running through the house half-nekkid to re-heat.
I used it for the first time last weekend and I’m impressed! It worked very, very well and it removed damn near every hair. Each rip hurt for a couple seconds but nothing compared to the other brands.
The redness went away after a few hours and the tenderness was gone the next day. 7 days later… still smooth. I’ve been exfoliating every other day and so far no bumps, ingrown hairs or anything funky.
If you decide to wax yourself, save the trouble and buy the Gigi hard wax. It’s meant for the bikini area and from my experience is the best stuff out there. Another suggestion… an assistant might be a good idea. I could’ve used a 3rd and 4th hand to get to some areas.
I’m still excited that the stuff actually worked well… I wouldn’t know where to tell ya to find a pro to do it. DIY isn’t for everybody.
I forgot to add… I shave my legs about once a week in the cooler months and 3-4 times a week in the summer time.
I shave my armpits and full arms every other day.
I come from fairly non-hairy stock and really only have a lot of hair on my head (fine hairs, but lots of them) and I have thick eyebrows. In the winter I shave my legs from the knees down every couple of weeks, when I feel like it. In the summer, I shave once or twice a week and wear shorts or skirts regardless. I don’t shave above the knees because I have maybe a dozen fine hairs on each thigh. I shave my armpits when I shave my legs. I can’t use depilatory creams like Nair since they both burn and give me a nasty rash. I do get the eyebrows waxed every month when I can afford it, but as I’m very poor right now, I’ve been using the funky eyebrow razors from the Asian beauty supply store. I love those things. I’ve never waxed anything below the neck, though. I’ve never had an SO complain, and frankly, would think it rude if he or she did.
Why? I apologize in advance for the wording of my question but I just can’t think of a PC way to ask why a grown/semi grown woman wants to look like a child? Can anyone explain this to this 45 year old grandma?