I hate shaving.

Despite this, since age 13 I have shaved my legs every day, whenever I showered. As a result I would take 30-40 minute showers, which was an absolute chore. Showering and shaving became almost synonymous in my mind so I dreaded that time of the day. I did a bar soap and water shave so not only did my skin become dry and itchy, but I went through about a bar of soap per week and a large bottle of lotion per month. I hated everything about the process and cursed myself for having such thick hair.

Recently I started looking for other options. Armed with the knowledge that I have a reasonably high pain tolerance, I tried waxing. I really liked the idea of a low-maintenance procedure, one that would only have to be run once a month, so at first waxing seemed ideal. When I actually attempted it, I found it inefficient and more of a hassle than it was worth. I got the wax everywhere including the hair on my head and ran out of waxing strips long before my legs were hairless. It was a complete failure. For the next week I begrudgingly went back to shaving.

The following week I read an online article someone had written about an epilator. I had never heard of such a device before, but I was intrigued. It appeared to produce the same type of results as waxing, but without the recurring cost and mess. After a bit of research on Amazon.com, I decided to try the Braun 5270 Silk-épil X’elle.

That was quite possibly the most wisely invested $60 of my life!

Now I spend 45 minutes twice a month removing hair from my legs rather than 10 minutes every morning in the shower. My showering time is down to ten minutes and my skin is softer than ever. No more stubble on my legs every day by 4PM and no more razor bumps. One bar of soap every other month! Quite simply, this is a life-altering device.

The one downside to this method of hair removal is the pain factor. The first time I tried it, I had never pulled hair out of my legs before (save for the botched waxing attempt), and it hurt like a biatch. I’ve been plucking my eyebrows for years so I know that over time the pain diminishes to the point where it becomes unnoticeable. During that first session I was sweating and nauseous over the pain so I had to take short breaks now and then to collect myself. My skin was red and sore for a few hours afterwards but the next morning felt fine.

The second pass a few weeks later proved the theory that it should be less painful over time. The hair grew back thinner and softer and pulled out from the root with less resistance so it hurt far less. Now it’s only the areas of sensitive skin that give me pause.

One other caution I would like to stress is the tendency to develop ingrown hairs. This problem is diminished and almost completely negated with a good pair of tweezers and the right cream. I have been using a product called Princereigns Ingrown Hair and Razor Bump Gel and it has worked like a charm. It’s a bit on the expensive side but a little bit goes a long way and it saves so much time and hassle because it actually does what it claims to. (Imagine that!)

For the first time in ages I feel content with being female with regards to the maintenance requirements. :D