Hair removal—it’s the main thing that separates us humans from animals (I think, but I’m not an anthropologist). Women are most susceptible to the societal pressure to have smooth legs and armpits and absolutely fucking everything else, which usually results in them shaving. I’m sure I’m not alone in my dislike of this chore—it takes up time and money, it’s easy to cut yourself in sensitive places and you invariably miss a spot. As a result of your continuous shaving frustration, you think, “There’s got to be a better way!” Well, there might be! I decided to do some ~investigative journalism~ and review four different types of DIY hair removal methods different from shaving with a woman’s razor.
Hair removal lotion
Product: Nair Hair Removal Lotion
Pros: It actually works! Absolutely no cuts or nicks. My friend Sarah (C '20) raved about the fact that her ankles and knees have never been smoother. It’s a lot less of a concentrated effort to just put lotion on and wait than to do any method where you have to pay attention to where the hair is coming off.
Cons: It does not smell good. At all. And since you have to wait up to ten minutes to see the results, you can’t really ensure that you didn’t miss all the spots or if you even put enough on. Also, since the hair doesn’t disintegrate, it’s hard to get all of it off and I ended up with a lot of dead hair on my thigh. Not the sexy vibe I was going for.
Final Thoughts: Put on a thick layer and a wet wash cloth so the hair will come off easily. The whole process turned out a lot better than I expected, but the time might be what drives me away.
Men’s razor
Product: Flex 4 by Bic (Ed. note: This is the same company that Ellen Degeneres mocked for making a pen for women.)
Pros: My legs were so smooth after I shaved. All my hair came off in one stroke and I didn’t miss any spots. Even Anvit Reddy (C '20), who ended up shaving his legs on an unrelated bet, really enjoyed the aesthetic of smooth legs this razor gave. Plus, since men's razors are designed for faces, they are gentle to the skin so they are definitely the best choice for the pubic region. Oh, and also, Pink Tax is no joke: Men's razors—along with most gender–specific products, are much cheaper than their female counterpart.
Cons: Feeling unfeminine without the color pink while you subscribe to the shaving standard that only women face. In all seriousness, the cons apply to shaving in general. I got cut a few times, probably as a result of the sharpness of the blades and my general lack of coordination.
Final thoughts: Completely better than women's razors. They’re cheaper and more efficient. Still get cuts every now and then and still have to be careful shaving around joints.
Wax Strips
Product: Body Wax Strips for Normal Skin by Nads
Pros: I didn’t get any cuts or nicks. It’s fun to look at the hair your pulled out if, like me, you are conducting an experiment and have developed an interest in this sort of gross disgustingness.
Cons: It hurts so freaking much and you do not get used to the pain quickly. To quote Riley Morrison (C '20), who had to use wax strips on his legs after he lost a bet, (Ed. note: Why are your friends always making bets with the stakes of hair removal? And why do they keep losing?) “I have no idea why anyone would voluntarily do this to themselves.” The strips themselves are pretty small and lose their power quickly, so it takes a lot of strips to get hair off. The absolute worst part, though, was that after all the time and pain, I still had a decent amount of hair on my legs. Three days later, I can’t even tell the difference between the part I waxed and the rest of my unshaven legs. Thanks, Nads.
Final Thoughts: Would not do again. Would not recommend. Would rather not meet societally–imposed standards of beauty (Ed. note: Gasp!). If you end up using them for whatever reason, make sure you pull it off quickly to get any use out of them.
Wax Kit
Product: Extra Strength All–Over Body Wax Kit by Sally Hansen
Pros: It should be noted that I lost a lot of faith in waxing after the disaster that were the wax strips above. But this worked so much better. It took the hair off completely and it hurt a lot less. My skin felt soft and smooth afterwards.
Cons: It’s really messy and you often have to reheat the wax throughout the process. It hurts due to the fact that you are ripping hair from its follicles, but the pain doesn’t last too long. There are a lot of steps in the process that make it complicated. It takes a while to get the whole area and you have to continuously apply wax.
Final thoughts: This is definitely the most effective of all the methods because the hair stays off for much longer. Whether it’s the best depends on if you want to go through the process of first growing your hair out long enough and then performing all these steps.
Happy leg hair everyone!
