AIBU to mystified about leg waxing if you have...

[UnhappyFeet]

... Dark hair. I have tried it. Within 3 weeks the new growth is very visible. Then it has to grow a certain length before being redone. It's very expensive to keep having it done professionally, but the main issue is that my legs look ok for only approx 2 weeks per professional wax.

So... I am now waxing them myself, every few days to get rid of new growth. Legs look ok from a distance but wouldn't want them inflected in bright sunlight, lol! There are still several spare hairs that are visible in certain light. I can see this level of hair growth would be fine if I was fair, but I'm not.

What's the secret? Do I persevere?

[UnhappyFeet]

' inspected' not inflected!

[BigPawsBrown]

I know, it makes no sense does it? I get it done for holidays but HATE the two weeks where I have super hairy legs prior to the wax when I have to grow them.

[MrsSippy]

Epilate! I have one of those 'grain of sand' thingies and there is never any sign of growth - oh and it stops being blood-curdlingly painful after a short while...

[thenightsky]

Epilate. It pulls out much shorter hairs by the root, same as waxing. I do armpits too, although that did take some building up to and hurt like a bastard the first half dozen times.

Now I just whisk the epilator over pits and legs once a week in summer and once a fortnight in winter.

[IpsyUpsyDaisyDo]

I epilate my legs - same effect as waxing but you can do it more often and after the on-off cost it's free

[TheWomanTheyCallJayne]

I've never understood this either. I do epilate but have to go over them very quickly really regularly. It means they look hairless but are never quite perfect. Before an event I have to let them grow a bit.

I can shave my legs smooth, get goose pimples and then am stubbly again. I think I'm just a wookie

[TheWomanTheyCallJayne]

I have to go over mine daily or every other day unlike thenightsky

[UnhappyFeet]

Ok thanks. Any suggestions for brand of epilator? And can the hair be short?

[UnhappyFeet]

Ha! In my OP I meant 'sparse' hairs not spare hairs :)

[thenightsky]

Jayne, I find if I do them more often than once a week, the grow unevenly and I end up doing them daily, like you. In the winter, I let them all get to an equal sort of length over the course of 2 - 3 weeks, then whisk the lot off. That way they all seem to end up at the same stage of growth at the same time.

[TheWomanTheyCallJayne]

I have a braun silk epil. They do seem to be the ones people consistently praise

[treaclesoda]

MrsSippy what's this grain of sand thing of which you speak? Do I need to know about this?

I like epilating but (and I suspect people are going to hate me for this) I have very little leg hair and what I do have is sort of fair, so I can go for weeks without actually looking particularly hairy.

[thenightsky]

Mine is a Braun silk epil too.

[GingerRodgers]

I've been waxing/epilating for about 12 years now and they're at the point where they could grow long(ish) am not be too noticeable.
I am dark haired and like a wooly mammoth quite hairy.
I also do arms, pits and tash. They're all, finally, very fair and much less noticeable.
I do appreciate this is quite a length of time to 'persevere'

[UnhappyFeet]

I'm absorbing all this info and also intrigued about the sand thing.

[UnhappyFeet]

Ginger, tash is a brave thing to try! I'd be terrified it'd grow back thicker or that I'd get a rash.

[IpsyUpsyDaisyDo]

Another one for the Silk Epil
Also, I've found that over the years of epilating, there are patches on my legs where the hair no longer grows

[Frontier]

I just wax/epilate the top half to keep them under control rather than perfect and shave the lower legs which don't get sore/rashy like the tops do and takes only a few seconds in the shower each morning.

[MrsSippy]

Lol Treacle, it's a Braun silk-epil which was advertised as getting out hairs as small as a grain of sand (0.5mm I believe).

[revealall]

I feel your pain. Epilation is sort of the best but it really doesn't feel as good as a shaved leg at any point. You have to do it a lot if you are prone to hair and I found it hard to get rid of hairy knees and ankles.
Waxing is pointless unless you can do it loads at home. I use a microwave one that you peel off without strips for face and bikini line. The rest is shaved.
Interestingly the very hairy Brazilians bleach the tops off their legs to the knee and just get rid of the rest. I think for those of us with thick hair this is a good option. We'll never look evenly smooth , so natural but not unkempt is a good compromise.

[MrsSippy]

Ginger, the tash really hurts but I do whizz of the occasional chin pube with mine...

[thenightsky]

Yes Ipsy... I've found that after a couple of years of epilating I have patches where the hair no longer grows (both legs and pits)

[UnhappyFeet]

Lol, I just posted my next hairy legs post on a book club thread by mistake. Tee hee.


I have no visible hair on my thighs but they are a bit pimply ( I have a bit of Keratosis pilaris-sp?). But my calves compete with DH if left wild. I think epilator may be the thing to try. Thanks.

[treaclesoda]

MrsSippy thanks, I might investigate that. My epilator is really old and I think there are much better ones available now.

[KnackeredMuchly]

Yy try an epilator