I'm sick of shaving my legs - talk to me about that hair dissolving stuff

[murmuration]

So, I understand there are these creams and such that you can use instead of shaving - do they work well? Are they less faff than shaving or not? Can you use them on your underarms, too? What about bikini line?

They are loads more faff than shaving. You take your clothes off and smear the area you want to remove the hair from in cream and then wait for ages. It stinks. Then you rinse it off and you still smell of stinky cream and are mostly very smooth but no more so than if you've exfoliated and shaved. It lasts a bit longer but not long enough to justify the increased effort and hassle.

Epilators aren't bad, although I never get the really smooth just-shaved feeling afterwards. Waxing is good, but I'm not prepared to pay that much money for hair removal.

You can use the creams on underarms and bikini line (but not on the more delicate pubic hair areas although lots of people do it anyway).

They are as much faff if not more as shaving. Plus they smell. It doesn't last any longer than shaving either.
Get them waxed. Much longer lasting.

Get a Lumea.

Waxing is amazing, honestly. My hair doesn't grow back for weeks.

My teen DD uses Veet- she was frightened to use a razor my tales of cutting my legs to ribbons as a teen probably didn't help

No faff, no overwhelming smell in the bathroom, lasts a bit longer than shaving. I honestly wish I'd gone down that route when I started out in the hair removal game

I use Veet. I was getting awful ingrown hairs from shaving and the GO recommended hair removal cream. I wasn't keen, mainly because of my teen memories of it stinking out the bathroom and taking bloody ages. As PP have said!

But the hair removal creams around now seem completely different! Try don't smell, take 5 mins at the most and are much kinder to my poor skin. Results last longer too.

I still shave my underarms and bikini line but I'm 100% converted to cream on my legs. Try it!

Do a patch test!
You don't want to be covered in a red itchy rash all over both legs!

I've always found creams so much more faffy than just shaving. It's basically the same process - you smear your legs with with hair removal cream/shaving foam then you either scrape off the cream with the little plastic thing or you shave with a razor. It's essentially the same action. Except that with the cream you have to wait around in between. Also if you have thick dark hair like me it takes forever and you still have to get the odd bit with a razor.

Epilator

I exfoliate beforehand and waft it up and down my legs (circular motion) it much easier than wax (I wax my armpits though) .

OK , it's not satin smooth like a razor but it lasts much longer.

Am I the only one that gets annoying red pin pricks on my legs whether I wax, shave, epilate or Veet?

I use a cheap one from homebargains, think it's nair. It works really well.

Shaving always gives me in growing hairs, no matter what I do to prevent them.

I've been terrified of epliators - I tried one as a teen and it was so painful.

Good point about a patch test!

Hmm. Looks like cream might be as much of a pain, sigh. Although I could see what I think of it. I had the impression that you just rinsed it all off, but you have to scrape just like a razor?

Having to do it less often could be a bonus if its even of faffness- does that happen for everyone?

Oh i hate shaving too. I always cut myself and add yet another scar to my legs and its always on my bloody shin bone, the most obvious place and it always looks like a big red mark that defeats the purpose of nicely shaven legs. Nothing seems the answer.

Electric razor?
My teenage DD uses a wet/dry Ladyshave ( half price in Boots when I bought it).
No nicks or razor rash and quick to use.
She's too young to wax and found even sensitive depilatory creams irritated her.

Quicksticks I get that too. Only on my lower shins. I've started shaving less often and using aveeno moisturiser on that area everyday. Seems to have helped. Just started using Eucerin 10% urea moisturiser on there too. No idea if that'll do anything.

Hair removal cream is useless on me. It works a bit but do not worth the effort, the scrapy thing leaves red marks everywhere and there's always bits missed. No benefits as far as I can see.

What's all this scraper thing? Don't you all just rinse it off under the shower?.

Don't discount epilators just yet. I was the proud owner of a first edition silk epil...the first epilators to hit British shores, I do believe.

Either my pain threshold has massively increased since then (no way) or epilators have improved dramatically.

I wax, then extend for an extra few weeks by whizzing over with epilsator.

One day I will look at a lumea, though.

Waxing! Started a couple of years ago and the hair is now growing back much finer and lighter. Would not go back to shaving for anything. The creams are just messy and expensive IME, when you consider how frequently you have to do it.

Nair everywhere
Slap it on, wait 5 mins and jump in shower wash it off then soapup and rinse and done.

Lasts longer than shaving and notnmuch fuss if you are showering anyway, just do your face and teeth in that 5 mins.

Yes.

I had a shock at the price of shaving blades in Boots today.
WTF are they made of? Platinum?

Waxing. You need to commit to it, it takes a good few months of regular waxing to get all the hair into the same growth cycle and the growing out in between appointments those first few months is a pain, but once you're there it can't be beaten.

I get 3-4 weeks of completely hair free legs then by week 6 I'm ready to be waxed again. I barely have a bikini line now, or any underarm hair, I think I've been having it waxed that long the hair follicles have given up.

My hair laughs in the face of Nair. Maybe I can sell it to NASA for lining their rockets, protect them from burning up on re-entry.

I have guttate psoriasis on lots of my body, and have done since puberty, but the last couple of years - and particularly this winter- it has got a lot worse. No hair removal since .... ???? but a week today I go to Lanzarote for two weeks to stay with IL's. Not sure what to do. If I shave, the psoriasis will have their scabs removed. If I evil ate or use HR cream, the flare-ups will really flare up. Not enough time or £££ for waxing, or the inclination tbh.

I also have Poly-cystic Ovaries so regrowth is almost immediate, it seems.

DM face!!