Let’s Talk About Hair Loss (The Good Kind)

Getting rid of unwanted hair is an obsession with many women. Whether you're looking for smoother legs and pits, a neat bikini area, or the elimination of pesky hairs on the face (I'm not just talking about eyebrows, either), there are hundreds of products that will help you shave, pluck, or yank the hair away.

I'm curious, how much hair do most women tolerate?  Are you a Shave Below The Knees Only type of gal? An Everything Below The Eyebrows person? Or an Only During The Summer/When I Have A Date? Has how much you shave and what parts you choose to shave changed over time?  Do you wax, epilate, shave, pluck, or Nair?

I'm old school, myself, and stick with razors. My current favorite is the Venus Embrace —four blades, a pivoting head, and a "Ribbon of Moisture" make for smooth, easy shaving and no nicks/cuts (so far). I use it in conjunction with Gordon's Shaving Lotion from Carol's Daughter (which works equally well for men and women).

What are your favorite hair removal products and methods?  Your suggestions may end up in a future newsletter!

SheFinds Solution: Step Out In Your Itsy-Bitsy-Teeny-Weeny Bikini With A Smooth Bikini Line

I'm about to head out on a pseudo-spring break for a few days – my boyfriend is in graduate school so I'm piggy-backing off his good fortune at still having spring break.

I have 3 things on a list of must-do-before-I-even-think-about-stepping-foot-on-a-beach:

A pedicure, spray-tan (Silly, I know, because I'm going there to get a tan – but really, it's necessary. A winter in New York City where the sun doesn't shine on my cubicle will make a gal as pasty as can be. And we all know about the dangers of tanning beds by now, don't we girls?), and bikini wax. 

It's the third one that scares me. I'm not scared of the fact that a woman (hopefully it’s not a man) will be seeing my business – they do this for a living so I've gotten over that insecurity factor that plagues so many of us and keeps us at home with our razor and shaving cream. I'm not scared of the sheer volume of pain I'm about to endure or even the insane contorted positions I will find myself in through the 15 minute session. I'm scared of the aftermath.

I have the world's most sensitive skin. I'm not talking a bit of razor burn every now and then when I shave. I'm talking insta-razor burn covering every hair follicle, blood (oh the humanity!), ingrown hairs, and even cysts from shaving. After boy-short swim suits went out of style I did my research and found the best product that actually prevents all of this from ever occurring: Tend Skin.

This miracle of a product works wonders on my bikini line and can be used anywhere you shave or get waxed. Caution - it's alcohol based - so it definitely burns. I use it immediately after shaving. I've gotten used to the immediate sting. But waxers beware - give it a few hours, maybe even until the next day before you put this potent stuff on your skin.

Get Yours: $20 at sephora.com  

Which Wax Strips Do The Trick?

Much like death and taxes, hair removal is one of life's few certainties--at least for us ladies. But when you don't have $79 (or 79 minutes) to devote to a lean-and-mean depilation at your local salon, how's a girl to maintain? Today we compare two different pre-waxed strip hair removal kits to tell you which of these tidy alternatives to hot wax will give you the salon-smooth feel. 

What: Sally Hansen Wax Strip Kit ($8.19) vs. Parissa Wax Strips ($10.29)

First things first: no pre-waxed strip will give you better results than a microwaveable hot wax kit (see our comparison of home wax kits for your best bet in that category). But as a home waxing veteran, I know that sometimes I don't have time for the goop, the mess, or the darned muslin strips that always seem to run out mid-depilation. That's when wax strips come in handy: they're quick and neat, and for last-minute touch ups or small-area removal, they really work. So recently, when I noticed some rogue hairs growing in to my impeccable bikini line, I decided to put Sally Hansen's and Parissa's versions of the all-body wax strip kits to the test.

The Winner: Parissa Wax Strips - Sensitive Formula

While neither product managed to grab 100% of those stubborn bikini buggers, Parissa pulled out more hairs per band. From there it was just a few tweezes to perfection. Plus, since the strips come in three assorted sizes, you can match width with area. In some of the trickier contours of the inner thigh, for example, the slender, shorter underarm strips actually fit better (and thus grip better) than the strips intended for the bikini. If you think outside the box, I bet even the teeny-weeny eyebrow strips could work wonders down there! Afterwards, slick your newly-sheered skin with the included azulene oil, which will soothe and soften the area. 

Wax On, Wax Off: Do-It-Yourself Bikini Waxes

It may not be swimsuit season yet, but we know that a well-groomed bikini line is a year-round must. Since you don't always have the time or money to visit your trusted salon's mistress of torture - ahem, depilation expert - sometimes you've got to take matters into your own hands. Below, we compare a few of the home hair removal options out there to get you the smoothest skin with the least mess. 

What: Surgi-Wax Brazilian Waxing Kit ($4.73), Sally Hansen Brazilian Waxing & Shaping Kit ($11.86), and Nad's No-Heat Hair Removal Gel ($14.99).

I'll let you in on an inconvenient truth, ladies: all these products are going to hurt when they come off. Nonetheless, they're all time-tried by me (your shaggy, long-suffering home waxing expert). So the question of which wax you choose to use comes down to the details. Surgi-Wax and Sally Hansen feature a tub of solid wax that liquifies as you heat in the microwave. This is good because when you tear the cooled, hardened wax off your skin, it's going to take everything on there with it. On the downside, the wax also cools in its tub, and so may require reheating during the process. If that doesn't suit your fancy, try Nads which uses a sticky, sugar-based gel that grips hair at room temp. But then again, Nads relies on reusable muslin strips to remove the wax (meaning you could run out mid-depilation--yikes!), and it's darned sticky (think of honey...everywhere).  

Winner: Sally Hansen Brazilian Waxing Kit 

Why: With its tiny trimming scissors, mini-mirror, and extra-strength wax, this kit gives you the closest thing to salon results you can expect at home. If you follow detailed directions, you'll be able to effectively tidy up even the most hidden, hardest to reach places. And Sally Hansen has a complete line of hair removal products to clean up your legs, armpits, face, or elsewhere, so you can trust that they'll have what you need.

Get yours: $11.86 at Amazon.com  

SheFinds hints for happy waxing: be sure to apply the wax thickly, focus on small areas, hold your skin taut, and exhale as you rip it off. So go ahead and try it--you'll save time and money, and enjoy weeks of salon-smooth skin!

Click here for other ways to get rid of unwanted hair. 

SheFinds Solution: Waxing Privately

In the name of beauty research, I tortured myself, so you don’t have to.  With summer over and the bikinis back in the drawer, the more economical choice is to forgo frequent salon visits in favor of at-home maintenance of unwanted hair.  Below you’ll find three of the best that passed my test. 

Parissa’s strips are perfect for the love trail of fine hairs that lead from your belly button downward.  You warm the strip in your hand, pull it apart and you’ve got 2 strips ready to go.  And you can use the same one several times before it loses its stickiness. It’s a definite bargain, only 7.99 at drugstore.com. Parissa strips come with a pretty blue vial of Azulene oil which claims to inhibit re-growth.  I give it a low pain factor of 3 with bonus points for not leaving any waxy residue behind. 

The Gigi Hemp Wax hair removal system looks daunting.  It comes with a myriad of little bottles, sticks, and strips.  But don’t worry, you’ll be thankful for all those little bottles.  The kit provides everything from pre-conditioner to a redness reducer to protect your skin from the perils of waxing.  This hemp-based wax reduces the pain factor.  (Not that way, it’s drug free.) Hemp is known for its inflammatory properties which translates into less redness and fewer ingrown hairs.  This is a microwave wax so it gets messy.  Set aside a decent chunk of time to accomplish the task.  I give it a 6, it still hurts to rip body hair from the roots.  Bonus points for value, the whole kit is $10 at Folica. 

The One Touch Personal Roll-on Waxer looks simple enough.  The sleek bottle is designed for ease. Just nuke, roll, press, pull and presto!  No more hair.  The light citrus scent is nice but doesn’t do much when it comes down to the actual task at hand.  It really was easy to use, the first time.  The downside to the design is the wax collects at the top of the roller.  Going back for a second use a few weeks later was problematic and extremely messy.  I wasted a lot of wax before I could get rolling again.  The pain factor is a 5.  But even with the wasted wax, it’s a steal.  Only $26.95 at Folica.

Freebie Friday: Win A No!No! Professional Hair Remover

What: The no!no!, $250

Why: Whether you're spending your holidays on the beaches of Antigua or bundling up in front of a fireplace in Wisconsin, there's no excuse for being as furry as Sasquatch himself. But with all the insanity of the last month, fitting a wax into your schedule probably wasn't easy (and it won't get any easier when heading to the salon requires braving a January blizzard).

What's a gal to do? Arm herself with a no!no!, the exciting new hair removal system that lets you get professional results at home. Similar to laser treatments you'd probably pay thousands for in a spa, this easy-to-use device works to painlessly "burn" hair follicles to prevent regrowth. Set a regular appointment with yourself and your no!no!, and you'll eventually get the pro outcome without leaving the privacy of your bathroom. Check out what our writer had to say (yes! yes!) about her no!no! experience.

Now this handy device doesn't come cheap (although we say it's a lot less expensive than the real deal), which is why we're giving one away to a lucky reader. Read the full rules below then enter your name below in the comments to let us know why you need this more than anyone else. 

How to Enter:
1. Reply to this post in the comments section below and be sure to include why you'd like to win. One comment per person, please.
2. You must supply us with a valid email address and sign up for the SheFinds newsletter.
3. The contest starts now and entries must be date stamped by our server no later than Friday, December 28th, 2007 at 11:59 AM Eastern Time to be eligible.
4. One winner will be selected during a random drawing and will be notified via e-mail to receive the prize.
5. No prize substitutions.
6. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
7. No purchase necessary.
8. Void where prohibited.
9. Click here for the full rules.

Congratulations to our winner, Susan!

Solutions: Get Rid Of Ingrown Hair

Every woman who performs hair removal of some kind, whether it be shaving or waxing, has most likely had some kind of issue with ingrown hairs. I personally have suffered from the unsightly bumps, marring my bikini line and causing many a sarong wearing at the beach or the pool and a lot of chaffing and irritation everywhere else. Since I can’t Photoshop myself in person, how does one get that supermodel perfect look after hair removal?

Enter the savior that is Prince Reigns Ingrown Hair Serum ($24.95). Apply twice a day over areas that have received hair removal, and its all-natural ingredients alleviate the unsightly bumps. No more itching or self-mutilation trying to pull hair out of the follicles (OUCH).  This product is a godsend and reportedly has fans in Oprah Winfrey and supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

The other trick? Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate. That's right--get a good scrub and rid yourself of the dead skin cells that serve to clog those poor follicles to begin with. Waxing regularly won't hurt either.

Meet Olga, She Pulls Hair Out of My Face

_What:  Lady Tweezers, $23

Why, Oh Why: Every once in a while, I run across a product that makes me go, "Oh my goodness, I want that, it's so cute!" Sometimes it happens and is immediately followed by, "Whoa, I'm totally going insane." These lady tweezers are an example of this phenomenon. Although they may provide an adorable way to remove unwanted hair, do you really need your feminine beauty devices to look like cartoon women? Would using tweezers designed to look like attractive women make my boyfriend more or less creeped out when he sees me pulling out the hint of a unibrow?

Seriously… tell me.  Because I can't exactly figure it out. Part of me wants to buy them as stocking stuffers while the other, more rational half of me says to steer clear. Tell us in the comments if you think this is creepy or clever!