If somebody asked me who started 'hairless woman's skin' trend, I would say it must have been a man. Possibly, a man/men involved in shaving business. Maybe some guys related to shaving devices manufacturing, who knows. The point is, I do not know any woman who enjoys the tortures of epilation. At least the ones I have known did not. Including myself. On the other hand, I am not a fan of 'the hairier, the hotter' either. In my opinion, a girl/lady needs to take care of herself to look and feel good.
Nevertheless, no matter how important the epilation routine I find, considering both the aesthetic and hygienic reasons, I truly dislike it. Why? Well, if you are a woman, you probably know why: skin irritation, possible cuts, stingy pain, delicate skin of some body areas and more. If you still do not understand why epilation care is not my favorite activity, you can try it on your own body and possibly, you will know what I mean. Recently, I watched a movie “What Women Want” in which the main male character tried wax epilation on his legs. He certainly found out the answer to that 'Why?'
Some advertisements try to convince consumers that using their stuff such as creams, shavers or epilators/depilatories will make your body hair free for a month. Well, I would say it is not entirely true. I have observed that the hair on the body does not grow simultaneously - all of them at the same time. The epilated hairs may not regrow for a few days, but still, after a week you can notice your skin needs to be taken care of again.
When I was in my twenties, I thought I would go to a beautician's studio, to have my face attended - meaning epilation of course. The beautician did a very good job. However painful the treatment was, I was pleased with its results. That is why repeated the visit a few times. Once, when I came out of the studio, due to the cold weather, the spots on my face which had been taken care of got red. It was embarrassing as everybody could see and guess what place I had been to and what for. Since then, I have been my own beautician and skin carer.
Some time ago, I happened to visit Italy. In local cosmetic stores, I came across the biggest collection of epilation products I had ever seen. Meaning non-razor or electric and battery operated devices. They had entire sections dedicated to 'ladies hair removal care'. Everything was there: sugar based balls, wax and whatever you wanted. I did not buy anything then, I was just amazed at the selection which was on offer.
My personal favorite ever was the face wax epilation kit which I got from a friend. The lady received it from her sister in Canada. Since my friend was not convinced the kit would work for her, she gave it to me. The set included a small pot, which contained little drops of colorful wax and a wooden spatula. I just needed to heat the pot on the stove for a short time - the wax melted and was ready to be spread on the skin. It was easy to remove it and it took care of all the unwanted hairs very quickly.
A second product which I found good as well was face wax strips by Isana - unfortunately available in Europe (Rossmann stores) only.
As for the electric devices, I think the best are the ones which have two heads: a razor and an epilator. You can use them interchangeably, depending which part of your body you need to take care of. In my opinion, a razor is better while dealing with more sensitive areas. It is good if you have the option to switch then, using the same device.
No matter what you used to epilate the body, it is important to take care of the irritated skin afterward. Some sets available in stores include an 'after' cream or balm. Not all of them are good for my skin - some caused pimples and additional irritation. My choice is a regular face cream (for face areas of course) and Gigi Post Epilation Lotion (I wrote more about it here).
Epilation pros and contras seem to be obvious. As my mom says: 'one must not neglect themselves'. A very subjective opinion, but it is enough for me. You just need to take care of yourself and your body to feel good. And you do not have to spend much money on it at all.
