WHEN WAXING IS SIMPLY TOO EXPENSIVE

“I bought the Bliss epilator — the same one you have,” Clara speaks softly into the phone and I imagine her pretty curls falling into her eyes. “And so far you’re right. It’s not nearly as painful as waxing.”

“It really isn’t,” I say. “The myth is epilators are ridiculously painful–”

“I read one woman online who said she ices her vagina down before she epilates–”

“She does? That seems so unnecessary,” I say. “I have paid for waxes that left me unable to walk for three days, and the epilator was not anywhere near as painful as that. I used the epilator for the first time two weeks ago, and yeah, I had some red bumps the first night. But the next day my skin was smooth and soft and perfect.”

“Smooth and soft and perfect…? Isn’t that how you always feel?

“No,” I say. “That’s how you always are.” And Clara giggles from across the miles.

WHAT IS A GIRL TO DO ABOUT HAIR REMOVAL IN A BAD ECONOMY?

For $60, you can purchase the Bliss Bikini Perfect Deluxe Kit at Sephora. This fabulous device is a rechargeable, cordless razor and epilator, that will tweeze and groom your pretty private spaces quickly. It even has a feature that will groom your eyebrows! All for the cost of one brazilian bikini waxing (with tip) at a salon. (If you have an epilator you like to use, please let me know in the comments section.)

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR NEW EPILATOR

1. Before you begin hair removal – especially in the pubic area – make sure the hair is at least 1/2″ long as it will make the hair easier to grab. (After the first epilator session, shorter hair will be easier to remove.)
2. Make sure to bathe or shower and thoroughly dry off before hair removal.
3. Start by practicing on your legs or armpits. When you do your armpits, remember to stretch your skin with your other hand. The “tighter” the skin is, the less painful the hair removal will be.
4. When you do your bikini, make sure to start with the bikini line first. Always epilate AGAINST the direction of hair growth. So, when you do your bikini line, you want to move outward and upward (usually). As you move into the more private nooks and crannies, make sure to use your other hand to keep the skin stretched and tight as it will make hair removal easier and definitely less painful.
5. Where there’s a lot of hair, the first pass of the epilator will be painful (again, to me, not nearly as painful as waxing.) But, it is important to know that each subsequent pass of the epilator will be less and less painful. And, unlike waxing, it will still pull out the hair when you just can’t get yourself to yank anymore!
6. Between hair removal procedures, make sure to exfoliate the bikini area often. I like to use a dry brush before I shower to exfoliate the area and ensure no ingrown hairs appear. Try it! It really works.
7. If a few hairs grow in between hair removal sessions, the epilator works great on just a few hairs, too. Unlike waxing, you don’t have to wait for everything to grow back in to “clean up” those stray hairs. Epilate every day if you want. It’s rechargeable!

XOXOXOXOXO

THE HEALTHY FOX