Being a Lady

True story: at a very early adolescent age my mom took me for my first waxing appointment (I was a bit of an early bloomer as people say…). I remember the shock and horror I felt with what I thought was nothing short of a barbarian experience. As my mom pleaded to get me out of the car she said, “You will just have to learn that to be a beautiful lady there will be some physical pain involved.” Years later I realize yes it does hurt to look beautiful! Just look at we subject ourselves to…injections, lasers, peel and yes we still are quite fond of our waxing. While the results of waxing are amazing (no razor bumps, baby soft skin, slower hair growth), the cost can be quite prohibitive (did you know Brazilians are costing upwards of $100 a pop these days? Craziness!).

As always I love a good deal and welcome DIY alternatives so I was overjoyed after I found Nads Body Wax Strips. After sampling various wax strips I found the Nads' to be easy, efficient at “grabbing hair” and virtually pain-free. The convenient pre-waxes strips feature a unique weave technology that makes all the difference helping it to conform to your body shape for optimal gripping. Simply warm up each strip by rubbing it in between your hands (think the motion you would use to dethaw chilly hands) and apply it to the desired area following the direction of hair growth. Smooth the strip on your skin by again rubbing along the direction of hair growth and then with one seamless and painless move grip the end of the strip and against the hair growth. It’s important to remember that the motion should be a horizontal pull that stays adjacent to the skin surface versus pulling upwards in a vertical motion causing painful hair breakage. These strips are amazingly convenient for large areas like the legs and arms (we will cover smaller more precise areas like the underarm and bikini in the next post). At $4.89 a box you will get enough to last 3-4 treatments and each strip can be used 2-3 times before the stickiness wears off. I’m not sure what they are calling us these days…recessionista, frugalista or whatever but this is the spa waxing alternative for any lady on a budget.

Usage tip: Make sure skin is clean and free of any oils/moisture before waxing to ensure optimal hair gripping. Nad's kit comes with cleansing towelettes that clean while superficially desensitizing skin for added comfort. After waxing treat skin with the Soothing and Finishing wipes (also included in the kit) to nourish, remove any leftover wax and restore softness.

The result: Baby soft, hair-free skin that lasts longer than multiple shaves….isn’t that rough hair growth compliments of the razor a major turnoff anyway?