Back when I was in high school, I distinctly remember a friend joking, "I haven't shaved in like a week." She said this as she pulled up her black leggings, showing off her smooth shins.
I stared for at least 30 seconds.
"Uh, are you sure?" I was flabbergasted. There was a week of hair growth there and it was nothing more than soft, blonde wispy hairs. I looked at my legs that I had shaved that morning and ran my fingers over stubbly knees and sighed.
My struggle with rapid hair growth has been an issue since I hit puberty about 11 years old. For years I blamed it on my Italian heritage, but as it turns out I went most of my life with undiagnosed PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome. One of the delightful side effects from this is coarse hair growth everywhere … including my face.
While I certainly am not as self-loathing about the facial hair, I don't necessarily want to rock it full time.
Over the last two decades I have tried just about every affordable facial hair removal system.
Since I am not a Rockefelller, I can't exactly go to the salon once a week to get it all removed.
Yes, it grows that much that fast.
And I sure as shoot don't have the means to get laser hair removal. So I've turned to drugstore remedies to help me manage it. I have tried everything under the sun, from hair removal creams to pre-waxed strips, and every time they came up short.
When you wax sensitive areas like your face, you cannot go HAM on hairy areas. You place the wax and let her rip, and oftentimes I would see only a few hairs on the strip and a ton more on my chin. So the next day I'd check the mirror and it'd look like I hadn't even made a dent.
It wasn't until I stumbled upon this $9.95 all-over body wax at Target that I found the answer to my hairy prayers.
$9.95
from
This wax system comes with a jar of cocoa butter body wax, and OH MY GOD does it make a difference. It is not harsh or piecy like other waxes, and it really easily comes off in one yank.
It also comes with applicator sticks, muslin wax strips, and soothing oil to calm irritated skin.
It's a pretty great deal for a kit under $10.
When first opening the jar, a small white protective film can be seen. Instead of removing it, I highly recommend cutting a hole in it instead.
Why? Because reducing the amount of wax that is able to come out will 100% make this experience much more tolerable. I use the edges of it to scrape off excess wax, and it works like a dream.
While I nuke the wax in my microwave for one minute, I cut up muslin strips into smaller, more manageable pieces.
I also HIGHLY recommend putting down a towel you don't care about much to cover the space you intend to wax in. Speaking from experience, scraping wax off of my porcelain sink wasn't fun.
I apply the wax in the opposite direction of the hair growth.
I'll load up the stick with wax, again scrape off excess, and then slowly cover the area that has hair. I firmly press the muslin strip into place, smoothing it in the same direction I applied it so the muslin fully absorbs that top layer of wax for a good grip.
I wait about 30 seconds and then yank it off in the opposite direction I spread it on.
To simplify, if I apply the wax in a downward motion, I rip it off in an upward motion so it grabs all of those hairs.
And the results, well, they speak for themselves.
I mean, that's a lot of hair in one swipe, y'all. And when it comes down to it, that is exactly what I loved most about this product. I am not spending hours tweezing my face and poking at my already irritated skin.
There are a few stray hairs I have to pluck, but in comparison to other hair removal kits, this is a huge step up.
Having facial hair just isn't for me, though I give all the snaps to women who just let it grow and flow.
The reason I think a lot of women who let it flow like that is because it is a chore to maintain it. But this kit genuinely makes it easier. This is the average amount of wax I use to get a good thorough baldness going, and if I pluck the occasional hair that pops up, I won't really have to do it for at least two-ish weeks.
It's important to note that this wax is usable in other areas of the body as well, like the bikini line, legs, and even armpits.
Now go forth and be the smooth baby seal of your dreams!
*Psst: if you choose to purchase an item from this post, Cafemom may receive a small cut. Each item and price is up to date at the time of publication; however, an item may be sold out or the price may be different at a later date.
