illustrious540
07-15-2002, 12:53 AM
A NEW hair removal article
For the past 6 or 7 years I’ve been experimenting with almost every type of hair removal product out there. I’ve shaved, waxed, bleached, and used depilatory creams till I was blue in the face, I’m writing this article to try to help anyone out there who needs to remove hair and try to save everyone some of there hard earned money.
First, a few general tips about hair removal, remove hair only when necessary. What I mean by this is if you are a bodybuilding only shave for competition or guest posing, if you don’t compete only remove hair when you need to go to the beach, go on vacation, or things of that nature. The more frequently you remove hair the quicker it grows back and the more irritated the skin will become (notice when you go several days without shaving your face, you get a much closer smoother shave). Ok now lets get into it.
The most common and arguably the most economical way of removing hair is obviously shaving. I’m sure everyone here knows how to shave but, here are a few keys to the perfect shave with as little irritation as possible. (I’ll use chest as an example) Shower and make sure to wash the area you are going to shave very thoroughly and with warm water. After you finish cleaning yourself stand under the warm water for several minutes to soften the hair and skin. Pat your skin dry and apply a thin coat of saving cream or gel, and shave. Try to use long full strokes, the less you re-shave the same area the less razor burn you will get. The key to prevent razor burn or ingrown hairs after you finish shaving is to exfoliate (oh the life of a big tough Bodybuilder) take a cloth or anything with grit and scrub the shaved area every time you shower. The ingrown hairs occur when dead skin cells block the pores, by exfoliating you remove the dead skin cells.
Another easy way to remove hair is to use a depilatory cream. Most creams will contain water, calcium hydroxide, calcium thioglycolate, and sodium silicate just to new a few ingredients. Just like with bodybuilding supplements, not all creams contain what there labels claim, so go with a trusted name. Nair, Sally Hansen, and Andre all are good quality brands. Products that are designed for men will work better on thick coarse hair but can be irritating to sensitive skin. I’ve found that for an under $10.00 hair remover Andre for Men, is the single best. It is meant for men and is designed so it will have no problem with thick coarse hair. It also contains Aloe, vitamin E, and Avocado oil to smooth skin and prevent those dreaded red bumps. All the others removed the hair but did not leave the as skin smooth to the touch and they did leave stubble. No Shave, which ran me $19.99 did nothing except burn my skin. It had no hair removal ability and was a total scam. If you elect to use a cream follow the direction on the bottle, if you have thinker or black hair add at least 5 minutes. A good tan will make even the slightest stubble unnoticeable.
A newer type of a product in the world of hair removal is ones that require several steps. These products will include a depilatory cream, inhibitor, and a lotion. The first product I tried has Epil stop spray. It cost $30.00 but did not perform as promised. The cream didn’t work as well as any I listed above and the lotion has garbage. I did find that the inhibitor seemed to slow hair growth, but still not worth the $30.00. The latest product I tried was Lex. A certain Muscle Magazine billed it as the best hair removal product ever, like another product that same Magazine backs it was not 100% better then anything I ever used. In fact I probably would have removed more hair by simply rubbing the $42.00 I sent them on my body. The cream barely removed any hair, and the inhibitor smelt like BBQ sauce.
A slightly more painful alternative is Nads or Wax strips by Nair. Despite what some others have said, they are quality product. The key to getting results is to have an experienced person do it for you (or a women, there good at that sorta thing). When using it you need to apply a very thin layer of the gel, the reason irritation and pain occurs is because of a thick gap between the gel and the strips. I would recommend the Nair product simply because it is much cheaper then Nads and does as good of a job. If done correctly you wont be left with the poppy seed look.
The most effective, and yes most painful, way to remove hair is getting it waxed. Yes it does hurt and you may get red bumps, but this is only temporary. If women can deal with a Brazilian wax, we can deal with this pain. My only advice on this is to have it done by a professional. It can get costly but when done correctly it will last for quite sometime.
For the past 6 or 7 years I’ve been experimenting with almost every type of hair removal product out there. I’ve shaved, waxed, bleached, and used depilatory creams till I was blue in the face, I’m writing this article to try to help anyone out there who needs to remove hair and try to save everyone some of there hard earned money.
First, a few general tips about hair removal, remove hair only when necessary. What I mean by this is if you are a bodybuilding only shave for competition or guest posing, if you don’t compete only remove hair when you need to go to the beach, go on vacation, or things of that nature. The more frequently you remove hair the quicker it grows back and the more irritated the skin will become (notice when you go several days without shaving your face, you get a much closer smoother shave). Ok now lets get into it.
The most common and arguably the most economical way of removing hair is obviously shaving. I’m sure everyone here knows how to shave but, here are a few keys to the perfect shave with as little irritation as possible. (I’ll use chest as an example) Shower and make sure to wash the area you are going to shave very thoroughly and with warm water. After you finish cleaning yourself stand under the warm water for several minutes to soften the hair and skin. Pat your skin dry and apply a thin coat of saving cream or gel, and shave. Try to use long full strokes, the less you re-shave the same area the less razor burn you will get. The key to prevent razor burn or ingrown hairs after you finish shaving is to exfoliate (oh the life of a big tough Bodybuilder) take a cloth or anything with grit and scrub the shaved area every time you shower. The ingrown hairs occur when dead skin cells block the pores, by exfoliating you remove the dead skin cells.
Another easy way to remove hair is to use a depilatory cream. Most creams will contain water, calcium hydroxide, calcium thioglycolate, and sodium silicate just to new a few ingredients. Just like with bodybuilding supplements, not all creams contain what there labels claim, so go with a trusted name. Nair, Sally Hansen, and Andre all are good quality brands. Products that are designed for men will work better on thick coarse hair but can be irritating to sensitive skin. I’ve found that for an under $10.00 hair remover Andre for Men, is the single best. It is meant for men and is designed so it will have no problem with thick coarse hair. It also contains Aloe, vitamin E, and Avocado oil to smooth skin and prevent those dreaded red bumps. All the others removed the hair but did not leave the as skin smooth to the touch and they did leave stubble. No Shave, which ran me $19.99 did nothing except burn my skin. It had no hair removal ability and was a total scam. If you elect to use a cream follow the direction on the bottle, if you have thinker or black hair add at least 5 minutes. A good tan will make even the slightest stubble unnoticeable.
A newer type of a product in the world of hair removal is ones that require several steps. These products will include a depilatory cream, inhibitor, and a lotion. The first product I tried has Epil stop spray. It cost $30.00 but did not perform as promised. The cream didn’t work as well as any I listed above and the lotion has garbage. I did find that the inhibitor seemed to slow hair growth, but still not worth the $30.00. The latest product I tried was Lex. A certain Muscle Magazine billed it as the best hair removal product ever, like another product that same Magazine backs it was not 100% better then anything I ever used. In fact I probably would have removed more hair by simply rubbing the $42.00 I sent them on my body. The cream barely removed any hair, and the inhibitor smelt like BBQ sauce.
A slightly more painful alternative is Nads or Wax strips by Nair. Despite what some others have said, they are quality product. The key to getting results is to have an experienced person do it for you (or a women, there good at that sorta thing). When using it you need to apply a very thin layer of the gel, the reason irritation and pain occurs is because of a thick gap between the gel and the strips. I would recommend the Nair product simply because it is much cheaper then Nads and does as good of a job. If done correctly you wont be left with the poppy seed look.
The most effective, and yes most painful, way to remove hair is getting it waxed. Yes it does hurt and you may get red bumps, but this is only temporary. If women can deal with a Brazilian wax, we can deal with this pain. My only advice on this is to have it done by a professional. It can get costly but when done correctly it will last for quite sometime.