How to Epilate without Really Crying

I admit it.  I am an epilator.

You might think, given my "natural" preferences , that I would be a person who prefers not to shave.  And that's true.  I really do prefer not to shave.  It's annoying.  And messy.  Sometime painful.  And no matter how many commercials I watch, or products I try, I never end up with a perfect shave.  Or a very long lasting one.

But I also prefer not to have whiskers on my chin.  Yup.  I'm one of "those" women.  A BEAUTIFUL head of hair means a beautiful HEAD of hair.  And since I'm gonna remove hair from my chin, I may as well remove hair from my legs.  It's true.  I like my legs to be smooth.  Not for anyone else, but for the way it feels and looks to me.

So yes, I have tried the creams, which really make my skin feel weird.  It's not that effective.  And it's also messy, as well as awkward - standing in the bathroom, holding the robe away from my legs while trying to read a book to pass the time until I can climb into the shower and GET THIS STUFF OFF ME!

And I've tried waxing.  Yeah.  Not horrible, really.  But, you guessed it.  Messy.  And occasionally awkward.  And, again, not always effective.  (it's pretty stubborn hair.)   And definitely not helpful on the chin.  (Stubborn, stubborn hair.)

So, I finally tried an epilator.  I figured, it can't be much worse than a tatoo, right?  Eventually, the area will get numb, right?

The chin was fine, really.  A little surprising, because the noisy little buzzer grabbed all sorts of hairs I didn't know were there.  But I've tweezed my chin before, so it was a decent experience and, even better, a much more thorough job than the waxing or the cream (or the tweezing) ever did.

But my legs were not happy.  The first time I epilated, I only managed to get half of each leg done.  And I needed to take the rest of the day off to recover from the trauma.  Serious trauma.  Beauty is pain trauma.   Which, in my perspective, is just silly.  Pain isn't fun.  Beauty should be fun.  Therefore…

But, my legs (the epilated parts) did stay hair free.  So a week later, I gritted my teeth and did another section.  And two weeks later another.

Then I hit upon the perfect way to epilate.  And no, it does not involve alcohol either before or after the event.

But it does involve herbs.  (remember, I am a "natural" girl.)

Bonnie's Balms Pain Eraser, to be specific.  A natural blend of herbs combined to help numb pain.  (Also good for sore muscles.)  I put it on half an hour or an hour before I'm going to epilate.  It is a little oily, but it smells good, and, since it's herbs, I don't mind it getting on my clothes.  So I can continue working, or read curled up on the couch, or do whatever I want with no awkwardness at all!

Then, I take a warm bath (because I can), gently scrub the oil off my legs & chin, dry and epilate.  Just run the little machine up and down the leg like an electric razor. 

No trauma.  No tears.  And yes, there's still a little pain.  A sting.  A tingle.  And it's still a mess - little teeny hair follicles everywhere - eeewwww.  But, much less mess than the rest.  And so worth it!  Every two weeks, numb, bathe, & zippity doodad.

Granted, I haven't been brave enough to try it on my thighs.  I still wince when I do the back of my knees, though I think that may be more expectation than actual feeling.  But I do foresee a day… 

I hope you  have a great one!

-Lila