Hairy chests, hairy arms, hairy legs and hairy everything. These are the woes of being the male of the species. It is something you can live with by yourself, but the fact is most women are not crazy about lots of unkempt body hair. Either you cut it, wax it, or hit the road. But why wax? A lot of men never consider waxing as an alternative to constant trimming.
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Trimmers don’t actually remove hair – it grows back quickly. Razors can cut and leave painful razor burns – plus, again, it comes back quickly. Razor cutting is also high maintenance – to be smooth, you have to do it every couple of days so you won’t feel rough anywhere, and you can get ingrown hairs from shaving. There is also electrolysis and laser hair removal. These are permanent, but are you sure you want to go through that?
Waxing on the other hand, has a reputation for being painful (just think of that scene from The Forty Year Old Virgin – not fun). But it may not be as painful as you think or as Hollywood jokingly suggests. The process involves spreading wax on the hairy area then a cloth or paper strip is pressed onto the waxed area, rubbed and pulled away quickly against the direction of hair growth. This pulls the hairs out from the roots.
Yes, it sounds awful, but think of it as a momentary slap on a sun burn. Lots of men actually laugh about it the first time – in relief – it’s far less significant than a tatoo. Besides, men have long undergone pain tests as traditional feats of masculine endurance – this is the extremely light version of that, and you can enjoy telling other men and watching them shudder at what you supposedly endured.
The above procedure is repeated on the whole area and when finished, a lotion is applied to soothe the skin. This technique ensures no hair growth for 3 to 8 weeks and, when the hairs grow back, they are finer in texture than if they were shaved or trimmed. Over time, repeated waxing will result in thinner and lighter-colored hair re-growth.
Don’t however, try this kind of thing at home. This isn’t candle wax, and you won’t like the results. It is recommended that you go to a professional esthetician for a professional wax. Don’t experiment in the garage or you might end up injuring yourself, instead of getting the soft, “clean” feeling you’re aiming for.
In the end, it all boils down to preference. But if you want to surprise the woman of your life, or if you just want to feel less Sasquatch-like, give waxing a chance. Start with one area of your body, and see if you don’t prefer the results over constant trimming, shaving, or just living with it.
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