[GoneGirl]

Just a thought--have you considered getting waxed a few times, to sort of "thin out the herd" for epilating or laser later on?

I've never had a wax, but I've heard tell that the first time it's done is pure torture. Epilating is also very painful the first time it's done, but one can control the amount of hair removed per pass to keep the pain to a tolerable level. Follow on treatments present less and less pain. After epilating a few times, I imagine waxing would not be that uncomfortable.

BTW, my experimenting with epilating and LHR (laser hair removal) has led me to a couple of guidelines/strategies for hair removal newbies:

1. Experiment on a small patch of skin to see how your skin reacts. Hair may have a tendency to regrow beneath the skin in some sections of your body, while not in others. Avoid in-grown hairs like the plague.

2. If epilating results in in-grown hairs, switch to LHR either professionally done or using an at-home device like the Tria 4X. Both methods work well and in-grown hairs are not a problem. The Tria is relatively inexpensive compared to spa treatment, but it takes longer to treat an area.

3. Always apply a skin treatment after shaving, epilating or lasering to reduce the red bumps that appear on the skin. I use a product called Tend Skin which works amazingly well.

4. Until hair follicles die, and the skin pores close up tightly, your skin will look covered in tiny black or red dots where the hairs are still growing. In my experience, the use of a laser is much more effective in killing a hair follicle as compared to epilating. Where I've been lasering my leg hair, the skin is much smoother and more clear of pores than where I've been epilating.

5. Unless you attack and reduce your DHT levels, new hair will grow in even where hair has been destroyed using a laser or electrolysis. My newest hairs come in fine and colorless, but get thicker and darker as time passes. My anti-DHT herb of choice is Pygeum. Check the FAQ for others.

Thick body hair is the most masculine of masculine features. It's got to go!

Clara