Hair today- gone tomorrow

[Emma_Forbes]

Hi Girls,

I have 3 questions about hair removal which haven't been covered in the myriad of posts I've read on the subject so I hope you can help.

1. Some of my hair is pretty long e.g., underarms. Presumably I need a multi-vectored approach to removing this i.e., trim first and then shave. Is that right or is there a better way?

2. I am a hot individual - no not sexy, temperature-wise I mean and I spend a lot of time in shorts, t-shirts and sandals. That means that if I remove my body hair it is going to be noticed. How do I explain this?

3. I also have a lot of hair on my back. As I am not a contortionist how do I deal with that? Asking a friend - assuming I can find one - "please come round and shave my back" seems to have an air of insanity about it!

I really want to go hairless (eventually) but the above problems are frustrating and the whole process seems complicated beyond belief.

Answers and encouragement needed.

Thanks

Emma

[AliciaSL]

Dearest Emma

OUCH! :eek: That's something I found comes out of my mouth every time I shave now. I truly feel for your situation. Like yourself, I to looked at all the post on shaving and more on the web.. Found lots of advice on the approach and even tools.. But I must say the best advice came from my wife.. Only trouble is, I shaved before I asked my wife however.. (Smart as I am I thought I knew how to shave.) None the less. On the most part, shaving is not so bad if you take your time.

1. Remember the skin under your arms is tender and nicks very easy. Yes! trim the long hair first. Once you have gotten it short then is the time for your shaving cream. It's better if you use one that is for women. They seem to work best. Shaving against the grain works best of me. Using light strokes repeat till smooth. Don't use deodorant until you have given it a little time to settle down. Or use a brand like Michem. Stings like hell if your not careful.

2. Now you had me here at first. After giving it some thought, I have come up with a couple that should work for you.. One I intend to use myself..
a.) Say your a scuba diver.. It makes putting on your wet suite easier.
b.) Say went hiking and was caught (with shorts on) in a small brush fire.
c.) Some dancers shave there legs(should be a dancer).. just looks better..
Keep in mind I don't know what your lifestyle is like.. People will buy almost anything if they don't know better.. And when you say it end it. No more should need explained. Most people will not challange you or even ask questions of you if your say it like it is the most logical thing to do.. People don't like to feel stupid... Sometimes I just help them out a little.. Covers my trail for a safe get away before the questions arrive..

3. As much as I like to think I have all the answers, this one stumped me.. Without help. I have yet to be able to do that well.. Short sticks help with a mirror in the right position. But! I have yet to find a way that works as well as my wife.. And you could try asking a friend to help once or twice. Just tell them you have to put some back meds on your skin.. Ask for help that way.. Remeber: SMOKE AND MIRROS

Don't despair Sweetheart. I hope that at least some of what I said helped you. You are not as alone as you may feel. Every time I think I'm the only one with a "My kind to trouble", I find that I'm just caught up in my own uniqueness and ask for help from the right people.. Well dear.. You are hear and these are the kind of things others before us have experienced.

Hugs
AliciaSL

[Marlena Dahlstrom]

Alicia covered a lot good info, so I'll just add a few other things.

As she said, as long as you act confident in your excuse, people will accept it. You could say you've got a girlfriend who hates the hairy beast. OTOH, a lot of metrosexuals remove body hair, so it's not that far out.

Back hair -- Probably the best thing to do is get it waxed. Lots of GGs hate back hair, so salons are used to doing guys there.

Shaving -- Leave a lot of time to do this for the first time. At least an hour or two. Once you've done, maintenace takes a lot less time. I can do a full-body "maintenance" shave (where I don't worry about making it perfect) in about 15 minutes and shaving to go out en femme in 30 minutes.

Hair conditioner is great for softening up the hair and also works well as a shaving gel. So after you trim, apply it and let it sit a few minutes before you shave. (Just be careful because conditioner can make the tub really slipperly to stand on.) Shaving against the grain gives you the closest shave, but does have a greater risk of causing in-grown hairs. Shave in short strokes and wash the blade frequently to keep it clean of hair. If the blade seems to be getting dull, replace it. You may need 2-3 blades the first time. Once you've shaved, rinse off and check to spots you may have missed -- they're often hidden in the leftover shaving gel. It often helps sight along your limbs toward a light source.

People have various favorite razors. Personally I use Gillette's Mach 3, with a Schick FX for touch-up -- it's got a smaller head that the Gillette so it's good for doing inside joints of your knees and elbows, plus between the knuckles and other tight spots.

To minimize irritation, try to avoid shaving over the same spot too much. I usually try to do strokes that overlap by 50%. When you're done shaving pat yourself done -- don't "saw" the towel. And make sure your towel, sheets and clothing are freshly laundered to avoid picking up bacteria from them while your skin is sensitive. Be sure to moisterize all the shaved areas. A non-alcohol after-shave is good, followed by a moisterizer.

Enjoy!