July 2009

Good afternoon! Welcome back to Beauty Booty!

Today’s Booty is all about the hair. But not the fabulous mane on your head–we’re talking the unwanted stuff you find everywhere else. Sigh. The torture of being a girl.

My friends will tell you I’m all about rules. There are just certain things in life I’m a stickler about, and eyebrows are one of them! Let me first say that what you do to your brows should always be referred to as “tweezing.” You pluck a chicken. You tweeze your brows. See? Rules.

The first time I had my eyebrows done, when I was 13, I asked my grandma to tweeze them while my mom was out. My mom didn’t even notice, but when we told her, she got pissed, because obviously nicely shaped eyebrows are a one-way ticket to Whore Island. If you’ve got a grandma like mine, let her have at it, but I always recommend going to a professional waxer your first time. Ask a friend to recommend a salon and get there ASAP!

Do not ever attempt to shave your eyebrows. This should be obvious but…just…don’t.

Having great eyebrows is critical to looking polished and pretty. I can usually wear less makeup when my brows are well-kept.

Once you let a pro give you a good shape, you can maintain with tweezers. Tweezerman Slant Tweezers are simply the best. Even Oprah loves them. Another rule: always tweeze after a shower. The steam and warm water will make it a million times easier and relatively painless.

When I moved to Chicago, I had to find a new waxer. One day I was near Loyola and I saw a sign that said “Waxing: $10.” I was poor…in I went! There, the women convinced me to try Threading. It involves using a piece of thread (duh) to remove hair and shape your brows. It cost $5. Their English wasn’t great, and so they sort of cajoled me into it. That is how I ended up having it done the first time, but my eyebrows turned out great! In New York it was half the price of waxing, so I did it pretty often. They basically loop the thread around their fingers and twist it over your brows. I don’t know how it works and I don’t really care, because it does.

If you have problems with pain, it’s good to take an Advil before you get waxed (like 20 minutes prior). Also, don’t schedule a wax the week before your period, as your skin is more sensitive. And if you have a big event coming, like a wedding, try to do it a couple days prior, in case it leaves you red. Because I have been doing it for so long, it doesn’t bother me; it’s like peeling off a piece of Scotch tape.

Moving on down the body…luckily all my hair went to my head, so my arms are OK, but I was surprised to learn in college that a lot of my friends wax theirs. Ain’t no shame in this game! If it makes you feel more comfortable, why not? If you’ve ever looked into the at-home permanent hair removers (like No! No!), they work well on arms.

Let’s talk legs next, since that is what people see, especially in the summer. Is there anything more tedious than having to shave?! Still, I personally find this a better option than waxing, because it’s cheap and painless. Everyone thinks it’s ridiculous, but the Venus vibrating razor is awesome. (I love all the Venus razors, but the Vibrance is the best.)

If you don’t use shaving cream or conditioner, start! The fact that people still use soap to shave makes my skin crawl. I like to recycle by using the extra conditioners that come in my mom’s boxes of hair color…she never uses them and they are super, super moisturizing. Honestly, anything is better than nothing, but you want to get a big creamy lather going.

I always shave at the end of my shower…letting the hair absorb water while you do other things makes for a better shave.

Moving on…let’s talk about the Vee. This is a hot area when it comes to hair maintenance, and everyone has different opinions. When I moved to NYC and women liked to wander around the locker rooms au naturel (like, really, you need to blow dry in the buff?), I was shocked by how much bush I saw. I assumed Manhattan would be the epicenter of immaculate grooming. I was wrong!

If growing long flowing locks is your prerogative, that’s totally fine. Both men and women have different preferences, so it’s really about what makes you most comfortable. Still, this is all about hair removal, so let’s take that route, shall we?

Shaving is the cheapest, most painless option. The biggest downside is that it can result in ingrown hairs which may make you think you have contracted syphyillis (true story). To avoid this, change your razor blade often and use shaving cream. Exfoliating regularly helps too, but be careful when you’re putting St. Ives scrub down there! One of the best helpers I’ve found is Sally Hansen Zero Bumps pads. Swipe with these regularly to keep ingrowns at bay.

If you’re ready to make the leap, I say, get a wax. Does it hurt? Yes. It does. But it’s manageable and the results are pretty amazing. Your skin will be insanely smooth, and it’s nice to not have to worry about shaving on vacations. Completely Bare in NYC uses a wax that I think is less painful than some others, so if you’re in an area with a CB, give them a try. If you take an Advil before you get your eyebrows done, you should probably upgrade to the most extra-strength painkiller in your medicine chest pre-Brazilian wax. Oh and check modesty at the door. You’ll be glad you do yoga when you see some of the places your legs have to go.

This past year I was able to get a couple free laser hair removal sessions from Completely Bare, so of course I went for it! At $200 a session, this is not a cheap option, but it is permanent. It works best on light skin and dark hair, so not everyone is a good candidate. To be honest, I think this hurt more than anything I’ve ever done. They say it feels like a rubber band snapping on your skin. No. It feels like needles stabbing you. The only good thing is that it only takes a few minutes, so compared to waxing, the pain is intense, but short-term.

Hair removal is a $1.8 billion dollar business these days. With that big of a market, there are tons of ways to get as groomed as you’d like. If you don’t believe me, watch this ridiculous/awesome/ridiculous commercial about “mowing the lawn.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j4bV9F9pt8]

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