I hate shaving. Correction: I hate shaving with a passion. I spend ten to twenty minutes every other day just for my leg and armpit hair to grow back in the same manner. And even when I shave, it’s never as close to the skin as I wanted it to be. You could still see black dots coming out of my hair pores and if I ran my hand down my leg, I could feel the stubble of hair so eager to keep growing. However, I stay determined to be as hairless as possible because of societal constraints.
Being clean-shaven with your legs and armpits is just naturally associated with good hygiene.
Shaving is often perceived as being more feminine and appealing to men. However, where did this idea originate and as evolved as our society is, why is it still around? For starters, according to Alexandra Allan of the Huffington Post, “We are keeping the standard out of mere familiarity. There’s no longer purpose other than the fear of the judgment that no longer has purpose.”
As much as the feminist in me would love to just quit the routine all together, throw away all of my razors and let loose, I recognize that we can’t get rid of that judgment that underlies in our society overnight. I’m still going to try to remain as hair-free as possible because, in all honesty, I like how smooth my legs feel after the shave and I love the feeling of smooth legs under a blanket. I like to run in my free time and I love feeling the wind pass against my legs and I do not want to feel the wind rushing through my leg hairs, per say. But that is all because of my own preference and lifestyle.
As I hope society evolves and becomes more accepting of other’s lifestyles, I hope we also recognize that bare naked mole-rat skin doesn’t have to be the norm and that we as a whole can break that barrier and not be so judgmental towards others who choose not to shave. That being said, I do want to present my top three other alternatives to shaving that can allow you to be hair-free longer without utilizing a technique so frequently as shaving:
1.) Waxing
The picture above is honestly a lie. With waxing, your hairs will not be as smooth as the legs shown in the picture when you are using wax strips, but they will be afterward. You need your hairs to grow out about a quarter of an inch. This is so the wax can grip your hair and pull it out but if it’s longer than a quarter of an inch, it’ll be more painful. Personally, when it comes to waxing, I would buy hot wax kits at your local drug stores that are around $10-15. It covers more surface and since most of us are teenagers just trying to make ends meet, it is the most practical option for the limited amount of money we are making right now. Additionally, you need to have a high pain tolerance when it comes to waxing because you are literally ripping your hairs out as well as the top layer of your skin.
2.) Epilating
This is my favorite alternative. I bought the Braun Silk-Epil 3 for around $40 at Walmart a year and a half ago. It hasn’t broken and I still use it to this day. Epilators are tiny hand-held devices that contain many “electronic tweezers used to remove unwanted hair.” Unlike shaving, which leaves behind stubble and the appearance of dark pores where your hair follicles used to be, epilators manually pluck out the hair which causes the hair to grow back thinner and less frequently. I believe this option is the most cost-savvy because you can use it repeatedly and in terms of pain-tolerance, it is more spread out in surface area than waxing. It is not as bad as plucking out your nose hair, but it is on about the same pain level as plucking your eyebrow. I highly recommend this technique.
3.) Depilatory Creams
According to Veet, a common manufacturer of depilatory creams, these creams get rid of hair by dissolving the “base of the hairs, to the point where they are weak enough to be broken off when the cream is wiped away.” Though some may believe that because it uses chemicals it is harmful to your skin or hair, I haven’t noticed any effects when I used it. The cream feels like a lotion and you leave it on for a few minutes and wash it right off. While this may be the least painful and least time-consuming method, I find that it gets really messy in the shower or bathtub when you’re washing it off and it is never as close as a shave as I want it. I can still see the black dots indicating hair follicles. However, it leaves your skin really smooth and the odor, though not as pleasant as rainbows and strawberries, is neutral smelling and not atrocious at all.
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