Like Me: January 2011

I talk to a lot of chicks about beauty regimens and inevitably we talk about hair removal and exchange stories about how each of us stay bare “down there.” I’m always surprised because most, if not all, of them shave! At least the ones I talk to do. Personally, I don’t even consider shaving an option, because if I shave, my hair grows back literally the next day. It’s not only annoying for me, but "lez be honest," no chick wants to feel stubble against the sides of her tongue or mouth. I damn sure don’t. It’s also annoying having to shave an area that folds and is so sensitive. I’ve never cut myself, but that’s because I was always took extra care not too. But after years of shaving, I finally tried waxing and I NEVER went back to shaving. I haven’t done it in years.

Waxing is cool for a lot of reasons, the most important to me being the length of time that I stay hairless (3-5 full days, as opposed to less than 1 day shaving), while the density and texture of the new growth are the 2nd and 3rd most important reasons I wax. See, hair that is waxed is pulled out of the hair follicle. Hair that is shaved is cut off mid-shaft at the surface of the skin. When hair is cut at the shaft, a blunt cut is created that means the new growth is stiff and thick giving it a stubby, prickly feel. Hair that is waxed grows back with a rounded edge and therefore isn’t stubby or prickly. This means that even when the hair grows back, it’s nice and soft and still enjoyable for myself and whomever else is playing in it ;-) Hair that is pulled from the hair follicle also grows back at different intervals (hair growth cycles), so I may stay near-bare anywhere from 3-7 weeks, depending on where different areas of hair follicles are at in their growth cycles and when I get waxed. When you shave, the growth is immediate, because any hair reaching the skin’s surface is continually growing. Pulling the hair out of the follicle requires the hair to be delayed until the next growth cycle to begin growing. That is what affords us an extra few weeks of near-bareness.

Waxing is great for these reasons, but don’t get me wrong, it hurts! I have a wonderful wax lady, though, who helps by pressing my skin after pulling or spritzing me with cold water. She’s also fast, detailed and hilarious, so we laugh and talk through breathing exercises she has me do before pulling. I’ll be instructed to exhale as hard as I can while she pulls. It sounds funny, but it helps. I also hold a stress ball and squeeze as necessary. The first time is the worst, but afterwards I had lesser hair and by the 3rd time it felt bearable.

Your wax lady should have good reviews (I checked Yelp), which will mean she’ll do all this and know what kind of wax to use on you. There are two kinds of wax, soft and hard wax. Hard wax doesn’t adhere to the skin at all, and only adheres to the hair. Soft wax adheres to the skin, slightly, and therefore shouldn’t be used on all parts of the area. For some people, those with super coarse and curly hair, hard wax should be the ONLY thing a wax specialist uses down there. Super tight coiled hair hurts when it’s pulled because it has more tension from being coiled. I have average curly hair, so I am waxed with soft wax around the bikini area and hard wax on my lips and around my booty-hole (yes, I wax it ALL).

After waxing, I’m sore until I hop off the bed. By the time I get to the car, I forget what just happened. I’m not exaggerating. The service costs anywhere from $40 to $75. Initially, price wasn’t a factor, but I lucked out and got a wonderful wax lady for a good price. I also invested an extra $12 to purchase some after-care products.

Now, whether you wax or shave, you’ve GOT to exfoliate. If you don’t, you will get ingrown hairs which are like pimples. They form around the hair that can’t break through the skin’s surface. This usually happens when dead skin cells aren’t exfoliated from the skin’s outermost layer, and create barriers through which the hair can’t pass. Hair’s gonna grow REGARDLESS, so it grows back into the skin when it can’t grow out of the follicle. The skin around hair that is growing inwards becomes irritated, turns red and eventually your body will try to eliminate and force the hair out by flooding and inflaming the area. This formation ends up being a fluid-filled sac that looks like a pimple. Imagine having 5+ of these in a small area?! Nobody wants to see that! They’re also painful, and will hurt if you or someone else touch, rub or attempt to extract it. To avoid all this, I just exfoliate. It’s as simple as it sounds. The two products I use are a body wash by Neutrogena that exfoliates with Salicylic Acid ($6-8 pictured below) and an exfoliating hand glove ($3-5 pictured below). I put a small dab of the Clear Body Wash onto my hand glove and rub in circular movements around the entire area that was waxed. This gives a mild chemical exfoliation and a mechanical or physical exfoliation. As a result, I haven’t EVER had an ingrown hair after using these two products together. True story. Prior to this, I used to have 3-5 ingrowns at a time. It was so frustrating, because even after I’d pull them out, I’d have dark scars or pigmentation. Clearly, not the look.

Anyway, hopefully this is useful to you. If you wax or shave and have additional tips, tricks or info, feel free to share in the comments.

It's a nice breezy cool Sunday, and I'm curled up with my books in bed.

I am also thoroughly enjoying the mood and energy I am getting these days from eating raw foods and juicing. It's one of the things I been meaning to incorporate into my life. I was able to easily give up caffeine in all forms when I realized that fresh vegetable juices in my morning hours give me CRAZY energy all day. I recommend it for everyone...not as a strict diet, just add it in there. Juicers run about $110 for a personal one (Breville compact) and I only use organic vegetables, of course. But for any of y'all on a new years resolution for health, should definitely research (google, youtube, magazines) the benefits of juicing, and see if it's something you'd like to get into.

Just some thoughts and experiences I'm having these days...