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One of the most important things about being a femboy is showing off smooth, soft, hairless skin.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything from at-home hair removal techniques to salon options, and how to avoid marks and blemishes along the way.

Hair Removal Techniques

To get started, I want to discuss the different options for hair removal, because it’s always good to know what tools are at your disposal when moving forward.

For each of the below, I’ll highlight a short list of pros and cons, what to expect, followed by some useful links and resources if you wish to explore anything new.

Shaving

First up, let’s get into shaving.

Razors (especially nice women’s razors!) can be a really great time-tested way to achieve hairless skin, but it’s certainly not for everyone; and may not fit your needs as well as some of the other methods would.

If you’re like me, you taught yourself to shave, and certainly didn’t have anybody that was able to teach you how to shave parts of your body other than your face.

You may also not know there are different techniques to shaving, concerns regarding what kind of razors you’re using and how many blades are contained therein, and so on.

Pros:

• Shaving is time tested, and the most popular way to remove hair on your skin
• Shaving is relatively cheap, and there are a lot of different options for different skin types
• Shaving regularly can actually help improve the structure of hair regrowth, and work to soften your skin

Cons:

• The average person may expect to see ingrown hairs occasionally after shaving, especially in areas you don’t often shave
• Not having proper technique, or for those with sensitive skin: shaving can lead to razor bumps, razor burn, cuts, and other blemishes
• Purchasing razors often can be expensive
• It can be time intensive and troublesome to have to buy razors regularly
• Depending on how you do it, you might not be able to get close enough to the skin while shaving to accomplish perfectly smooth skin
• Given one’s rate of hair regrowth, shaving often has to be done regularly and somewhat often

Thoughts and Tips

I personally believe there are usually better hair removal options for your thighs, butt, chest, armpits, and wherever else.

I’ve found these other options below to last longer and work more effectively for me, but that might not be true in your case.

When I do have to shave, using a nice women’s razor with fewer blades that’s designed to get close to the skin in the bikini region has been a must.

Some of them even have special pads on the top that put aloe on your skin as you shave, which is wild.

A trick I’ve been told is that you can use moisturizer instead of shaving gel to get a smoother, closer shave. However, I’ve also learned this is a trick that comes with downsides. Using an oily moisturizer can work to clog your pours and dull razors faster, so beware.

Following this, some people will wash the area they shave beforehand using body washes that take from the natural oil of their skin, and as such, leads to a rougher shave.

The reality is that because shaving is the most popular and widely-used hair removal technique, there are very few boundaries on how you can mix and match different razors, shaving creams/gels/lotions, and so on.

Oh, and if you’re struggling with razor bumps, ingrown hairs, or other blemishes when shaving, check out our guide to avoiding ingrown hairs.

Trimming

It’s crazy to me how many people I’ve seen talk about the time it takes them to shave their thighs and butt, that have never opted to try out trimming instead of shaving.

Using a body trimmer that’s especially designed to get close to the skin, you can quickly and regularly churn through a lot of the work required to stay hair-free.

And if you find these routines to be taking you a ton of time out of your day, we wrote a guide on minimizing the time you take to get and stay hairless here.

Pros:

• Heavily minimize the time it takes you to get hairless and stay hairless
• These electric razors usually last a long time, and come with reusable heads
• The trimmers designed to get close to the skin give you a shave that mimics a mechanical razor
• Several of these work in the shower, and are water resistant
• You can seamlessly and discreetly go from shaving your face to shaving your body
• You can get rid of a lot of hair in bulk very quickly with these

Cons:

• The batteries in these are usually not amazing, and eventually require you to charge them before every shave
• When you start going fast, you can end up with bad cuts if you’re not careful
• Trimmers are less suitable for work close to the genitals or around the anus
• Hair still grows back at the rate it would with a traditional razor

Waxing

Our next stop for hair removal is waxing.

I think the main allure of waxing is that you’re going to end up with a much more thorough hair removal job, where the hair is truly gone, and stays gone.

This can definitely be true of the results, though there are some drawbacks with waxing, and as we get into what you can expect to see from great at-home waxing kits, know the reality is a little different.

First, if you don’t have experience waxing, odds are you’re going to mess it up a couple times before you get it right. And when you do mess it up, it’s going to hurt.

And I mean hurt.

Waxing it not a pain-free process. It’s very much the opposite of that, and if you have thick, coarse pubic hair you’re looking to get rid of via waxing, it’s going to hurt a lot.

I heard this when I first bought the waxing kit above, and thought “whatever, I can handle it”, and I did definitely tough it out. Though in the process of toughing it out, I bled, I cried cold tears involuntarily, and spent DAYS afterwards getting the irritation down.

But you know, what I was left with in the end was a completely hairless pubic region that stayed that way for about a month afterwards.

I will never do it again–not without painkillers–but it was very thorough and lasted, as advertised.

Pros:

• Long lasting hair removal
• Truly hairless skin left behind
• Waxing weakens your hair follicles, and results in thinner hair that grows back slower
• After buying a nice starter waxing kit, wax is usually pretty cheap
• Waxing hair that is not thick, dark, or coarse is usually highly effective
• Once you start getting the technique right, waxing becomes a lot faster

Cons:

• Pain can be incredible and debilitating
• The pain is worse if you’re not good at waxing
• Waxing can leave you with a lot of skin irritation
• There are different kinds of wax you have to buy for different kinds of hair
• There’s a learning curve with finding the right wax, temperature, and add-on products
• Buying wax, sticks, and waxing paper regularly can be expensive
• If you’re not careful, you can make a big mess that’s not as easy as it seems to clean up
• You often have to wait for the hair to grow to the right length in order to wax again

Epilating

Epilating is an interesting combination of the trimmer and waxing techniques above, and a good epilator can really give you your money’s worth.

You can think of it as a waxing machine, or maybe more like an automated hair-tweezing machine.

An epilator is an automated, mechanical hair-removal device that rapidly plucks the hairs out of your skin in order to leave it hair-free.

Like waxing, however, epilating can be very painful. I think the upside to epilating is that you can stop whenever you’d like without having to get on cleanup duty the same way you would with waxing.

If the pain becomes too much, just give it a rest. Simple as that.

You can also usually draw out the process quite a bit if you don’t like going very fast, which is something that can definitely be a challenge with waxing.

Pros:

• Short of the initial purchase, you don’t need to buy any other add-ons to epilate effectively
• Several of these epilators work in the shower, or plug directly in to the wall so they don’t need to be charged
• You can go as slow as you’d like to
• Epilating, when done correctly, completely removes the hair where you use the device
• The results are long lasting, just like with waxing
• The cleanup is usually really easy
• The process can go pretty fast once you get the hang of it
• It’s a lot harder to epilate wrong than it is to wax wrong, in my opinion

Cons:

• Like waxing, the pain can be pretty bad
• Some epilators don’t allow you to adjust the speed at which they remove hair
• Epilating at a bad angle with fragile hair can result in damaged hairs
• It’s normal to bleed some while epilating
• Cheap or worn-down epilators can occasionally cut or get tangled up with the skin
• Epilating is NOT suitable for loose skin around the genital areas

Nair, Veet, and Depilatory Creams

If you’re interested in using Nair, or other depilatory creams, in order to get a hairless butt or thighs, know we already wrote a more in-depth article on that here.

I think the allure behind wanting to use these creams has a lot to do with the idea of a convenient, low-effort solution to getting rid of all of your hair.

The reality is a little bit different than I think most people imagine, so let’s get into it.

First, know these creams are designed to break down and dissolve hair on the surface of your skin, but don’t penetrate your skin to kill hair follicles at the root.

This is going to lead to results that are, best case scenario, close to what you’d get shaving against the grain.

If you’re going to use Nair on your thighs or butt, there’s a certain kind of the cream that comes with oils to soothe your skin while the hair dissolves, so definitely get that one.

The process basically goes like this:

• You put the cream on your skin, covering the hair, but don’t rub it in
• You wait some amount of time less, usually less than 10-minutes, for the hair to dissolve
• You pop in the shower and rinse off the liquid hair/cream mess on your skin

It seems simple, and usually it is, but you can run into issues with skin irritation, knowing what to look for and when to remove the cream, and so on.

Definitely check out the article we wrote on Nair’ing your thighs and butt here if you’re interested. I tried my best to load that one up with all of the advice I could muster.

Pros:

• Usually a low-effort way to remove hair close to the skin
• Often this doesn’t take very long at all
• There are many creams you can choose from, some of which work better at one thing than another (such as Nair, Veet, or Nads)
• Cleanup is easy, and usually occurs in the shower the exact same way rinsing off body wash would
• Some creams allow you to shower with them on
• It’s easy to remove a lot of hair quickly using creams like these

Cons:

• You’re basically putting an acid cream on the top of your skin, so irritation to the skin is not unlikely
• The smell of your hair melting, especially when you rinse off the cream in the shower, is insanely disgusting
• If you accidentally get these creams on sensitive areas of your skin (such as your genitals), this can be very painful
• You oftentimes can’t use these creams on your genitals or around your anus
• It’s easy to accidentally get these creams on other parts of your skin, such as on your face or in your eyes
• It’s very possible these creams may not work on thick, coarse hair, as would be found around the pubic region
• These creams can temporarily make your skin much more sensitive

IPL Kits

Next up in our hair removal journey: IPL kits—which stands for Intense Pulsed Light.

This method has gotten a huge amount of attention in the past few years, and it’s not hard to see why. IPL kits offer a semi-permanent solution to unwanted body hair, and they do it in a way that feels kind of futuristic.

The process is pretty simple: a handheld device emits light pulses that are absorbed by the pigment in your hair, heating up and damaging the hair follicle so that it slows or even stops future growth.

Unlike waxing, IPL doesn’t rip anything out. In fact, a big reason why some people prefer IPL is that it can be way less aggressive on your skin—no tears, no screams, no sticky disasters.

That said, it’s not totally effortless. IPL takes commitment and consistency, especially at the beginning. Most at-home kits (like this one I used, though know there are cheaper ones that work just as well) require you to do treatments once a week for the first 8–12 weeks, and then touch up occasionally after that.

Also, it doesn’t work for everyone. IPL is best suited for people with lighter skin tones and darker hair, because the technology relies on contrasting pigment. If your hair is very light, or your skin is very dark, results may be disappointing or inconsistent.

But if you fall into the right category and can stick to a schedule, the results are genuinely amazing. Personally, I noticed way less regrowth after a month of use, and after three months, some areas basically stopped growing hair altogether.

And there’s something kind of affirming about it too—the softness that comes with smooth skin, the feeling of taking care of your body in a gentle, high-tech way—it can all feel very euphoric.

Pros:

• Long-term reduction of hair growth
• Much less painful than waxing or epilating
• Can be done comfortably at home with no mess
• After the initial investment, you’re not constantly buying more supplies
• Perfect for large areas like legs, thighs, and chest where shaving is annoying
• Over time, skin feels smoother, softer, and less irritated
• Using an IPL kit can feel like a self-care ritual—very validating and feminine

Cons:

• Requires consistent use for weeks or months before seeing full results
• Not effective for very light hair or very dark skin tones
• Initial cost can be high (though it pays off over time)
• Can cause skin sensitivity or mild burns if not used properly
• You’ll need to shave the area first before using IPL—no skipping steps
• Some areas (like around genitals or darker tattoos) are not safe for IPL use
• If you stop using it, hair may slowly return over time

Salon Hair Removal

When it comes to getting serious about body hair, sometimes the best option is to hand things over to the professionals. Salon hair removal includes things like professional waxing, sugaring, threading, tanning, and even laser hair removal done by trained estheticians.

There’s something quietly empowering about booking that appointment, walking in, and saying, “I want this hair gone.” It can feel a little scary the first time—but it’s also a moment of choosing yourself, and that can feel very powerful, very soft, and very validating.

The biggest benefit to going to a salon is simple: they know what they’re doing. The wax is the right temperature. The technician has done this hundreds of times. The tools are clean, the lighting is good, and you don’t have to figure anything out. You just show up and breathe through it.

If you’re someone who wants truly flawless results—smooth legs, a clean bikini line, maybe even full-body smoothness—it’s really hard to beat the quality of a pro job. And for areas that are hard to reach or extra sensitive, it can be a huge relief to have someone else handle it.

There’s also a psychological side to it that doesn’t get talked about enough: being touched with care, having your body seen and treated gently—it can be deeply healing if you’ve ever felt self-conscious or unsure about how your body looks or feels with hair.

Of course, there are some downsides. Cost is a big one. Salon treatments are rarely cheap, and upkeep can become expensive if you’re going every few weeks. There’s also the mental hurdle—letting someone else see your body up close can feel intense the first few times.

But for those who are open to it, salon treatments can become a beautiful little ritual. Something about walking out of that appointment smooth, soft, and taken care of—it lingers. And it’s one of those things that can quietly build confidence over time.

Pros:

• Professional-level results that are hard to achieve at home
• Less risk of mistakes like burns, bruises, or missed patches
• Techs are trained to handle intimate and sensitive areas with care
• Can feel emotionally affirming and body-positive
• No cleanup—you get to walk in and walk out smooth
• Perfect for special occasions or just when you want to feel soft
• Some methods (like sugaring or laser) can reduce hair regrowth long-term
• Salons offer a wide variety of other beauty services as well

Cons:

• Cost adds up, especially with regular visits
• Can be intimidating the first few times
• You have to be comfortable with someone else seeing and touching your body
• Appointments take time, and you’ll likely need to travel to the salon
• Some areas may still feel uncomfortable or painful during treatment
• If you’re shy or private, this might not be your ideal method
• Not all salons are LGBTQ-friendly—finding a welcoming place matters

Tweezing

Let’s talk about tweezing—the old-school, up-close-and-personal approach to hair removal.

It’s not the flashiest method, and it’s definitely not fast, but tweezing–especially with a nice pair of salon-quality tweezers!–definitely has its place.

So story time: I have a friend who hates epilating, but loves epilating results. His solution? Tweezing off all of his pubic hair by hand. Sounds insane, right? He’s been doing it for years and swears by it!

The most common spots for tweezing are brows, stray hairs around the bikini line, and sometimes even ingrowns that need a little extra love to be freed gently. It’s a method that lets you slow down, focus, and really get to know your body in the most literal way.

That said, it’s probably not great for large areas. Trying to tweeze an entire thigh or arm would take ages and leave you frustrated, sore, and probably patchy. But for touch-ups, fine-tuning, or even just shaping things to feel a little more tidy, it’s an incredibly useful tool.

Oh and before I forget: obviously, tweezing can hurt. Not in the same full-body flinch way waxing does, but that tiny sting adds up after a while. Luckily, with time, the discomfort becomes easier to manage, especially when you’re in control of how fast or slow things go.

If you’re someone who enjoys quiet, detailed self-care—tweezing might feel kind of comforting. It’s a great way to reclaim little pieces of your body on your own terms.

Pros:

• Extremely precise—great for brows, stray hairs, or shaping
• No need for heat, chemicals, or devices—just a good pair of tweezers
• Affordable and low-maintenance once you have the tools
• Lets you control exactly what gets removed and what stays
• Can become a calming and meditative ritual for some people
• Ideal for quick clean-up between waxes or shaves
• No regrowth wait time—you can pluck as soon as the hair appears

Cons:

• Very slow and tedious for anything more than small areas
• Can cause discomfort, especially if you’re sensitive
• Overplucking can lead to patchy spots or permanent hair loss
• Not ideal for thick or coarse hair—it can break instead of pulling cleanly
• Ingrowns or redness can occur if not done gently
• It takes a steady hand and good lighting to do well
• Easy to obsess over small areas and go overboard if you’re not careful

Preparing for Hair Removal

Exfoliate

Before diving deep into any method of hair removal, let’s talk about one of the most overlooked—but totally essential—steps: exfoliating.

If you want smooth, happy skin and less irritation, exfoliation is your new best friend. It’s the gentle process of removing dead skin cells that sit on the surface of the skin, and it makes a huge difference when it comes to shaving, waxing, tweezing, or even using depilatory creams.

When you exfoliate properly, you help prevent clogged pores, reduce the risk of ingrown hairs, and create a cleaner surface for hair removal methods to actually work on. You’re also encouraging your skin to stay soft, fresh, and vibrant.

Let’s look at the most common kinds of exfoliating next, and how they can fit beautifully into your hair removal routine.

Mechanical Exfoliants

Let’s start with the classic approach: mechanical exfoliants.

Related article: A Beginner’s Guide to Exfoliating

These are physical tools or scrubs that help remove dead skin by creating a gentle (or sometimes not-so-gentle) friction on the skin. Think: loofahs, exfoliating gloves, sugar scrubs, washcloths, and those soft little shower poofs (poufs?) that feel kind of silly until you realize they actually work.

Mechanical exfoliants are super beginner-friendly. If you’re just starting to build your skincare or body care routine, adding a scrub or textured cloth into your shower is an easy win. And honestly? It feels good. There’s something quietly luxurious about taking that little bit of time to soften your skin and polish it up a bit.

Before shaving, waxing, or using depilatories, exfoliating with a scrub can help lift the hair and prevent ingrowns. This is especially helpful on spots like the legs, arms, or anywhere you want a smooth canvas. Just make sure not to go too hard, especially if your skin is sensitive or if you’re prepping an area you plan to wax—over-exfoliating can make everything sting a whole lot more.

Like with anything, it’s about balance: you want soft, fresh skin—not raw skin. Once or twice a week is usually enough, unless you’re working with a super gentle exfoliator.

Pros:

• Inexpensive and easy to find in most stores
• Leaves skin feeling noticeably smoother after one use
• Preps the skin perfectly for shaving, waxing, or creams
• Helps prevent ingrown hairs and clogged pores
• Feels nice and can be part of a soothing self-care routine
• Can be reused (loofahs, gloves) or switched out regularly for hygiene

Cons:

• Can irritate sensitive skin if used too aggressively
• Not ideal for the face or very delicate areas
• Overuse can leave the skin red, dry, or even inflamed
• Requires you to clean or replace tools regularly to avoid bacteria buildup
• Can’t reach deep into pores the way chemical exfoliants sometimes can
• May not be enough on their own for prepping super stubborn hair

Chemical Exfoliants

Now let’s get into something that sounds a little scary but honestly shouldn’t be: chemical exfoliants.

These work very differently than scrubs or loofahs. Instead of physically scrubbing the skin, chemical exfoliants dissolve the dead skin cells sitting on the surface, which can make your skin feel softer, clearer, and more even. Some of the most common are salicylic acid (BHA), glycolic acid (AHA), and lactic acid.

That might sound a little intense if you’ve never used them before, but don’t worry—you’re not burning your skin off. These acids come in very gentle concentrations and are found in things like toners, body serums, exfoliating pads, and even some cleansers. If you’ve ever had bumpy skin on your arms or thighs (hello, keratosis pilaris), chemical exfoliants can work wonders.

They’re especially helpful when prepping areas you plan to shave or use hair removal cream on. By clearing out dead skin and unclogging hair follicles, they reduce the chance of ingrown hairs and give you a smoother finish. Plus, they can even help fade hyperpigmentation over time if you’re dealing with any post-shave discoloration or irritation marks.

But a little goes a long way. If you’re going to use chemical exfoliants, start slow—once or twice a week at first—and never combine them with mechanical exfoliation on the same day. Your skin is a living thing, not a countertop! Be gentle with it.

Pros:

• No scrubbing needed—gentle and hands-off
• Helps prevent ingrown hairs and clogged follicles
• Improves skin texture over time
• Can fade dark spots and post-shave irritation
• Works well on bumpy or uneven skin (like upper arms and thighs)
• Pairs beautifully with shaving routines when used on alternate days

Cons:

• Can cause irritation if overused or used too often
• May sting a little the first few times, especially after shaving
• Can make skin more sensitive to sunlight (use SPF if you’re going outside)
• Not ideal right before waxing or depilatories, as it can increase sensitivity
• Requires some patience—results build gradually
• It’s easy to overdo it if you’re mixing different products without understanding the ingredients

Proper Technique

Shaving

Let’s talk about shaving—probably the first hair removal method most of us try.

It’s approachable, it’s inexpensive, and it works almost immediately. With just a razor, some patience, and a bit of prep, you can get super smooth skin all over your body.

Shaving is also a lot less intimidating than waxing or epilating, and there’s something soothing about the process once you get the hang of it. That smooth, silky skin right after a shower? Yes please.

But, while shaving is easy to start with, it’s not always easy to master. Especially if you’re aiming for that really clean, hairless look without razor burn, bumps, or ingrowns, technique matters.

First rule: never dry shave. Always hydrate your skin first. Warm water softens the hair and opens the pores, so hop in a steamy shower for a few minutes before picking up a razor.

Second: use a sharp, clean razor designed for what you’re doing. Dull blades tug and pull at the hair, and that’s when cuts and irritation start to show up. Keep things clean and change your razor heads regularly.

I could not recommend the Gillette Venus Women’s Disposable Razors any more for this task. They have never let me down and have my full endorsement. They’re cheap, too!

And third: shaving cream or gel is not optional. It’s your buffer. It keeps the skin protected and allows the blade to glide smoothly. Even better if you find one with soothing ingredients like aloe or oat extract.

If you’re shaving more sensitive areas—like the stomach, thighs, or groin—go extra slow. Always shave in the direction of hair growth first, then if needed, do a second gentle pass against the grain for an ultra-smooth finish.

After shaving, rinse with cool water and pat dry. Then moisturize—always moisturize. This helps calm the skin and prevents those annoying little bumps from showing up later.

Trimming

Let’s talk about trimming—the often-overlooked middle ground between shaving and just letting things grow wild.

Trimming isn’t about going totally smooth, but it can help you feel much more clean, soft, and tidy without the downsides of a razor or wax. For a lot of people, trimming is exactly the right balance.

Not to mention, trimming is usually a prerequisite for shaving, waxing, and other body hair removal techniques.

It’s especially useful if you have sensitive skin, or if shaving always seems to end in razor bumps and ingrowns. Trimming lets you cut the hair short without taking it all the way down to the skin—which can be a huge relief in some areas.

For body hair, a nice electric trimmer that gets close to the skin is usually best. You’ll want one with guards or adjustable lengths, so you can pick how short you want things to go. A clean #1 or #2 trim (or even no guard at all) can leave skin looking neatly groomed, soft to the touch, and still natural.

Note: for those of you shaving your thighs, butt, and pubes using a Philips Norelco OneBlade—which is an awesome trimmer I’ve used for years now—there’s now a “OneBlade Intimate” which is specifically designed for those more private regions!

Technique-wise, you’ll want to trim dry—not wet—since water makes hair lie flat and harder to catch. Pull the skin taut if you’re trimming somewhere stretchy like inner thighs or lower stomach. Move slowly, carefully, and with intention.

If you’re trimming areas like the chest, arms, or legs, longer guard settings will leave you with a soft, even look. For more delicate areas like around the groin, underarms, or butt, a bare blade can work, but you should go slow and never press too hard. No need to rush! Your skin will thank you for the patience.

And afterwards? Moisturize, even if you didn’t go down to the skin. Your skin still went through friction, and treating it gently is always a good step toward loving how you feel and how you look.

Waxing

If you’re going to wax, you can’t just jump in raw. Trust me—prep is everything when it comes to making the experience suck less and the results look way better.

Waxing isn’t like shaving. You’re not just removing hair, you’re ripping it out from the root. And when you’re trying to feel soft, clean, and a little more in love with your skin, you don’t want bumps, irritation, or leftover patches killing the vibe.

First things first: your hair needs to be the right length. Too short, and the wax can’t grip it. Too long, and it’ll hurt more than it needs to. The sweet spot is usually about 1/4 inch—like a grain of rice. If it’s longer than that, trim it down before you go in. Yes, really.

Next, your skin has to be clean. Take a shower and make sure the area is free of sweat, oils, lotions, or deodorant. Anything on the skin can mess with how the wax sticks, and that means more pain, more mess, and worse results.

After you’re clean, gently exfoliate the area—but not too aggressively. A soft scrub or dry brush can help lift the hair and clear away dead skin cells that might get in the way. Just don’t go in with anything rough; we’re not sanding furniture here.

Once you’re exfoliated, pat dry. Skin should be completely dry and cool before waxing. Some people even dust a little baby powder or cornstarch over the area to absorb any leftover moisture—this can actually help the wax stick to the hair, not the skin.

And let’s talk mindset for a second. If it’s your first time, this is really going to suck. It’s going to hurt. Breathe deep, count to three, and remind yourself why you’re doing it. You’re going to have very beautiful, smooth skin that lasts a pretty long time.

Pro tip: Don’t wax right before a big event or outing. Give yourself 24 to 48 hours for any redness or irritation to calm down—especially in sensitive areas. The first time I did this I looked like a tomato! You’ll feel much better if you give your body some time to heal and your skin will look AMAZING by the time you show it off.

TL;DR — if you’re going to wax, take the prep seriously. Your body deserves it, and so do you.

Wax Prep Checklist:

• Hair trimmed to about 1/4 inch
• Skin clean—no lotions, oils, or deodorants
• Gentle exfoliation beforehand (not right before)
• Skin completely dry before you start
• Optional: light dusting of powder for better grip
• Do a small test patch if it’s your first time
• Leave time for aftercare—don’t wax right before going out

Epilating

The key to not hating your life during your first epilation is good prep. If your skin isn’t ready, the pain is going to feel like betrayal.

So let’s talk about how to get your body ready to epilate like a smooth-skin deity.

First, check your hair length. Unlike waxing, epilators can catch shorter hairs—as short as 2 mm, depending on the device. If your hair is too long, it’ll hurt more and can tug unevenly. Trim it down if needed.

Next, exfoliate. Gently. Exfoliating is non-negotiable with epilators—it clears off dead skin, helps lift the hairs, and lowers your chance of getting ingrown hairs after. A soft scrub or dry brush the night before works great.

Shower beforehand if you can, and make sure the skin is completely dry and oil-free. Some people epilate in the shower (with waterproof models), but if you’re new to this, start dry so you can see what you’re doing and control the device better.

Hold a nice, high quality epilator at a 90-degree angle, don’t press it hard into the skin, and go slow. Seriously—slow. Let the device do the work. Tighten your skin with one hand and move the epilator against the direction of hair growth with the other. You’ll hear little snaps as the hairs get pulled.

If it stings too much, take breaks. You’re allowed to take breaks. You can even try numbing creams or ice packs beforehand if you’re feeling extra delicate.

After you’re done, expect some redness or tiny bumps. That’s normal. Moisturize with something gentle (aloe vera gel is great!), and avoid tight clothes or sweating for the next 12–24 hours.

Prep + Technique Checklist:

• Hair length: 2–5 mm is ideal
• Trim longer hair first to reduce pain
• Exfoliate the night before
• Shower, then pat dry—skin must be clean and dry
• Hold epilator at a 90° angle
• Move slowly, against hair growth
• Tighten skin with your free hand as you go
• Moisturize after with something gentle
• Expect redness—it’s okay
• Don’t wear tight clothes or exercise for 12–24 hours after

Nair, Veet, and Depilatory Creams

Let’s talk about depilatory creams—aka chemical hair removers like Nair, Veet, and Nads. These are great if you’re looking for a pain-free way to smooth things out without sharp blades or hot wax. Just smear it on, wait a bit, and wipe the hair away like magic.

That said—this is not a “just wing it” kind of product. You’re dealing with chemicals that dissolve hair at the skin’s surface. If you use them wrong or leave them on too long, you will absolutely regret it.

Before anything else, do a patch test. Seriously. Pick a small, hidden area of your skin and test the cream at least 24 hours before you use it fully. If you react badly, better to find out on your thigh than on your inner thigh, if you catch my drift.

Make sure the area you’re treating is clean and dry. No oils, lotions, or leftover product. Your skin should also be completely intact—so no scratches, nicks, or razor burn from the day before. Depilatory cream + broken skin = absolutely not.

Apply a thick, even layer of the cream using the spatula that comes with it (or your hand, if you’re brave). Do not rub it in—this is a sit-on-top product. Set a timer and wait the exact amount of time listed on the bottle. For most creams, that’s around 5–10 minutes, but you need to follow the directions on the specific product you’re using.

For me, I had a lot of luck with Nair, and I would leave it on for a little over 9 minutes on dark, coarse hair that was on my pubic regions. On my thighs it didn’t take as long. Be very careful not to get it on areas the bottle says you shouldn’t (if you catch my drift).

I’ll say that again louder for the people in the back: ALWAYS follow the directions on the bottle. Don’t guess. Don’t go “just one more minute.” That’s how people end up with chemical burns.

Once time’s up, gently wipe the cream (and hair) away using a damp washcloth or rinse under lukewarm water. Don’t scrub. If the hair doesn’t come off easily, don’t reapply right away. Wait a full day and try again, or use a different method.

Aftercare is key. Moisturize the area with something light and fragrance-free. Aloe vera or a sensitive-skin lotion is great. Your skin might feel a little tingly or warm after—normal. If it burns or stings, rinse immediately and skip that product forever.

Depilatory creams work best on legs, arms, chest, and back. If you’re going anywhere near your intimate areas, use a cream made specifically for that zone—Nair and Veet both make sensitive formulas for bikini or pubic areas. Don’t just slap regular leg cream on your bits. Be smarter than that.

And if you’re wondering which one to try first: Nair usually works a little faster and stronger, while Veet tends to be gentler and better-smelling. But your skin might prefer one over the other—so again, patch test!