Update - Shaving, Waxing, Creams, Epilator, Etc - What do you do?

Sylvia, your posts are cracking me up!  That device does look evil.  Those little blades are teeth and I picture little beady eyes popping out on it while you're sleeping at night...Yeesh!
 
That said, I am a fan of brazilian waxing "down below" and I shave my legs and armpits.  I have very coarse, thick hair "down there" and yes, it hurts like a sum-beetch the first time you get it done.  My advice is to NOT go with a full brazilian but leave a "landing strip" at the top.  I think it's much sexier than the ten-year-old girl look you're left with at the end, and besides that part of the wax is the most painful, by far.
 
I was religiously getting waxes every 5 weeks or so since my wedding in August - but when I found out I was pregnant in January I stopped going until last week.  OH MY GOSH did it hurt, all the hair had grown back, plus I had shaved in the meantime (big no no - you must not shave between waxes or you will not train the hair to grow in sparse).  So I will never let it go like that again.  Once you go brazilian, you will never be able to go back to shaving!  It's great, it's sexy, it makes sex so much more fun and enjoyable.  You'd be surprised at how much newfound sensitivity you have once all that hair is out of the way - and you don't even realize how much IN the way it is to begin with! 

ORIGINAL: g33

Sylvia, your posts are cracking me up!  That device does look evil.  Those little blades are teeth and I picture little beady eyes popping out on it while you're sleeping at night...Yeesh!

That said, I am a fan of brazilian waxing "down below" and I shave my legs and armpits.  I have very coarse, thick hair "down there" and yes, it hurts like a sum-beetch the first time you get it done.  My advice is to NOT go with a full brazilian but leave a "landing strip" at the top.  I think it's much sexier than the ten-year-old girl look you're left with at the end, and besides that part of the wax is the most painful, by far.

I was religiously getting waxes every 5 weeks or so since my wedding in August - but when I found out I was pregnant in January I stopped going until last week.  OH MY GOSH did it hurt, all the hair had grown back, plus I had shaved in the meantime (big no no - you must not shave between waxes or you will not train the hair to grow in sparse).  So I will never let it go like that again.  Once you go brazilian, you will never be able to go back to shaving!  It's great, it's sexy, it makes sex so much more fun and enjoyable.  You'd be surprised at how much newfound sensitivity you have once all that hair is out of the way - and you don't even realize how much IN the way it is to begin with! 

 
 O.K. how bad does it hurt on a scale of 1-10? I also have very thick, coarse hair. I can deal with the landing strip. I was going to get it all off, but only for my BF. I personally like the look of the strip anyways so he can deal with it. But what should I expect my pain level to be? Will I be crying? [] Will I want to scream or actually do so? Will I be sweating because the pain is so bad? How long does a typical session take?

ORIGINAL: cakana

My friend insists that if I use it for 5 times, I will not feel anymore pain and it will be have been a wonderful investment. We'll see.

If you manage to make it thru 5 times, you'll have to let us all know if it truly works.  The very first time I saw it advertised I thought "you've got to be kidding!!  What woman would want to do that?"  Based on the number of people who've gotten tatoos though, I may be one of the few woosies left []

 
I will use this awful thing 5 times. I can't return it, as my DNA is splattered all over it. So I'm going to be a masochist and inflict some more torture upon myself next weekend. I need to let the hair grow out more so it'll work better (meaning it will hurt MORE). I will let you all know how it went and I will even try and take a picture of my legs. Right now, my left leg is so traumatized that it's all red and bumpy. Poor thing. I'll try and post a before and after pic when all is said and done.

I think it really depends on what your pain tolerance is!  The first time I went in, I was laughing I was surprised how much it hurt.  I have asked the techs how some women react to first time waxes and a one woman said she had a client who cried the whole time.  And I did break a sweat, the first time and this last time.  After that, it's really not that bad at all and gets to the point where the hot wax is more uncomfortable than the ripping.  But if you have a skilled technician they should make it go as fast as possible and be talking to distract you.  That part really helps.  It should take no more than 20 minutes. 

My advice to you is DO NOT GO if you are within a week on the front or back end of your period - it makes that area way more sensitive. 

Do you have a Sally Beauty Supply near you?  They sell a numbing cream and the salon techs I've had have mentioned that I could put that on just prior to a wax.  (The salons can't do it for you though if it isn't their product).  Take 2 advil 30 minutes prior to your wax and put the numbing cream on when you're undressing.  I haven't tried the advil or the cream, but I'm sure it would help a lot of if you are really concerned about the pain.  If I had to compare it with the worst pain I've ever had, which was ulcer pain that had be writhing in bed for 8 hours - if that pain was a 10, then this was probably about a 6.  But it's a much much different kind of pain.  If something like tweezing your eyebrows hurts you, you're going to probably feel a lot of pain. 

I have done the full brazilian before and it DOES hurt getting the top part taken off - save that one for one of your future waxes if you want to try it, and it won't seem as bad as if you tried to take it off on your first time.  I just like the look of the strip better. 

Oh and lastly, go with a professional salon for this one, especially your first time.  You want techs who are totally experienced, and who are QUICK! 

Thanks Gina!

Plucking my eyebrows does not hurt, but ripping into my skin last night did hurt. HOWEVER, I was able to grin and bear it. I was able to continue on with it for OVER AN HOUR and maintain my sanity. It hurt, oh yes. It's basically plucking your legs. Some people actually use this on their nether regions!!! Just the thought of someone doing that makes me want to cry. []  So I think I'm just gonna schedule an appointment somewhere and have my first wax done. I've been curious for far too long. I don't know where to find a good place though. I have no one to ask. Maybe I should go to the local strip club and ask the strippers. []

Gawd don't do that...who knows what they leave crawling on the waxing table...lol.

ORIGINAL: rwbeagles

Gawd don't do that...who knows what they leave crawling on the waxing table...lol.

 
Lol!  Good point!

Well dang, I checked and Mario Tricoci doesn't have any CA locations and Elizabeth Arden (Red Door) only has a San Francisco location!  I checked Aveda's website and here are their California locations - I'd recommend them too.  Put in "CA" to specify your state and the locations will come up: [linkhttp://www.aveda.com/templates/door/usa_results.tmpl]http://www.aveda.com/templates/door/usa_results.tmpl[/link] 

If you endured that for an hour, I think you'll come through a wax just fine.  And do mentally prepare yourself to do the "Happy Baby" position to get your butt hair too!  Isn't that gross!!! This is just part of the fun of waxing and throwing all your modesty to the wind. 

ORIGINAL: g33

Well dang, I checked and Mario Tricoci doesn't have any CA locations and Elizabeth Arden (Red Door) only has a San Francisco location!  I checked Aveda's website and here are their California locations - I'd recommend them too.  Put in "CA" to specify your state and the locations will come up: [linkhttp://www.aveda.com/templates/door/usa_results.tmpl]http://www.aveda.com/templates/door/usa_results.tmpl[/link] 

If you endured that for an hour, I think you'll come through a wax just fine.  And do mentally prepare yourself to do the "Happy Baby" position to get your butt hair too!  Isn't that gross!!! This is just part of the fun of waxing and throwing all your modesty to the wind. 

 
Ooh! Thank you! And I will travel to S.F. for a good wax. [] I'll go there or to one of the places nearby that this link is listing. Thank you again! And I was wondering about the butt hair thing. [] Thanks for clearing that up!

And do mentally prepare yourself to do the "Happy Baby" position to get your butt hair too! Isn't that gross!!! This is just part of the fun of waxing and throwing all your modesty to the wind.

 
What I want to know is who in the world wants to do this for a living - ugh!

ORIGINAL: cakana

And do mentally prepare yourself to do the "Happy Baby" position to get your butt hair too! Isn't that gross!!! This is just part of the fun of waxing and throwing all your modesty to the wind.

What I want to know is who in the world wants to do this for a living - ugh!

 
Good question! This reminds me, how much do you a tip for this kind of thing? I'm assuming you do tip of course, but how much? Normal 15% scale? I would think that I would want to give more to the person who just saw me more up close and personal than most other people.

And do mentally prepare yourself to do the "Happy Baby" position to get your butt hair too! Isn't that gross!!! This is just part of the fun of waxing and throwing all your modesty to the wind.

 
It is hard to feel secure in this type of situation.  The one thing you need to keep telling yourself the whole time is “there are lots of other women they wax "down there" that on that are FAR less attractive than I am!” []

ORIGINAL: cakana

And do mentally prepare yourself to do the "Happy Baby" position to get your butt hair too! Isn't that gross!!! This is just part of the fun of waxing and throwing all your modesty to the wind.

What I want to know is who in the world wants to do this for a living - ugh!

 
No doubt - can you imagine if you squeaked out a fart during it!!!!  Not that this has ever happened to ME, mind you - but sheesh, these folks do get some extra tipping from me!
 
Mario T. charges me $65 for a brazilian and I usually give a $10-$15 tip to the tech, depending on how good she is and how clean she leaves me.
 
I  have left the horrors of tweezing out of this thread.  I forgot about that.  Sylvia - if this is your first wax, you may have a lot of breakage at the hairline and she might have to go after you with tweezers.  This is by far the most torturesome part of it all, but a good tech will be SO SO SO quick! 
 
Glad I could help - be sure to come back and post your experiences with it!
 
I am SHOCKED that no guys other than Ed made a comment in this thread!  Not even a request for pics!  Boy this is a really clean board!

I am SHOCKED that no guys other than Ed made a comment in this thread! Not even a request for pics! Boy this is a really clean board!

 
They are obviously JUST busy right now...otherwise they absolutely WOULD have posted![]   AND Ed is TOO nice of a boy to ask for pictures or make "interesting" comments... Thank you Ed!![]  

ORIGINAL: g33

ORIGINAL: cakana

And do mentally prepare yourself to do the "Happy Baby" position to get your butt hair too! Isn't that gross!!! This is just part of the fun of waxing and throwing all your modesty to the wind.

What I want to know is who in the world wants to do this for a living - ugh!

No doubt - can you imagine if you squeaked out a fart during it!!!!  Not that this has ever happened to ME, mind you - but sheesh, these folks do get some extra tipping from me!

Mario T. charges me $65 for a brazilian and I usually give a $10-$15 tip to the tech, depending on how good she is and how clean she leaves me.

I  have left the horrors of tweezing out of this thread.  I forgot about that.  Sylvia - if this is your first wax, you may have a lot of breakage at the hairline and she might have to go after you with tweezers.  This is by far the most torturesome part of it all, but a good tech will be SO SO SO quick! 

Glad I could help - be sure to come back and post your experiences with it!

I am SHOCKED that no guys other than Ed made a comment in this thread!  Not even a request for pics!  Boy this is a really clean board!

 
Oh my gosh . . .just when I was starting to feel all brave and pumped up about this, you go and mention TWEEZING. Oh my gosh . . .  I will be crying, for sure. I will give her all of my money to make it as fast as possible. The things women go through . . .