I decided to rid myself of some body hair. I Started by shaving my chest, and got some nasty razor burn. This is consistent with previous experiences shaving body hair. When I shave my face, I shave wet, against the grain, with no lotion or cream. I never have problems on my face and neck. However, when I shave my body hair, no matter what lotion or cream I use, and how slow I take it, I have two choices: Leave stubble or get bumps. (I'm told this is because for a close shave you have to shave against the grain, which can cause stubble to pop back under the skin and cause bumps.)
Anyway, frustrated and not wanting to have bumps all over myself from trying to learn should I decide to swim this summer, I went out and bought some Nair. I bought two products to try, the traditional "Nair for Men" cream and the spray on stuff.
Let me get this out of the way: The spray sounds great on paper. It says it takes less time, spray is easier to apply, and it seems like you wouldn't go through it as fast. My experience with the spray was that it is a colossal waste of money. I tried it in multiple places, and I don't think I saw it remove a single hair.
The spray says it takes less time (4 minutes as opposed to 15 for the cream) and feels much harsher while on the skin. Unfortunately, while the spray was very uncomfortable and at times painful, it failed to remove any hair. Instead, it just left my skin hairy and looking sunburned. This effect went away after a few minutes under lukewarm water, so at least it didn't actually do any lasting damage, but that's a small comfort for having spent 8 bucks on the stuff. Perhaps if I left it on longer, it might actually get to the hair, but I'm afraid of what it might do to my skin.
My experience with the cream was much more positive. I first used it on my chest, which was sporting about a week's growth. I read the instructions, which say to apply it thickly across the skin. I'd liken it to spreading peanut butter. Don't rub it in, just smooth it across. I used a good bit, making sure it was on thick as the instructions specifically demanded. I'll talk on that in a minute.
I sat down, shirtless with the Nair on my chest, and messed around on my computer for the 15 minutes required. The smell isn't good, but it didn't really bother me. I don't have a super sensitive nose, though. After 15 minutes I went to the bathroom, stepped into the shower, and wiped the stuff off under lukewarm water. Even being gentle with the washcloth, the hair came right off.
I'm not sure if the length of the hair plays into how well Nair works, but on my chest I got less satisfactory results than every other place I used it, which all sported full growth. The effect was good, as good as a decent shave, but rubbing against the grain I could feel some minor stubble even right there in the shower. I've seen some people say that this get's better with repeated use, but I don't know as I haven't done a second application yet.
Since then, I've done my arms, underarms, stomach, shoulders, and privates. All of these places I got excellent results, totally smooth skin rubbing in both directions. Like I said, in these places I sported full growth, and the hair came off with very little effort.
The cream caused me little to no discomfort. Even after 15 minutes and even in sensitive areas like the privates and underarms, I experienced little more than a mild tingly heat, if that. The one exception is that when I did my chest, I was impatient and didn't bother to avoid my nipples. I didn't experience any pain during the process, but afterwords my nipples became somewhat raw. It doesn't rate very high on my personal pain threshold, but it's definitely unpleasant. If the sensation of a sunburn on your nips sounds like something you'd like to avoid, be careful to keep the cream off of them.
Many of these places I've never shaved before, so I don't have a great comparison to offer as to how long each respective method lasts. I'd wager a guess that if Nair does last longer, it's not much longer. Expect the first day or two to be relatively smooth in heavy growth areas, with the stubble getting long enough to be agitating around day 3. Slower growing areas may last longer. I'll update with more information on the lasting effect once more time goes by. Still, I feel comfortable saying you shouldn't expect results on par with epilation or waxing.
As I said earlier, I used quite a bit on each area I did. The bottle said to apply it thickly, so I did. Next time, I think I will try to use less, because at the rate I used the stuff, I used almost the entire bottle and didn't even do my legs or back. At 8 bucks a bottle, that's quite a bit more expensive than shaving if you do your whole body and want to keep smooth.
Overall, I feel like the cream gave me extremely satisfactory results, but I'm not sure I can afford to keep up with it if I can't be more conservative with it's application. If you have full growth and want to get rid of it without the hassle of shaving thick hair or having to trim first, this stuff seems perfect. It might be more economical to upkeep with shaving afterwords though.
The immediate results are wonderful. Perfect smoothness with no bumps. I can't stop rubbing my forearms, they feel so good.
The one other downside besides the cost is that this stuff is messy. Imagine squirting it in one hand, smearing it on you, then grabbing the bottle with that hand so you can squirt some in the other to cover the other side. The more area you need to cover, the messier it's going to get.
Warnings/Disclaimers:
-Everyone is different, this is my experience, yours may differ.
-Because of that, you ought to spot test the product on a small area and if you have no adverse reaction after 24 hours, go ahead and use it.
-Do not rub this stuff into your skin. It's a protein dissolving agent, you want to be able to rinse it right off after the allotted time.
-Be careful applying it to sensitive skin. Again, spot test a small area, don't assume just because it didn't bother your chest or back it won't bother more sensitive places. I was fine, but everyone is different.
-Be aware of joints and crevices. You don't want to rub this stuff in, so if you put it in a place where the skin rubs together when you move, don't move that bit and keep the skin apart as much as possible.
-Be aware of the fact that your hands are covered in hair removal cream, and don't touch your head or anywhere else you don't want hair removed. If you do, get to cleaning it off immediately.
-I didn't try it on my face. The bottle doesn't recommend it, and I didn't feel bold. If you do feel so bold, be careful and spot test. Keep it away from your eyes.
-This stuff is melting off your hair, so it can't be good for your skin. When you are done, you may want to apply some restorative lotion.
