I finally used the VEET wax strips - OUCH but not too loud!
They came with a tiny spray bottle containing a liquid with menthol and camphor in it that is used to reduce the pain of ripping the hair out by its roots. It doesn't numb the nerves as much as overload them with stimuli so the pain is not registered. And it worked! The few hairs that stubbornly clung were dispatched with tweezers and after I got bored, a razor.
The best part? SMOOTH - NO STUBBLE THE DAY AFTER! I can't wait to see how long that will last.
I waxed my legs once and had horrors with the ingrown hairs for weeks after - never again - but this looks like it'll become a habit.
BTW - duct tape turns out NOT to be sticky enough to pull hairs but enough to hurt (yes, I really tried it! Maybe the hairs were too short?)
Thanks for the recommendation, Steph!

helen