I am considering sugaring -- ripping out body hair by using a thick sugary goo. Rather like waxing but without the heat, and it's alleged to be gentler on the skin than wax.

I never really considered hair removal because I lucked out with body hair that is sparse, fine and soft. But my shins have somewhat noticeable hair and I'm considering removing it. I hate the idea of shaving daily and I hate the 40 grit sandpaper feel of stubble on someone's leg.

Skin Biology website advises using reparative treatments on skin that's been subjected to waxing. But I sounds like they don't expect women to consider not doing it. I'm wondering how much damage sugaring actually does to the skin. Is it not such a big deal, or is it damaging enough that it just ain't worth it?

Also, does anyone know of a hair bleaching product that doesn't bleach the skin? That would be my ideal option, since I like prefer the sensitivity I have when I leave my hair intact. Honestly, removing the hair makes my shins feel insensate like they got a shot of novocaine.

Hi Jadzia

Waxing or sugaring causes mild damage in proportion to how much hair there is to remove, and how thick and tough it is to get out. Minimal fine hair mean minimal damage. ..and in my experience 'damage' is little more than a sting and slightly irritated follicles for a day.

I'm not sure about using CP afterwards, because that encourages hair growth...

I have used a bleach specially for body hair, available from the pharmacy. It says on the package that it may 'temporarily' bleach the skin and all will be well 24hrs later. This doesn't make sense to me at all ... but it turned out to be true! I have no idea how this works, but it did bleach my skin just a touch - about one shade - but the colour came back to normal quickly, exactly as promised. Odd!

The one I used is called 'Andrea', a Los Angeles brand, in a blue box.

If bleaching is sufficent for you (lucky!), that's probably better than the 'rip strips' approach.

Delisay

thanks Delisay,
I'll patch test that bleach brand you recommended. The one and only time I bleached that island of black hair on my leg it made the skin a spooky white for three days, until I got a nasty sunburn limited to that same area.

The one time I waxed the discomfort and irritation were mild, so maybe that's the way to go. I was just wondering how much, if at all, waxing damages hair follicles. I was never so protective of my hair follicles until I started poking around on this site.

Jadzia,
I have had sugaring done for the past year, on my thighs and upward (way upward)! While your description of "ripping out body hair" had me almost rolling on the floor laughing, it is so accurate. Having said that in my experience the skin feels much better. I had to get the regular waxing done about 3 months ago, and I ended up with a lot of irritation, which I never have with the sugaring. Before I started using CP's I used to moisturize the area with olive oil, but now I use SK body lotion. It has worked great for me. There are also hardly any ingrown hairs from the sugaring.

Janice

Thanks Janice, that's good to know you found sugar to be less irritating than wax. Now I have 2 things to try. Maybe I'll bleach one shin and sugar the other.