Ask Hannah!

Hi Hannah! My own most bothersome “feminine flaw” is my oh-so-manly body hair. The most troublesome area is my hands & knuckles (yes, I’m that hirsute). Professional removal isn’t in my budget, and it seems as though I’ve tried every at-home method under the sun: shaving, waxing, hair removal creams. Do you have any suggestions for a method that would be less than excruciating and would last for more than a day? Thanks so much!

There is a certain joy I feel when I shave my legs.  It is one of the most feminine things I think we can do.  The feeling of a smooth leg against sheets, stockings… sigh.  It’s just… divine.

My hands, arms… not so much.

I remove my body hair once a week.  By keeping on a regular schedule it makes it easier to maintain.   If I am simply trying to keep my body smooth (and eliminate one of the more masculine characteristics, to be honest), I use Nair on my body.

Everywhere.

I’ll use a razor to touch up my forearms or any parts that I missed.  If I am going out, I’ll then use a razor on my legs after the Nair to ensure a smoother feel and appearance.  Since my hair is black any missed spots will stand out.

Hair removal is something that I have had to experiment a lot with, especially when it comes to my arms, hands, and fingers.  It’s frustrating to look at my hands and see little black hairs poking through my skin.

I used to use a razor and shaving cream on my arms and hands.  If this worked for my legs, then it should work for my arms, right?  It’s trickier to do my arms, though, especially when I have to use my left hand on my right arm.  I tended to get a lot of nicks and cuts this way, especially on my wrist.

I used to use Veet which was effective.  Sort of.  The process I used for a bit was shaving my arms, and then using Veet for a second step.

But we are always looking for something that is simpler.  Veet was effective, but my hair grew back quickly.  It’s not Veet’s fault, my hair just grew fast.

After years of this technique, I decided to try Nair.  Nair is faster, more effective and my hair growth seems to have slowed down a bit.  The downside of Nair is that it… ah, tingles more than Veet.  It took longer to get used to Nair compared to Veet.  The aloe vera formula seems to be easier on my skin than the other options.

I hope this was helpful.  It sounds like you have tried many options, but I hope a reader can suggest other methods that work for them.

Love, Hannah