Yes... (Updated 24 January 2004 - last paragraphs)

• I shave my face, neck, and armpits.
• I use Nair (or similar products) in my bikini area
• I use my Braun Silk-Epil epilator everywhere else (below the neck), including toes, legs, and torso.

I use the following techniques:

1. I shave my face and neck with a disposable twin blade razor in the shower... I wet my head and face, and apply shampoo to my hair. Dove face soap is lathered onto my face. I scrub the rest of my body using a nylon net body scrubber, and then go back and rinse my hair and face. Then, another shampoo and a fresh facial soaping with Dove, and I'm ready to shave. My face and neck need to be shaved in several directions to achieve a close result. I usually do my armpits every time I shower, too.

2. I prefer to keep my bikini area hairs short (or even better, gone), and with the folds of skin in the scrotal area, shaving is out of the question. I've found that Nair with Baby Oil or with Aloe does a very nice job of removing these hairs and for me, every two to three weeks maintains the desired condition.

   In Germany (and maybe in other parts of Europe) there is a very effective product called "Pilca" which comes in a tube. It takes a bit less time, and comes with an applicator spatula to spred the paste without needing to use your fingers directly. I found Pilca in drugstores (Drogerie), not pharmacies (Apoteka).

   This is a "before showering" process... and is what I do, not what I recommend. Nair and similar products use a strong caustic agent (calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, or lye, just like in chemical plumbing drain cleaners) to dissolve hair near the skin. READ and FOLLOW your product label instructions CAREFULLY. You can find your result is severe chemical burns in an area with thin and sensitive skin.

   I use this to remove hairs from several inches below my navel to an inch or two in front of my anus, including the scrotum and penis.

   It is important to get the Nair lotion in the valleys as well as the higher spots, and that there is enough lotion that it won't dry out in the 10 to 15 minutes it needs to remain to disolve the hairs near the skin. I only need a thin layer -- about 1/16 of an inch or 1.5 millimeters should be adequate. Do NOT try to rub the lotion in, but you must ensure that there is sufficient coverage.

   After the required interval (I can tell the hairs are disolved adequately if they pull off readily as you wipe with a finger, for example), but NOT LONGER than the product instructions indicate, I get in the shower and rinse. Rubbing is not necessary, but wiping is needed in my experience, to remove the greatly weakened hairs.

   Caution! -- Billie sent me the following note

   Dee,

   First let me say that your are a very nice looking Lady! I appreciate your Q&A...especially the answers... now for my question:::: What do you recommend for treatment of minor "burn" from the Nair? I used Nair 4 minute removal cream and, obviously, left it on a bit too long. I have a minor "burn" in one part of the sc.. in the 'back'. I am using a triple ointment right now...so it will lubricate the area and heal. I s there anything you recommend that is better? I appreciate your time and effort...

   Billie

   NEW Info 14 October 2002

   First, I've used the "new quicker formula" for some time now -- it cuts down the pre-shower time dramatically to just five to six minutes. You need to be especially careful, however, as mentioned in Billie's note and also a few paragraphs below. Again, I'll say READ the directions and cautions on the label -- the manufacturer didn't put them on the container to use more ink!

   END NEW Info

   I formerly used the "regular" Nair formula, not the "instant" (Four minute) variety. I've never suffered from the burns you've described -- they are caused by the alkaline (caustic alkali -- or lye-like) content etching through your skin as well as the hairs. Clearly, soaps generally contain similar ingredients (which is why the Nair bottle recommends that you NOT use soap to remove the Nair creme). It seems that a dilute solution of vinegar might help neutralize the alkali, at the time of injury. Avoiding the chemical burns is a much better idea!

   Since the "Four Minute" formula is quicker, it is clear that an extra minute would be similar to leaving the regular formula on for another 4 to 5 minutes -- the quicker the solution, the more critical the tolerance.

   After the burn has begun to heal, I would simply recommend keeping the site dry, and applying an ointment such as you are using -- which has a couple beneficial effects in this area -- it fights fungal, yeast and bacterial infections, and it keeps the healing area from drying out and cracking. I'd avoid tucking in tight panties until you are thoroughly healed, though. A dusting with a medicinal powder (like Gold Bond) might be helpful too.

   In a follow-up note, Billie wondered if the fact that she walked around a bit after applying the "Four Minute" Nair might have caused an effect similar to what you might experience if you tried to "rub it in" -- which she notes was clearly not recommended in either the label directions or here in my notes. The good news is that she's recovering! Don't Rub It In (or walk around a lot after applying the creme).

   Updated 24 January 2004 -- I've found the Four-Minute Formula Nair product to work well for me, but because of its stronger formula, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you read and follow the label directions, especially with regard to the amount of time you allow the product to remain in contact with your delicate skin. Testing to see when the hairs are sufficiently dissolved, so you can remove the creme as early as possible, is necessary. Whatever product you choose to use...

   PLEASE Carefully follow the label directions if you use any of these products!

3. The remainder of the body hairs I want to remove are readily removed with my electric epilator. I have a Braun Silk-Epil, but others say they are very happy with another brand called Gently Gold. I got my Braun at a Service Merchandise store. Gently Gold is available from Sharper Image, among other places, I understand.

   With these machines, you simply follow the instructions. They will yank (literally) your hairs out by the roots, and this avoids a couple problems that shaving causes.

   • Shaving makes a sharp end to the hair where it is cut, that becomes scratchy.
   • The hair is cut at the skin line, so those hair roots just below the skin line are visible through the skin, giving you a bit of shadow.
   • Since the hair is cut at the skin line, it will begin to be noticable more quickly.

   Plucking the hairs with tweezers (or a pair of oyster shells, or using an epilator) avoids all three of these problems -- as the hair is pulled from its root. The new hair growth will not have a sharp end, and as there is no root, the shadow is diminished and noticable regrowth takes a week or so.

   The first time use of an epilator will be uncomfortable, but subsequent uses become less so. Also, after some use, it seems to me that the hair regrowth has become more sparse and finer as well. It seems to be most efficient to epilate with my Silk-Epil after the hairs are at least 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) long, but still less than 1/4 inch (5-6 mm). In all of this (discomfort and optimum length for re-use), your results may vary somewhat (YMMV!)

4. What do friends and family say?

   In my case, for years my wife might ask me if I'd shaved again (with a tone of disdain in her voice that was unmistakable). I was accused both righteously (when shaved hairs began to regrow, she'd notice), and un -- I never quite knew when or why she'd complain even during times I wasn't shaving my legs.

   After beginning to use the Silk Epil, she hasn't asked! I don't make a point of epilating when she's around, but she knows I do this, and have gotten no comments in well over a year. We've gone swimming with family and friends... and I wear my alter ego's boxer-style swim suit, but there is no hair from my toes to my neck. She's the only one who may comment, and it's usually to a girlfriend ("He has so few hairs, it's not fair. I have to shave...") only attracting more attention to my hairless state.

   I've not had comments from others, and don't know if my wife has been asked about my hairlessness -- it may be that her comments are her way of defusing this perceived problem. Recently I had some detailed medical procedures which had doctors and nurses exploring my nether regions, and of course, their professional decorum prevailed so well, that I have no idea whether they noticed, or what comments they might have had.

   Now, if we could get her to worry about me appearing topless -- then I could wear much nicer bathing suits! We have a couple week trip to Florida coming up -- and I'll have to see what comes of this!

5. What could go wrong?

   Well, you could cut yourself shaving -- and bleed to death, or burn your self with caustic chemicals -- and require a doctor's care, or get a few ingrown hairs or get electrocuted or ... but they aren't my main concerns. Used with care, the risks are small, and the pleasures of hirstutelessness far outweigh them.