Hair Removal

By Kiehl's

Price: £13.70

OK, so shaving’s shaving and shaving cream’s just shaving cream, but this re-launched crème from perennial favourite beauty brand Kiehl’s really stood out. For a start, the thick white cream acts as a guide so I could see exactly where I had and hadn’t shaved. (I can’t count the number of times I’ve headed out in to the sun only to look down and realise my knees are still hairy. Not a good look.) Its rich, soothing texture also meant I could go over the same spot several times without causing redness or dryness. Plus, post shaving my legs felt soft thanks to the emollients in the cream – which meant I could skip moisturiser. Perfect for hair removal in a hurry, it gets our thumbs up.

By Veet

Price: £79.99

Stockist: Amazon

Waxing, shaving, plucking, delapitory creams…when it comes to hair removal, I’ve tried it all. Except epilating. Blame it on all those ‘horror’ stories, ‘it’s like waxing – but slower,’ one friend said. ‘It’s eye--wateringly painful,’ added another. But even as a self-confessed wimp, I can say that with this epilator (Veet’s first ever), it really wasn’t that bad at all.

Despite the unnerving grinding noise, the epilator plucked out my leg hairs (note: I wasn’t brave enough to try it on my bikini line) without much pain. It stung at first, but I soon got used to it and while I could definitely feel it, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Most of the hairs are successfully pulled out on the first go, and by the second I’m fuzz free.

Two weeks later and my legs are still silky smooth, plus I can epilate any re growth at any time, no waiting for the hair to grow out. I urge you to be brave – it’s worth it.

By Wilkinson Sword

Price: £8.99

Stockist: Wilkinson Sword

In theory the Wilkinson Sword Quattro Bikini is a terrifying piece of equipment. The idea of letting sharp, fast-moving parts anywhere near your intimate area is an intimidating thought, but in the interests of the ELLE reader I gave it a go.

The trimmer is essentially a miniature version of your boyfriend’s clippers, with a plastic casing that can be adjusted to set the length of hair that you’d like to end up with.

Turns out that the danger is zero – you’d have to work pretty hard to do yourself an injury. It’s actually effortlessly easy to use and incredibly effective, I was neat and trim in two minutes flat, with none of the awkward contorting and patchiness that usually ensues when trying to do the job with a pair of nail scissors (I would never advise this to anyone by the way). And the razor on the opposite end had my bikini line fuzz-free without incident, too. Brilliant – a good value for money buy.

By Boots

Price: £299.99

This system is not for everyone. You can’t use it if you’ve got really dark skin, you also can’t use it if you have sunbathed recently, used fake tan, may be pregnant, are trying to get pregnant, just had a baby, breast feeding or have your period. And you’re not supposed to use it within 24-hours of drinking alcohol, either. Once I’d established that I could actually use the thing, read all the warnings and instructions (I did this three times before feeling it was safe enough to even switch the machine on) and cancelled all social arrangements for the evening, it was time to start.

The process is not so much painful as long and uncomfortable. Lasering the skin feels like you are giving yourself a tiny electric shock, but while there is an instant burning sensation, this fades within seconds. You need to do an all-important patch test, then wait 24 hours. Once I’d got the all clear I had to cover the area in an activating cool gel, then laser one square at a time waiting for the machine to charge up again in between. Sounds like a lengthy process? It is.

I tested the laser for two weeks and saw no hair loss, though the manual reassured me that it takes up to a month for hair loss to show as you need to wait for the ‘zapped’ hair to fall out. Even then I will not be completely hair free for quite sometime (the process has to be repeated a few times), and I’m not allowed to wax in between treatments, so I need to accept that I’ll be more hairy on the way to becoming permanently hair free.

Home lasering is not a miracle remedy or an easy thing to do - but is more affordable than the in salon alternative, so invest time and effort and be patient if saving money is your priority. And it’s probably best to start in January when it’s cold and you’ll be covered up for the next few months – best aim for a hairless 2010 then.