Like most twenty-something American women, Ive spent a considerable amount of time since puberty self-grooming.
And for me, that meant shaving my legs, armpits, and lady bits.
That is, until boyfriends and later my fiance came into the picture.
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This meant upping my grooming game to shaving once a dayor at least several times a week.
The upkeep, the razor burn, the precision, the whole shebang was exhausting.
Thats when the concept of waxing my pubic hair started to sound like a really, really good idea.
Courtesy of HBO
So, I figured What the hell?
I booked my first Brazilian wax.
First off: What is a Brazilian wax?
Courtesy of NBC
Most of us are more familiar with the concept of a bikini wax.
The Brazilian is basically the same dealjust removing more hair*.
- A Brazilian includes the strands along the vagina lips and in your behind.
Courtesy of HBO
you might opt to leave a triangle or landing strip of hair on top.
Or, you’re free to go fully bare.
The prep: You gotta let it grow.
The first few days werent bad at all.
It was just like any other time I got lazy.
But after about a full week, it started to get super uncomfortable.
Im talking itchy, irritated, and even painful.
How do the women of the world rocking the bush wear leggings?
Or, dare I ask, tights?
Even my jeans rubbed my crotch the wrong way.
I did my best to ignore it, but found myself readjusting nearly every time I sat down.
Word on the street: Ask everyone you know.
To check that I was properly prepared for my Brazilian experience, I polled my friends.
Had they ever done it?
How badly did it hurt?
Would I get through it?
And to my surprise, nearly all of them had been waxed.
And the consensus: Hell, yes, it will hurt.
I collected a laundry list of suggestions for dos and donts from my friends.
Here’s what they advised:
Spoiler alert: I forgot nearly everything they told me.
It’s true: Brazilian waxes DO hurt like hell.
There was no turning back.
She took me into a room and told me to strip down completely below the waist.
I have to say it was a little weird.
I told her I was extremely nervous and that it was my first time.
She smiled and nodded with an assuring, Yes, I can see that.
Lara explained how the soft wax would work.
Yeswas it supposed to?!
She explained that because this was my first time, I had virgin hair that had never been removed.
The next patch was more central and highabout five inches below my belly button.
This area hurt a bit less but still, the pain took my breath away.
Lara stopped for a moment and kept her cold hands over the area she had waxed.
She couldnt believe the pain I was in.
She smiled and shook her head.
Take this nice and slow and let me tell her when I was ready for the next strip.
I have to say, this might have been the easiest part of the whole experience.
she announced, as my 45 minutes of laying down on the table spread eagle came to a close.
I glimpsed downward and saw so much redness.
I put on the rest of my clothes and grabbed my bags.
Stock up on ice and wine to ease the pain.
?They all had similar responses:Aww that bad?
But doesnt it feel so smooth?
Youll love it in a week.
I was still in so much pain.
Lara told me to use cortisone cream.
It didnt really help.
The next morning I was thankful to feel significantly less pain.
While I was still very bruised, it didnt feel as raw as it did the night before.
I covered the area with some cortisone cream before getting dressed.
One week later: I’m finally starting to understand.
No hair grew back!
One week later and not a single strand in sight.
For someone who was used to shavingevery single day,this was good news indeed.
I couldnt believe how free I felt.
Sex was better, my clothes fit better, and everything felt easier.
Finally, I was able to understand why people got Brazilian waxes in the first place.
It was surprisinglykind of, maybe…okay, definitelyworth it.
So, would I do it again?
I made a second appointment before I left the spa, and Im planning on keeping it.
The hair grows in less coarse and in less amounts after its been waxed before, Lara told me.
Once youve gotten over the initial experience, its not that bad.
Is it worth giving round two a try?
Its amazing to not have to worry about shaving every day.
But another thing to consider is the price point.
Most Brazilians range anywhere from $50 to $70, so its certainly not cheap.
Is worth the price of not having to spend 30-60 minutes a month grooming downstairs?
