I have long had a far worse time with my bikini area than most people I have read about on the forums. My best guess is just that I have really curly hair down there, and that's what makes the difference. I am SO jealous of all the talk about full Brazillians--I would LOVE to get rid of it all, but I know that in a couple weeks I would end up an ugly scabbed mess

I'm married, so I want to be able to put on a pair of lingerie nearly any day and look okay. My current routine is to wax just after my period (the waxing lasts about 1 1/2 - 2 weeks), and then shave until my period comes again. Then I've got a week to heal up and let it grow out before waxing again.

The problem is that when I wax or shave, nearly every last hair ends up ingrown. I swear, I need to start passing out compasses that say 'THIS way to the surface!!' I spend a good deal of time every day when the waxing is growing out, or after every shave, digging each individual hair out. With my fingernails and a sterilized pair of nail clippers--I'm rather astonished at my pain threshold at this point. I know that's a terrible thing to do, but if I don't, they often DON'T get out on their own--they turn into huge ugly pimples, and sometimes even permanent cysts. YUCK. Oh yes, I've tried all kinds moisturizers and anti-bump liquids--no luck.

This means that I end up looking absolutely hideous for all but about 1 1/2 weeks out of every month, not to mention being in a lot of pain, and I just don't know what to do. I tried those hair-disolving creams, and found that if I have any nicks in my skin, it eats away all the skin around it. Plus, they tend to leave a stubbly feeling, which means I often had to run a razor over the top as a finishing touch, and a few imperceptible cuts or abbrasions are inevitable. Imperceptable that is, until I use the cream again :P I also can't afford laser.

This GOT to change, because 1) I find myself avoiding sex with my husband simply because I hate how I look down there, and 2) I'm starting to get some scars, and I worry that it's only a matter of time before I get an infection or something. The funny thing is I really don't need a perfect job down there--my husband is actually more tolerant of hair down there than I am (although I know he really likes me SOMEWHAT shaved). It's not like I'm trying to wear a bikini in public--I just want to look okay in lingerie.

So...I've come up with a plan, and we'll see how it works:
1) Dump the waxing all together. Switch to exclusively shaving, but NOT against the grain--make sure a portion of the hair is left above the surface. (I could never do that before, because I've got dark hair, and it's still visible. Plus, it leaves a stubbly feeling.) Hopefully this will eradicate my issues with cuts and ingrowns *crossing fingers and toes*
2) Bleach the part of the hair left above the skin. (I bought one specifically intended for face & bikini areas)
I'm also hoping that Jergens hair-educing lotion will help a bit with the stubbly feeling...

I know my husband would be extremely worried if he had any idea just what I do to myself all the time :P I so, so hope this works!! I don't suppose anyone else has tried something similar to this? Does anyone else have these kinds of problems shaving? I feel so...icky.

Tabby,

Are you waxing yourself? I'm thinking about doing this but have never tried it. I would feel very uncomfortable going to a waxing salon to have it done. I bought Zip wax but don't really know what to do. It says to heat it in a pan or double boiler. It sounds like a lot of work. Do you have a wax machine?

How long does it take to get good at waxing yourself? I think of that scene from the 40 year old Virgin, OUCH.

Yep, I've been waxing myself at home--I've found that my favorite brand is Sally Hansen. They're sticky strips that you first warm by rubbing them between your hands, and then pull the strips apart. I tried using Veet, but the sticky stuff that brand uses makes quite a mess; on the other hand, veet comes with a nice minty, numbing spray. Oh, and I found that oftentimes the store only sells the body strips (for legs, etc.), and not the bikini/face strips. The body strips work just fine: unlike products like bleach, hair disolving creams, etc, which may have more sensitive formulas for face & bikini, the only difference in wax strips is the size of the strip. So, you can just cut them down to size.

Yeah, the thought of baring it all at a salon doesn't sound very attractive to me either, so I just gritted my teeth and started doing it myself. I'd say it took me a few months to get good at it--initially I'd go through half a box of strips, spending an hour in the bathroom, each time. Now I can get it done with far fewer strips and about half an hour. It doesn't do a totally perfect job, so I have to touch it up with a razor (but for heaven's sake, WAIT a day or two before putting a razor to that sensitive skin). Don't keep re-stripping an area that just doesn't seem to want to come clean, especially on the lowest parts of the bikini line--the skin there is very delicate and you'll end up ripping the skin off >.< Just give those areas one or two tries, and then leave it alone.

Yeah, it hurts. But since I have so much trouble with painful ingrown hairs, and waxing lasts a couple weeks before they start to show up (unlike shaving, after which they show up in a day), waxing is far less painful in the long run.

As for my suggested solution in the original post...yeah, not gonna work. First, shaving against the grain, no matter how open-minded I tried to be about it, produces throroughly unsatisfying results--the stubble feels awful and looks awful. Second, the bleach did absolutely nothing. Seriously, I left it on for the max amount of time the box said was safe (15 minutes), and I didn't notice a bit of change. Even if it had had an effect, I doubt it would have bleached the folicles beneath the skin, so those would have still been visible anyway.

ARRRGGG!! After a bit of reading, I think my best bet at this point is to try using more moisturizer and an astringent (like witch hazel, NOT alcohol), more frequently and particularly just after waxing/shaving. I had been a bit negligent in doing that because it rather hurts putting anything on the skin other than warm water after waxing. *crossing fingers again*

Hey TabbyCat,
I have completely the same problem with my bikini line because of having thick curly hair there. I have tried shaving and its hurts and grows back so quickly and i cant shave it again because it is sensitive. Hair removal creams just didnt work. I tried waxing myself and it ended it disaster, not lastly very long and causing ingrowning hairs. So I went to a salon and had a brazilian wax done. Now I am shy, very shy and usually I wouldnt do this (I mean I alway take a mate to the hairdressers with me because I dont like going on my own) but the lady where I go is so professional and waxing down there is part of her job so there is really nothing to be embarrassed about. Do it!!! Back to the ingrowing hairs - i get them but i found exfoltating every time u have a shower really helps. U can get body exfolitator from shops or buy some exfoltator gloves. I have some and they are amazing. Just be soft and careful withthem. Not only do the stop ingrowing hairs but they make ur skin feel really nice I use them all over.
Anyway I understand where u are coming, hope that helps!
xx