NAD'S BODY WAX STRIPS!
Gigi here! Tommy Townsend became my first love when we were eight years old. I will admit that there were others before him, like Gino, Robert, and Joey, who competed daily to spend their own milk money in order to purchase cartons of orange drink, potato chips, and long pretzel sticks for me at recess. The others, I am ashamed to admit, I used for treats. But Tommy was "the one."
Our relationship started in the typical way. Always seated behind me in alphabetical order, he would pull my hair, write with his finger on my back (that was daring and we were never caught), and hide my red rubber snow boots. That tickled me pink and outside waiting for the bus I began to kick him--he came back for more. I knew he was committed to me in the summer between third and fourth grades, as he circled my house at least five times daily and would call, "Sommers! Looking for Sommers! Are you in there?" I was generally in the backyard with a group of girls and highly flattered. He called for me in front of his buddies. We were a younger version of Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers destined to be together.
How to look better for Tommy? Media-driven even during those tender years, I noted that women shaved. Aha, that was it! Smooth, silken legs instead of the ultra-fine, blond strands growing on mine, would enhance my attractiveness and help me to look older, perhaps as old as a (gasp!) sixth-grade girl. So I took my father's "safety" razor, a misnomer, and cut patterns of nicks into my legs that Picasso would have applauded. What happened to the silky, alabaster skin that the women on commercials showed? My father began to complain that there was something wrong with the blades he was buying, and I decided that this was best hidden from my parents. They couldn't bear to see us with injuries. And thus I took to wearing knee socks in the ninety-five degree heat, from lightweight to cable knit wool. That didn't trouble them. I was raised by a wonderful couple who spent their lives trying to keep my sister and me knowing we were loved, eating healthily, and warm, so ridiculously warm that we would never become ill.
Tommy was replaced throughout the years, but my quest for completely hair-free Betty Gable gams remains an obsession to this day. I shave my legs daily in the shower and am growing weary of my flamingo position. At my age, it's pretty hard to juggle soaps, sugar scrubs, shampoos and conditioners and a razor. Why not wax? The tubs of wax repulsed me, but I was drawn to Nads Body Wax Strips. The concept is brilliant.
At first I thought this was the consummate answer. Nads offers two packets of desensitizing wipes, a type of topical anesthetic with which to prepare your skin to reduce any pain. Also included are two packets of smoothing and finishing towelettes to remove left-over wax. The strips are virtually mess-proof. Twenty-four strips are combined in two with a comfortable cloth-like covering. You simply clean your skin, use the desensitizing wipes, and warm the packet of wax strips by simply rubbing it between your hands to make it more malleable and easy to apply.
Slowly open the joined cloths and press the waxed sides firmly in the direction of hair growth. Smooth the pad securely until the area desired is entirely covered, moving in the direction that hair grows. Part of the beauty of Nad's is that these strips can be cut for use on one's upper lip, bikini area, or arms. Once it seems joined to you, lift it for hair removal. There is enough wax to apply to other areas (I like the way Nads conserves the product). There is some "ouch" factor, but not nearly as much as I've experienced with other brands. The formula contains natural beeswax and the scent is pleasantly subtle. The results? Only half of the hair which I permitted to grow to use these was removed. A second and/or third use would come closer to meeting my expectations.
I did find myself shocked at the small smoothing and finishing wipe. I was human fly paper, a catch-all for lint, hair, dust mites, you name it. A wipe would not remove the excess. I found myself soaping a washcloth several times until all of the wax was removed. Winnie the Pooh would have a field day with this, but it took longer than shaving and wasn't nearly as effective. The concept is one which is admirable, but Nads needs to include more industrial-sized cloths to clean up and additional adhesive to make me give up my razor.
I've heard the years have not been kind to my first love. Goodbye Tommy, goodbye Nads until you tweak this product.
What drugstore hair remover do you use?
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Reviews
I've tried Nair and Veet and both were lacking imo. As for waxing. I leave that for the pro that I go to for my brows when I forget to maintain them myself. Just give me a razor and a nice bar of dove soap. I do use shaving cream but only on unmentionables.Thanks Gigi for giving us another great review. As for Tommy, I'm sure he would still give up his milk money for you today lovely Gigi. Then you and Ron could split the treat. LOL.
I wax at the salon every month. I used to shave but the conveniece of having your hairs finer and finer until the almos aren't noticeable and having someone reaching those parts that aren't so reacheable if you're shaving yourself (back of legs for instance), is what leads me to take the hour and go there.
Thanks for the great review GiGi! I've been a razor girl for years and have strayed a few times with no success. I recently tried the Sally Hansen version of Nad's in a tub but with similar results to yours. I needed to repeatedly wax the same area to get anywhere near smooth. There was no Informercial-Worthy hair removal going on in my bathroom! And, in the time it took, I could have shaved and been on my way to something else. I've Naired to no avail as well. Someday, the commercial market will come up with a way to keep us lovely ladies hair-free. In the meantime, me and my razor, we'll keep dreaming...:)
I've never had luck with anything but a razor or professional wax. Nair smells, and as you pointed out, at-home wax kits just don't do the job thoroughly enough.
http://ediblelove.wordpress.com/
As I grow older, my hair grows finer and softer, the legacy of years of waxing. Now I just let it grow for about a month and then apply Veet lotion about 10 minutes before hopping in the shower. Works for me. But I well remember Nads fondly, back in the day when my hair grew and grew. I loved the story of these Aussie women -- mother and daughters -- brewing the stuff up in the --apparently hairy-- Outback. I do remember supplementing the inadequate post-wax smoothing strips with the application of a combination of baby oil and witch hazel. It worked!
I use Parissa hot wax. They have it at Ulta and it works great for me. I don't wax my legs, though. I think it would take too long and time is a scarce resource. I do use it for my underarms, face and bikini and have never had a problem. I've also tried some of the others, but they always either pulled my skin off with the hair (not very attractive) or didn't seem to get the hair. I have horrible memories of the Epilady from years ago that I was forced to try when I worked at Macy's. I can't forget the feeling of pulling those little hairs on the back of my ankles. Ouch!
I tried this product years ago. It didn't work for me then or now. I used it on my legs and upper lip. It does have a nice clean, delicate scent but I had the same unfortunate results that Gigi did. It left way too much hair behind, only grabbing the finest, most delicate unwanted body hair. As directed, baby oil removed any unwanted residue. I think if you have very fair or insubstantial body hair this could work for you. I like the concept behind the product but it's just not powerful enough for this Wookie. Gigi, those boys never knew what hit 'em did they?
It seems that the more each product offers to do, the less actually gets done. I tried this. I threw it away. EPILADY? I think Epilady was invented by Dick Cheney:That thing is so painful it makes water boarding seem like fun. So I shave. And often because I hate the feeling of stubble.
well, my mother used to tell me not to use a razor, she swore that it made the hair grow back thicker and darker. They are old wives tales, yes, but passed on by old wives after all... She as a mommy , would tell me to leave it alone, no one would notice. A fine down looks like a gorilla patch to a 13 year old. So i stole my brothers razor, not like he had a beard, please...oh, a gazillion years later, i still can not stand any fur on my legs, and even though i came to admit i am virtually hairless after all. I guess the old girl was right, as usual. Unfortunately, as i am a gazillion years old, mother nature, a vindictive old biddy gave me a new gift, as much hair on my lip and chin as on my legs, Thankyouverymuch.-I have used nads, it works as well as any device of torture sold at rite aid. I mean seriously, can you wait a minute while i violently rip the hair out of my face? Sort of barbaric, i think.It is nice, however to have sized strips. I think i will return to the old tweezers, make me feel virtuous, hurts so much. tweeze, tweeze, tweeze, then my eyes and nose run. i figure i am paying penance for something.As a nice Jewish -Catholic girl, guilt is my specialty, but I am thinking i should rethink this whole plucking/ tweeezing thing.
dotti, old but not dead yet, polymath still in training, makeup junkie and general overspender.
I have used Veet and Nair and have horror stories that would leave you either blushing or screaming in my honor. More horror stories than actual effectiveness so I shave and was hoping to either win the lotto soon so I can afford laser removal or move to the Amazon rainforest where they prefer their women hairy... Rooting for the lotto. I'll stick to shaving for now but I do want to try that Exfolishave even with the mess.
Style may be on the surface, but you can be deep and still have some - Clarissa Gough
I used Nads years ago on my bikini area, and I had the same problem with the excess wax just not washing off. It also left me with bruised and splotchy skin. Not exactly what you want to see down there, so now I either pay for a professional to do it for me, or I use Avon Skin-so-Soft removal cream. Meg sent me some wax strips in my last package, but I haven't yet had a chance to use them!
I had the same experience as Gigi, so two thumbs down for this product. These days, I'm using my Braun Silk-Epil, and I'm very satisfied with it. However, I still go to a salon to get Brazil landscaped. Lol!
i've only tried nair spray on and nair cream remover.. i didn't think they work very well... some of the hair didn't come off and i had to wait 10mins after applying the cream. so i just took out my razor and shaved my legs instead. ah and i dont' work well with waxing either, i got mylegs waxed once, my best friend did it and it was PAINFUL! i don't know how other girls do it but my legs started bruising :\
Lily =o)http://lazyscorner.blogspot.com/
I'm so afraid to wax again, i tried it once, but it didn't go over too well. Btw the Tommy story was adorible.
Julie Dee <3
Nad's sugaring wax didn't work for me. It just wasn't able to get a lot of hair and it was super messy. I haven't tried the actual strips and it looks like it's not working that well for many here. The only thing that has worked for me is Nair's Sugaring Wax and I will keep purchasing unless they discontinue it!
check out my blog
http://sharynramblings.blogspot.com
Sounds good. I like nair's hair removing lotion for sensitive skin (I don't have sensitive skin, but I find it works well if I leave it on for the full 15 minutes). It was only $3.00 CAD too!
I've tried nads before, in the wax pot and the strips, but I've never had much luck. I use the veet wax strips for my legs, which I find to be quite good, not perfect, but its much easier than using the hot wax. The best wax I've ever used is called Waxeze. It washes off in water, which is great. It can hurt a bit, but the hair comes off cleanly. Lately I have been using a sugaring paste, which is like wax, and I've had some good results. It sticks only to the hair, and not to the skin like wax does, so the pain is reduced.
I tried the original Nads years ago in the tub packaging, and returned it almost immediately. It wasn't very effective at all. I recently received a set of Nads facial wax strips from Meg, which I might try on my bikini area since my facial hair is all blond, but I'm kind of scared, especially after this review.
Thanks for the adorable review Gigi! You heartbreaker, you! :P I've used a couple of different hair removal products (wax, depilatory, shaving) but always come back to shaving. It takes less time than the others and no risk of ripping your skin off or getting a chemical burn! (Nicks and cuts are another matter... I left a good 2" long scar on my shin from a shaving incident!)
♥ bluedevilkittyhttp://mtycer.weebly.com/
I've never done any kind of waxing myself, I'm too scared of exactly what you experienced happening to me! I'll always leave it to the professionals who only take 20 minutes to keep my bikini hair-free for weeks and weeks with no mess and little pain.Thank you for being so brutally honest Gigi, this gives me so much faith in Meg-heads in general! We really do need to know what works and to demand better from the makers! ♥
Gigi I just love your childhood stories! I had no luck with Nads. I've used Veet probably about 20 times and although it gets your legs a bit softer than shaving, it's more expensive and doesn't last any longer. For many years I've used regular microwavable wax for my upper lip and brows. I do it myself perched on top of the bathroom counter. It always gives my Mom a good laugh to see me sitting practically in the sink to get close to the mirror. There was one summer where I used hot wax to do my bikini line and underarms, but I hated letting it grow long enough to wax, so I went back to shaving.
Indi
Thanks for this! I have been contemplating attempting some waxing on my own but I don't know what to try. I'm glad I can knock this one off my list!!
Loved the review!! I've tried these and similar ones by other brands before. I always convince myself that the results are gonna be amazing and worth the pain, but I'm always let down. :P I've tried hair removal creams and actually had pretty good results with them, but always go back to shaving. I'm actually really keen on getting an epilator..
I've tried Sally Hansen's no heat wax strips and Nad's- the old school kind in the jar. The Sally Hansen's hurt SO bad and made me bleed, but missed most of the hair. I love the Nad's. You don't need to heat it, it gets most of the hair, and rinses off easily with water. The big thing is that you have to make sure the hair is long enough for it to work properly.
I used to use the Sally Hansen's no heat wax strips on my facial hair. It used to be good until the new and improved formula arrived and since then it has been awful. Then I tried MOOM which is good, honey flavored, and a mess. Lastly I tried Avon's Skin So Soft hair removing cream. It works like Nair, only much better and has a better scent. I still plan to use Avon's in the future however, trying these Nads, I was impressed. I found them easy to use, cut to size and can be used more than once on us with not much hair to remove. I did not use any of the desensitizing and cleaning wipes, instead used baby oil like the brochure recommended and it worked like a charm. To me, these are a great improvement over Sally Hansen and MOOM. I would sooner wax, melt or pluck facial hair over shaving. Luckily my legs and underarms have almost no hair. I can get by with one or two shaves a year in those spots.I think these are a good product and I would highly recommend. This recommendation is based on my results and it is important to remember that I did not have much hair to remove from my upper lip. I did have to pluck two or three very fine hairs that did not come out and I did not try on my legs.
Beste Hilsin
I have super sensitive skin so I only use an electric razor...dissapointing that these wax strips arent that great. :(... I THINK im working up the courage to try waxing my bikini area.......... but im scared lol
Tan is Love
I've used these! I keep a packet in the cupboard for those in between times when I can't get to a beautician. They aren't all that effective but do the trick with the aid of a twizzer. I've tried other ones like Nar strip wax but Nads is by far the best i've tried when it comes to DIY.
I've never had any luck with hair removing strips, they just don't seem to work for me. I use Andrea hot wax, it always works really well.
http://www.beautifullyglossy.blogspot.com
i do have nad's at home but not much of a waxer. these strips look interesting. i guess it's easier to just place on your hair instead of scooping/spatula-ing it on. less messy.
I tried a similar product from Nair and found I got the same results. I am glad I didn't waste my money trying this one. Back to the good old fashioned razor....
My hair is too darn thick for those depilatory creams to work. I just use a regular razor for my legs because I couldn't endure waxing on such a large area. The skin on my legs is so sensitive that I would end up scarring myself instead of making them smooth. For my underarms I would alternate between tweezing and waxing. I've tried those wax strips from Veet but they aren't as good as the Epilin wax I used to buy. Epilin really gets the job done but I can't go back and forth heating it up on the stove and wait for it to melt and then wait for it to cool enough so I can apply it. It was too much work!
I wax at the institut every month and sometimes i shave :(
Right now I have 3 different home waxing kits in my closet, all of which I am afraid to use, due to a bad experience with a BBW True Blue spa home waxing kit. It was so painful I ended up sitting in the tub for 2 hours to soak off the rest of it. So now I stick to shaving, which gets the job done, but doesn't last very long.
I've tried too many hair removal products and am really not pleased with any of them. I've tried Nads, Veet, Gigi and Avon products. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with a a good ol' razor and shaving cream.
I realy have to say that i hate this product. Never worked for me at all ... and although the little wipes are in fact soothing, i'm still using the razor !
I have had exactly the same experience with Nads. Far too much work for such a mediocre result. I've actually had decent experiences with Veet (especially considering the significantly lower pain factor), but even that process can be quite a pain and it often requires so much product that it becomes pretty cost prohibitive on any kind of regular basis. How much is it to ask for a cheap, effective, pain-free (or at least low pain) method?!? All I know is that when someone finally comes up with one, it may very well become the most lucrative invention ever!
Can you say lazer for the bikin area.Eyebrows for the pro. Wax, no
I'd tried Veet many years ago -- couldn't stand the smell and the hair started sprouting out the next day. Waxing = ouch! and too messy. Now it's just me trusty Gillette blades. But I'm thinking of getting IPL for those nasty hairs.
I've tried depilatory cream not once, not twice, but consistently through TWO full tubes of Nair, fool that I was. I hated to have wasted my money, and I was scared of the razor--I'd most certainly heard the old wives' tales as well. I've never waxed, and I don't particularly care to. I'm a loyal razor girl now--and my hair is no thicker than it was the day I started. I use shaving cream when I have it, soap or conditioner when I don't (a trick I learned at camp, when each girl was only allowed limited toiletries). I thought the Schick Quattro Intuition was great--a bar of shaving soap surrounding the razor, so one swipe and you were done--no cream necessary. However, I've found that the soap wears away far too soon and then you are left with a wobbly razor head. So I'm sticking to straight disposable ones.
I've used the Nair cream and spray on one. I didn't think the results lasted any longer than shaving. I have tried at home waxing twice, and each time with crappy results. I don't remember the first one, was the kind you heat up the wax in the tube and apply the cloth. It hurt like hell, and didn't even remove all the hair! I could see lots of hairs on the strip, but if I ran my hand over the area that had just been waxed it was still hairy! I also tried the one, forget the brand, where you didn't need a strip. You just put it on, let it harden, and pull. This one hurt even more! When it was cool enough to apply, it was too hard to spread, and when it was spreadable it was so hot it burned! Same thing happened, hair in the strip but just as much hair left behind.Shaving only lasts a day on me, especially when I am at school. I don't know what it is, maybe the climate or humidity, but my hair and nails grow super fast! I could almost shave in the morning and at night! It has done wonders for my nails though, they grow so fast I have to hack them off every week!
I used to use Veet and it worked well for me, even though it did stink! But I decided to stop using so many chemicals and now just use a razor and some shaving soap that I buy from an Etsy seller.Maybe one day, I will be brave enough for a professional waxing!
I'm sorry ladies but all the over the counter hair removal systems just scream "Be afraid - be very afraid" to me and I just can't use them! I get my brows waxed from time to time but that's the extent of any waxology procedures happening on me! I'd love to go see Madame Tussaud's wax museum in New York but that's about as close as I can get to being enthused about wax! My best friend is an Esthetician and she is always threatening to give me a Brazillian when I get senile and can't fight her off! That is my idea of hell! LOL! I'm not a waxing fan so I wasn't able to really try this product and give any real or decent feedback! On a lighter note - something you never think about if you have kids...my esthetician friend does a lot of waxing in her home so growing up her daughter witnessed many of these procedures. One day I went over to their house and the daughter was 'waxing' her dollies - they got brow waxes and bikini waxes and Brazilians!!!! OMG!
Jeanasina!
I tried Nair Pretty and it had very little effect. I shave with Skintimate shaving creme and a nice razor. Slow but effective.
Oh Gigi, you make me laugh! Love how you tell a story. As for the Nad's hair removal strips. What a waste of money and time.
♥Robyn♥
Eugh that sounds awful. Well wont try them.. i pretty happy with my combo of shaving the legs and using nair for my bikini line.. you just have to be careful and only leave nair on the least amount of time or it willl burn !!!!! I find 7 mins does the trick.
makeup makeup makeup!!!!!!!
I like the original Nads. Sad to hear this sucked. :) I like trying cram depilitories.
I really just couldn't work with any wax strips (or even the cold wax that you apply and then use the strips for) that I tried at the drugstore. For me, a mix of epilating for certain areas and shaving for the rest (and when I need a super-smooth finish) works best.
xoxo
don't use waxer as they never seem to work for me. A razor is the only thing for me can't even us the cremes as those are the ones that lead to me bleeding.
I never use wax because of the pain factor. I am terrified that I will go through all of that pain t find that the hair has grown back in two days. I would rather shave.
i too always find myself coming back to my razor...ive tried the at home waxing (nair and andrea), both very long and boring and a very tedious process...i just ended up shaving the rest of my legs at the end of it. And the hair remover lotions..i use those too, when im not feeling lazy to take the the time to appy it and then wait to wash it off. So ya, until something better comes out lol ill be sticking to my razor mostly