Sally Hansen Extra Strength Hair Remover Lotion

I have tried to use depilatories before, with little success. I assumed I simply had extra stubborn leg hair that refused to come off without a razor. But as I strolled the aisles of Long's Drugs recently I spied the array of hair removal creams sitting there on the shelves, knowing I would soon be embarking on a weekend-long boat trip and thought it might be worth another try to see if I could go razor-free for those 3 days.

I came home with a bottle of Sally Hansen Extra Strength Hair Removal Lotion ($2.99 at drugstores). It promised to work in only 4 minutes (I knew I'd need to leave it on closer to the 10 minute max time), be especially effective on coarse or thick hair, and have the sweet scent of a "juicy pear."

The house boat trip was this past weekend, so thursday evening I put my new purchase to the test. Firsdt of all, it did not smell like "juicy pear." It stank like depilatory usually does. Second, it continues to amaze me how it seems that you need to use most of the bottle in order to cover your legs the way they claim you need to. At that rate this is WAY more expensive than shaving, even with a fancy razor! Anyway, I slathered it on and keopt an eye on my watch. I figured I'd try to leave it on for 8 minutes. However the bottle strongly advised against letting the cream dry on my skin, so at minute 7 I was forced to rinse it off. Another complaint I have about this stuff is how hard it is to rinse off! And they tell you not to scrub so you end up with a wierd slimy residue on your legs.

I was amazed, though, that my legs felt nice and smooth, and most importantly hair-free (aside from a few patches where it had not been 100% removed). That did feel satisfying. However by the next day I could already feel the fuzz growing gain-- softer than it normally does, but still there, which prety much debunks their whole "lasts longer than shaving!" claim.

I think I will stick to my razors. This stuff is too messy, expensive, and stinky to really keep up.