Wax On, Wax Off

[thedollymama]

As a woman, there are many steps that we must endure to ensure proper grooming standards.  We color, cut and treat our hair; we brush, floss and whiten our teeth; we spend tons of money on lotions, moisturizers and deodorants, and we spend a lot of time shaving, dying or waxing hair that is in places its not supposed to be.   All of this is a complete and total pain in our rear end, but we understand these things are necessary in order to keep harmony in our society.

For years, I have avoided succumbing to one of the grooming techniques I mentioned above...waxing.  And when I am talking about waxing, I'm not talking about the eyebrows.  I'm talking about that ever so sensitive area known as our "bikini zone."  With summer among us, and many hours spent in a bathing suit, I've decided that shaving just might not be the best route to take in keeping that area nice and neat.  We all know the major advantages of waxing over shaving - you can go weeks in between waxing where you could easily shave just about daily, and it also causes less hair to return when it grows back in.  But my question is this...is enduring such pain for a little vanity worth it?

There is no reason for my waxing avoidance other than it scares the living daylights out of me.  The thought of someone taking little strips of hot wax, pressing it on one of the most sensitive parts of the female body and then yanking with the force of a rabid ninja just seems inhumane to me.  I can't even imagine the offensive language that would fly from my mouth at the moment of skin-ripping, hair-pulling torture.  To get an idea of what I am imagining this process being like, take a look at this scene from The 40 Year Old Virgin.  I feel that Steve Carell so eloquently puts my sentiments into words. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjWh3qGXPQE

I have friends that have tried to calm my fears about it, saying that if I can get a tattoo, I can get a wax.  Now, I disagree with this theory. I have a couple of tattoos and the process of getting a tattoo is very different from having your pubic hair yanked out by its roots.  Getting a tattoo is a much slower, much more precise, deliberate action.  These people are artists and take great pride in what they put on your skin.  A cosmetician that waxes your bikini area takes no pride in what they take off your skin.  As a matter of fact, women pay premium prices for cosmeticians who spend the least amount of time ripping the wax from your body. 

So, since I've decided to give it a shot, I've been asking my friends what they think is better: doing it yourself or paying someone to do it for you.  There seems to be a split.  Some people can't imagine having someone else yank their hair out, others don't feel they have the courage to do it themselves.  I am looking for the least pain inflicting option available; if anyone has any suggestions or opinions, feel free to chime in.  Between now and my next blog, I plan on giving it a shot, so any help and encouragement between now and then would be greatly appreciated.