Funny story: I booked my first Brazilian of the season tonight (TMI?). And I’m totally prepared for my waxer, Nawina, to scold me for my hiatus (I wax in the summer; shave in the winter). But then she’ll do her thing (I’ll wince, sweat, and pray for it to be over) and I’ll be a happy camper (with a smooth bikini area that I don’t have to do a darn thing to for over a month). So as I was thinking about how for a good 10 minutes, I’ll be hurting tonight, I laughed when I came across this article in *The New York Times about how men (of all kinds—gay, straight, conservative, liberal) are also participating in the service.*
Personally, I prefer my guy “neat” but not waxed down there (good thing—I couldn’t pay him to do it anyway). But the trend is interesting (and so is the article’s photo). The story says that some men swallow Advil or drink a glass of wine before waxing (two things I never do—who has time?) but a few tricks I’ve found that actually work:
-Ask for a cold compress. This is a secret I learned from a friend who had been doing it for years to help soothe her pain. Ask your technician to apply a cool compress in between strips—the cool sensation plus the pressure helps tremendously.
-Text while waxing. Ya, I know, it sounds weird. But I’ve found that the less I pay attention to the hot wax stirring and the strip rubbing and everything else happening around me, the less it seems to hurt. So I grab my phone, check email, text my boyfriend, etc. to pass the time and keep my mind distracted.
-Give your bikini line post-waxing TLC. I stock up on these calming towelettes—Shobha Rosewater Freshening Cloths—and use them as a TP alternative for a few days following my wax to reduce any redness and irritation (they’re magic).
What do you think about men waxing below the belt? And have you stumbled across any tips to making the process less painful? Do tell!