How to: Stop your armpits smelling (hint: laser)

A friend of mine asked me the other day if I was still having my laser treatment because I hadn't written about it in ages. I am, but the hair came back so slowly that i didn't need my next treatment for 8 weeks! Pretty sweet, right?

The hair that did grow back (eventually) was very fine and sparse - kind of like when you first get hair under your arms when you're 12 or whatever. The kind of hair that meant I could still wear a singlet to pilates and not be self-conscious because it wasn't really noticeable.

I had my fourth treatment yesterday and, even though I sharply inhaled, cringed, and moaned like a little b!tch, it didn't actually hurt. Michaela, the goddess at Leah's Mid-City Centre who is doing my treatments, was like 'why are you whinging, it doesn't hurt' and she was right. I guess when someone is pointing a laser at your tender bits, your default reaction is to pull faces and cringe, yes?

I have no idea who to give credit to for this image, but it's amusing

I have said it before and I'll say it again (because I like the sound of my own voice) - laser is the best thing I have ever done. Well, top 10. Okay, best hair removal thing I have done, and I wish I had done it a whole lot sooner. Get on it now so that once summer rolls around you can chuck your razor out.

Fun fact - I find my underarms don't stink as much when I sweat because there's no hair for the bacteria to cling to. Next time we hang out, I'll let you evaluate that one out for yourself.

Candela GentleLASE laser hair removal
Price: $70 for Brazilian and underarm
From: Leah’s Waxworks – level 1 Mid City Centre
Why you need it: No hair, no stink, always bikini ready.

I was a guest of Leah's Waxworks

Fun fact for the day

If you ever plan on getting laser hair removal on your upper lip (aka your lady-mo) then don't ever bleach it. Here's why in really long narrative form…

Today I took myself off to one of those fancy medi-spa's that really rich women with too much time and money go to when they want their lips plumped/eyes plumped/boobs plumped. I was enquiring about Selectif hair removal, as I had heard it was similar to electrolysis and could remove the fine blonde hairs that laser can't (I'm less Tom Selleck and more Frida Kahlo - just a fine shadow). My 10 minute consultation involved the nurse telling me straight away that Selectif wasn't right, would be too expensive and would take too long. Okay. She then suggested laser. It would take about 8 treatments every 3-4 weeks and then we could do Selectif after that for the blonde hairs. Oh, and this was going to cost me TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS per laser session. I politely nodded, paid my waste-of-money 'consultation' fee, and hightailed it over to Leah's Waxworks.

Artists interpretation of how my mo felt. Picture credit: usayisay.com

I had discussed laser on my l-mo with Michaela at Leah's before, so I was confident she knew what she was on about. You can't laser hair once it has been bleached (hello, lip wax) because bleach destroys the colour pigment in the hair. On top of that though, the chemicals in the bleach get into your dermis and when they are hit with the laser it can cause pigmentation. I have been bleaching on and off for years, so once my hair grows back from the wax and we start lasering, that's just a risk I am going to have to take. Thank goodness there are so many great anti-pigmentation creams on the market now like Clinique Even Better and the new Estee Lauder Even Skintone Illuminator I am currently trying.

Funny thing is, the nurse at the fancy over-priced clinic didn't ask me any of those questions. And Leah's is $35 for a lip laser compared to $200. Long story short, eat your vegetables. And don't bleach if you want to laser. And I'll take the friendly girls at Leah's over the judgemental cows at the expensive medi-spa any day.

PS - I paid $6 for my lip wax. That's price of two cups of coffee, or maybe one cup at a fancy cafe.

PPS - Don't forget that if you live in Sydney and you're a Stuff That I Bought reader (you are?! you have excellent taste in blogs), then you can get $10 off any treatment valued over $50 at Leah’s Waxworks in Mid City Centre. The deal is valid until September 1st, 2011, so plenty of time to do something 'bout that upper lip, and maybe get a Shellac mani while you're there. Just mention Stuff That I Bought.

PPPS - Have a great weekend my dears!
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