What is the best way to shave your legs when you’re constantly traveling? There are several options for hair removal (be it armpits, legs, etc.), but when you’re caught in a flurry of flights, hostels, and public transport, some ways may be easier than others. The fact is: you can’t always expect to have a hot bathtub to leisurely shave your legs.
Waxing: This requires more money and an appointment. Unless you do it at home (I’ve never been so successful), in which case it requires the wax, strips, and often some way to heat the wax. For traveling, this is obviously not the ideal option since you may not know the language well enough to make an appointment along the way and you may not have your time (or money!) budgeted well enough to make an appointment. Additionally, you may not have room in your luggage for the waxing equipment and may not have an easy way to heat the wax.
Shaving: This doesn’t last as long as waxing and razors might cause a problem if you are flying without check luggage. Also, it can be a bit uncomfortable to do (razor burn!) if you don’t have hot water and shaving cream. That said, it is pretty easy to get razors almost anywhere and they are usually pretty cheap if you can live with the disposable ones. This is a good option, though still not an ideal one.
Epilation: About a year ago I bought an EpiLady epilator. It’s a small, battery-powered machine (about the size of two decks of cards) that contains lots of tiny tweezers in it. Essentially, it tweezes your hairs out at the root, providing a long-lasting shave. The best part about it though is that it can be taken anywhere, even on planes, and once you buy the machine you won’t need to buy anything else (no waxing strips or extra razor blades, etc.) However, it can take a long hour to get rid of all your unwanted hair and, the first few times at least, it hurts!
Permanent methods: Think– laser hair removal. I suspect that this is the best hair removal method of all. I have yet to try this, however, so I cannot say for sure. Admittedly, the price is extremely restrictive on this method especially since the process may need to be repeated more than once to get rid of all hair. However, the good news is that it is cheaper in some countries than others, which may make it more affordable depending on where you travel and for how long.
[Cover photo: Mirror at a museum in Cardiff, Wales.]