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A definitive ranking of every single at-home hair removal product
Wax strips, razors, hair removal creams... I tried them all.
Let's be honest, there's nothing enjoyable about hair removal. It's annoying, time-consuming and often has wonderful side effects like ingrown hairs, shaving rash or razor burn. Joyful.
I take a pretty relaxed approach to hair removal, having stubble on my legs doesn't really bother me, it's natural, normal and IMO it's no big deal. But when I do choose to remove body hair, I want the process to be as painless (literally) as possible. That's why I decided to test out all the different at-home methods I could think of, from a wet razor to an electric shaver and wax strips to hair removal cream.
Sure, it took a couple of weeks, a few razor nicks and the odd shaving rash flare-up, but all-in-all I helped narrow down the pros and cons of each different hair removal option. My final thoughts? I'm a big fan of electric shavers, like the Braun Silk Epil device. Ok, so they don't give as close of a shave as a manual razor, but they do leave skin looking hair-free and you don't have to worry about regrowth irritations (like ingrown hairs).
Intrigued? Check out the full breakdown of each option below (I rated them all out of 10 for ease, practicality and effectiveness). Here's what happened...
Veet In Shower Hair Removal Cream, £7.99
What's the deal? A tube of hair removal cream that you apply to legs, leave it on for 3-6 minutes whilst showering, then use the sponge to buff the cream (and hair) away.
Pros: If , like me, you're prone to shaving rash, then hair removal cream could be good option to consider, unlike razors it doesn't cut the hair on a sharp angle, so you're less likely to have that irritated, itchy feeling when the hairs grow back.
Cons: It's not very practical. You have to apply to dry legs, wait one minute before getting in the shower (so not one to try if your bathroom is chilly), then remove after 3-6 minutes. Question - who has a timer in the bathroom? Not me.
I ended up using over half the tube to cover my legs, and I was still left with a fair few stragglers after removing the cream. Plus it's a lot of cream to wash down the drain, so I was a little worried it might clog the drain.
Overall rating: 5/10
What's the deal? A baby razor. Yup, unlike traditional razors with a long handle the Venus Snap has a small round grip.
Pros: This was made for summer holidays... The travel-friendly design will take up very little room in your beauty bag, but luckily you don't have to compromise on a high-quality shave. The razor head has 5 blades, and I found they gave a precise, close shave.
Cons: It's definitely not the cheapest for a travel razor. Whilst the tiny handle is practical, it takes a little getting used to having a smaller grip, instead of a regular handle.
Overall rating: 7/10
FFS (Friction Free Shaving) Rose Razor Subscription, £9.95 per month
What's the deal? FFS (or Friction Free Shaving) is a monthly razor subscription service, you sign up and they send you the razor of your choice (I'm a fan of the rose gold one), plus four disposable razor heads. Each month, FFS send you four new disposable razor heads - for a monthly fee of £9.
Pros: I thought the razors were amazing quality, each head has six diamond-coated steel blades, plus one styling bikini blade built into the back of the cartridge. Not only is the subscription service a more 'environmentally-friendly' approach to the traditional multi-packs of plastic disposable razors, but you also never have to suffer the annoyance of a dull, rusty razor.
Cons: a) It's not quite as cheap as other disposable razors.
b) There may be times of the year that you aren't going to need four new razors head per month (one a week) - because let's be honest, Winter is no time to be bother with the faff of shaving.
Overall rating: 8/10
veet Veet 40 Wax Strips Maxi Format - Sensitive Skin
What's the deal? Chances are, you're probs pretty familiar with wax strips, but these ones contain almond oil, which claims to help soothe and moisturise the skin.
Pros: I'm not a huge fan of at-home waxing, I just can't handle pain, let alone self-inflicted pain. But once I persevered and waxed my legs, having two weeks of hair-free skin was pretty amazing AND I didn't have to deal with shaving rash (hallelujah). I didn't notice a huge difference having the added almond oil, but I guess it can't hurt, right?
Cons: As far as wax strips go, they get the job done. It's rare that a wax strip will pull out every single hair on the first go, so you have to go in with the tweezers (ouch) or shave any stragglers.
Overall rating: 8/10
Philips Bikini Trimmer
What's the deal? The battery-operated electric razor has been designed for the bikini area, it has three shaving options that trim hair to either 0.5mm, 3 mm and 5 mm.
Pros: This is so easy to use, and the mini head is good for 'hard to reach' spots. The shortest you can go in 0.5mm, which means you don't get any hellish ingrown hairs or razor bumps.
Cons: You don't get as close of a shave as you do with a wet razor, and which means hair returns a bit quicker. I'd prefer it to be rechargable, having to buy new batteries every other month is kind of annoying.
Overall rating: 8.5/10
What's the deal? This clever little shaver has a 4-blade razor on one end, and a battery-operated hair trimmer on the other.
Pros: It's practical. Having a wet razor and electrical trimmer combined is great if you're travelling and don't fancy lugging both around. The razor side has four blade head that gave me a close shave, whilst the trimmer is good for tidying up the bikini line.
Cons: The trimmer is great for tidying up the bikini line, but it's pretty tiny, so takes a fair bit of time if you want to tackle larger areas.
Overall rating: 9/10
Braun Silk-épil 9 Skinspa 9961 Wet and Dry Epilator and Exfoliator, £79.99
What's the deal? A does-it-all device that works as an epilator, electrical razor, precision trimmer AND facial cleansing brush - snazzy huh? It's rechargeable, so you don't have to faff around with batteries.
Pros: The heads are all interchangeable which means you can switch to the epilator or electric razor option really easily. I found the electric razor something of a revelation, you don't get quite as close of a shave as you do with a wet razor, but you don't get any of the awful grow back shiz - yep, no more ingrown hairs, itchy legs or razor bumps (praise be 🙌). The epilator works like a treat as well, although pulling out leg hair is never going to be enjoyable, this fast little device makes it easy.
Cons: I know, it's so expensive, but this literally does everything, from your legs to your bikini line. When you factor in the price of all these items individually it's not that bad - right?
Overall rating: 10/10
Victoria Jowett is an award-winning journalist and the former Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work in beauty journalism and oversees the skincare, hair, makeup and fragrance content across all of Cosmopolitan’s platforms. She's worked in the beauty industry for over 13 years (and tested 1000s of products), making her an expert when it comes to recommending beauty brands that truly work. Having started her career working weekends on a makeup counter, Victoria began interning at the likes of AnOther and IDOL magazine, before landing her first Beauty Writer job at weekly fashion magazine, LOOK. Joining Cosmopolitan in 2016, Victoria has always remained a beauty fanatic and has been lucky enough to interview everyone from Britney Spears to Kourtney Kardashian about their beauty routines. Follow her on LinkedIn.
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