I alternate between shaving my legs and waxing them — I hate shaving because it’s a very short term solution, a lot of razors are made by Proctor & Gamble or Johnson & Johnson — 2 companies that own a lot of companies that test on animals — and I get razor burn. However, it’s a lot quicker, less trouble, and less painful than waxing. Waxing, on the other hand, I also dislike because it’s time-consuming and messy to heat up wax, and wax spills are awful to remove — and then waxing itself is painful. But I have to admit waxing works — no razor burn, no stubble, and I don’t have leg hair for a month! Also, if I rip off the wax really quickly, it’s only painful for half a second, which isn’t too bad.
So I finally broke down and bought some cold wax strips, which I’ve heard don’t work very well but I could not resist because of their promised lack of trouble — no heating! no messy wax spills everywhere! Luckily, I found a cruelty-free company that makes all kinds of waxing products — it’s Parissa. All Parissa formulas are gentle, natural, and available at many natural stores.
So I ordered a box of Parissa Quick and Easy Wax Strips and tried them out. They are amazingly convenient — no heating, just pull apart, press on, rip off. They create no wax spills, and they come with a bottle of oil which really removes any stray wax residue very well — I’d never thought of using oil to remove wax, it makes so much sense! Also, I really like the ingredients — there are no petroleum products — the wax strips appear to be made from pine resin, canola oil, and beeswax.
Unfortunately, the Quick and Easy Wax Strips did not remove much of my hair, which is why I’m giving them 1/5 stars. I think the main problem with the weird sticky consistency (probably from the pine resin?) of the cold wax– if they just made microwaveable normal strips of canola oil and beeswax, those would probably work a lot better, and still be a lot more convenient than microwaving a little bottle of wax. (A lot of people seem to actually like these strips however — check out the product reviews at Parissa.com.)
Parissa Quick and Easy Wax Strips are available from Amazon.com and many natural stores for $8.99 (for 16 strips).
Ingredients:
Wax: Pine Resin, Canola Oil, Beeswax, Azulene Oil: IPM, Vitamin E, Azulene (chamomile extract), Menthol
Categories : 1/5 stars, Parissa, cruelty free, cruelty free companies, hair removal
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me
June 28th, 2007 at 1:05 am
“..did not remove much of my hair..” Did you warm up the strips between your hands before separating them?
Emily
June 29th, 2007 at 12:37 am
Oh yes, definitely. And I’m not one of those people who always has cold hands.
However, I’ve been thinking about this, and I wonder if maybe the climate I live in is too cold for these to work well — it’s about 60 degrees here year round — maybe if I lived in a warmer climate they would work better? Or if I had tried microwaving them?
They do seem to work for a lot of people though — you should definitely try them out for yourself if you’re interested. It’s quite possible I just received a bad batch.
Her
September 13th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Hi, I was just wondering how old you were? I’m 13 years old, almost 14. I’ve never shaved, always waxed. It hasn’t been very long since I started but I am already tired of it. It doesnt hurt too bad anymore, but I hate having to let it grow out since I play alot of sports and gym at school and stuff, people see my legs alot. At this point in my life, the girls are starting to talk about shaving and that, and feeling eachothers legs. I just dont like it anymore. My mom insists that I wax my legs. But as much as I would like to try shaving, I’m not sure I want my hair feeling really coarse and growing back quicker and that. I just really would LOVE to get it permenatly removed, but it’s exspensive and I’m not sure if I’m too young to do it or not. I hope not, cause I really want to get it done. I also don’t enjoy the waxing because I get these type of burn spots on my legs. They turn very red at the beginning, then they turn a brownish color. They dry up a bit then go away. It takes a while for it to go away, and I don’t like how they look. My legs never look smooth or soft. They always look rough and dry. While all of my friends legs dont. I was just wondering what your opinion was about getting the Laser Hair Removal or some type of permenant hair removal was if you know anything about it. I would love to get it done. Please answer soon. Thanks for your time !
Emily
September 13th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Hi,
Unfortunately, it’s been more than a decade since I was thirteen. Also I really don’t know anything about laser hair removal. It does sound wonderful though. I have a friend who got it when she was in her late teens, and it didn’t destroy all her leg hair, it just made it sparser. It looks like it’s available for people under the age of 18:
http://www.4laserhairremoval.com/article/laser-hair-removal-teens/
I’d say it’s a tough decision for you whether to switch to shaving — you should definitely try it out to see if you like it (if you can convince your mom), especially since you seem to be having some sort of allergic reaction to wax, which seems a little worrying to me. There’s also Nair — not that I would recommend that, since it smells awful, takes forever, and I don’t think it’s cruelty-free . . .
Regards,
Emily
fardad
March 6th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
2 quick comments:
1) wax strips: parissa wax strips are extremely convenient and can perform very well. however, if the hair is too short or too coarse, the wax strips will not perform very well. for shorter, coarser hair, try using either parissa hot wax or parissa warm wax.
2) laser hair removal: laser can be an option for some however, laser can be dangerous or ineffective for some. for some very good advise on laser, please check: http://www.hairfacts.com/methods/laser/lasermain.html
good luck with your hair removal decisions. if you have any questions, please contact me toll-free @ 1.888.986.9974.
have a great day,
fardad
Natasha
May 7th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I tried parissa wax strips but they hurt my super sensitive skin so much!! It takes hours for the burning to end! I can’t handle it. I’m not sure how many people have this problem. I wish they would make a hair removing lotion you know like a cruelty free version of Nair. It wouldn’t hurt then!
Emily
May 7th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
That’s too bad Parissa wax strips cause some sort of reaction for you. Darn. Hmm, I haven’t heard of any cruelty-free Nair-like solutions. Parissa should make one!
Natasha
May 8th, 2008 at 5:50 am
My skin is so sensitive it’s annoyinhg. I can’t even shave everyday or else I get big red bumps all over my skin. I don’t even know if anyone else has this problem.
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