My Summer Skin Prep Routine

It's summer, and as many young women, I will admit to having body hair. Now, if you're the kind of person who enjoys going natural, by all means, more power to you! However, I'm not one of those people. I'm pretty lucky, though. I inherited my mom's Chinese body hair genes (in other words, I have body hair but it's generally pretty fine), but I still prefer having silky smooth legs, underarms, and bikini area, especially in the summer time.

To prep for hair removal, I always use a body scrub. The one I'm currently using is the Soap & Glory Scrub 'Em and Leave 'Em Body Buff. I'm not sure if this is even sold in the US anymore, but I picked it up at a Sephora sale like months back, and it's still going strong! I like to use this scrub all over my body, especially focusing on the areas that I plan to self-tan or remove hair from.

For my legs, I like to take care of things in the shower while the hair is wet and soft. My absolute favorite shave cream is the eos Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream in "Vanilla Bliss." This thick shave cream is fantastic because it stays on the skin until you no longer want it on, and it smells amazing. I also find that it is very hydrating! If I was really in a super crazy rush, I could easily just run out the door without moisturizing after using this shave cream. The razor I use is the Gilette Venus Divine Sensitive Skin Razor, which gives me a close shave without irritating my skin.

After shaving, I will either use a body butter or my Jergens Natural Glow + Firming Daily Moisturizer in "Medium to Tan." While I'm definitely a fair skinned girl, I find that the "Medium to Tan" formula works just fine on my skin, and it's hydrating enough that it can be used without another body lotion! I'm not big on self-tanning, so this is really great because it gives you a gradual, natural looking bronze without being high maintenance or looking like you just stepped out of an Oompa Loompa convention.

Moving on up to the underarms, I recently rediscovered my Emjoi EpiSlim Epilator. This thing looks like it could either be very naughty, or some kind of weird torture device, but it works wonders. If you don't know what an epilator is, it's basically like a cross between an electric razor and tweezers. It removes the hair by the root without all the mess of waxing! Personally, I never found waxing to work very well on my underarms, which is why this epilator is fantastic. Prior to using an epilator, my underarm hairs were thicker and darker than the hair on my head (gross), but after about a month of using it, my hair has become less noticeable, and I only have to epilate every one or two weeks! The first couple of times, it hurts like crazy, but the longer you use it, the easier it gets. I prefer to use it with wet skin to help the epilator glide better, following up with aloe vera gel to sooth the skin.

For my bikini area, I like to use a mix of the epilator and the razor. I love the idea of Brazilian waxing, but I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to have it done, which is why I find that using a mix of both techniques works wonderfully. I use the epilator on the thinner hairs, while using a razor, well, every where else! I find this gives me the best, long lasting results!

I hope this has been helpful for any of you who are preparing for summer. Let me know your favorite hair removal tips in the comments below!

- D.