Editorial
Front Page - Friday, April 30, 2010
What'll they dream up next?
Smooth Away
Misty S. Brown
My family might be a little strange, but we are big on celebrating all the milestones in each member’s life. For some reason, I can remember that I was allowed to start shaving ten days before my 11th birthday. It was such a monumental moment in my life because it meant that I was one step closer to becoming a lady. I would not have to be embarrassed any longer with the dark hair that covered my legs like a pubescent boy. At that same age, I was also a sixth-grade cheerleader, so having smooth, hair-free legs was incredibly essential I deemed.
I am so glad I was not raised by hippies, feminists or in a country where it is not uncommon to let superfluous hair grow. In an eighth-grade Spanish class I remember watching Carmen, a French opera comique set in Seville, Spain. The entire class chuckled when the women raised their arms as they danced and twirled, revealing armpits full of dark hair. While it may be perfectly normal in other countries to let the hair take its natural course, I just could not do it.
Last year, I became privy to the phenomenon of No-Shave November, where men and women put off shaving during November for whatever reason. While it takes a lot of upkeep, I like my smooth, hair-free legs and armpits, so No-Shave November would only last three days, tops, with me.
I have tried ripping the hair out with Nads, which in the event of a food-outage at the grocery store would keep you from becoming emaciated since it is edible. Then there was the Epi-Lady that I inherited from my aunt, which would painfully rip out the hairs from the roots. I even tried an off-brand of a Nair-like chemical on my arms on the day before my senior prom. Bad idea. While I ended up with no hair, I scrubbed so hard that I caused my arms to bleed in spots. But when I came across the Smooth Away, I was relieved to find a chemical- and blade-free way of getting rid of excessive body hair.
What it is/How it works
Smooth Away is an exfoliating flex-crystal pad that removes unwanted hair pain free. Once a flex-crystal pad is adhered to the applicator, you gently buff the clean and dry area by moving in circular motions one direction with slight pressure and then going the opposite direction, for a count of three passages each direction until the hair disappears. The flex-crystal pad is so fine that, with gentle pressure, will exfoliate the skin while it removes the hair.
Pros and cons
The Smooth Away works almost as well as a standard razor without the risk of nicks and razor burn, though thicker hair may take a little more time to remove.
While the Smooth Away leaves a very smooth skin surface, you might also end up with a grayish-white color where you have used it, which will go away once you moisturize. This is due to the dead skin cells that have been exfoliated.
Too much pressure can cause redness, irritation and abrasions to the skin. It should not be used on people who have skin conditions, sunburns, open wounds or diabetes.
While the results are great, it does not last any longer than a typical shave. But for all those mothers out there with daughters begging to start shaving their legs, this is a great starter for them.
The applicators also come in a small size to help get around uneven or smaller surfaces, such as the upper lip. Smooth Away recommends that before using it on the face or sensitive areas to test it on a small area first and wait 24 hours to see if any irritation occurs. If irritation does occur, it should not be used.
The Smooth Away claims to be just as useful for men as it is for women, but I doubt you will see your significant other using the pink applicators any time soon.
The biggest con about the Smooth Away is the time it takes to accomplish a full leg or arm shave. Since you have to rub areas more than once, it can take two or three times the time it takes to just use a regular razor. And once you have applied lotion or makeup, it is not recommended to use it since it might gum up the pad and render it useless.
Also, it is suggested to pull your skin so it is smooth and taut – easy for the legs, but nearly impossible when you are applying it on the arms.
Overall, it does what it says it will do, but it might leave a few hairs behind or irritate your skin if you do not do it properly. That well-exfoliated feeling is worth it, if you have the time.
Where to buy
I found an As-Seen-On-TV aisle at Staples where the Smooth Away was being sold for $9.99 plus taxes. A Smooth Away box comes with one large and one small applicator, a travel case and five large and five small flex-crystal replacement pads.
Submissions
Please send ideas for gadget reviews to me at misty@daily data.com.
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