beauty Q&A

Waxing and shaving

Smooth legs

Q. I'm starting to wear skirts more, but my legs look really dry and dull and I'm afraid to show them off. How can I improve them?

A. Your first step should be to get yourself an exfoliating body scrub or a pair of loofah gloves. You use these to lightly scrub the dead skin cells away while you're in the shower or bath, when your skin is softer. Then, use a really rich body cream or body butter to moisturise your legs. Moisturise twice a day, once in the morning and then again at night, right before you go to bed.

Waxing versus shaving

Q. Is waxing your legs better than shaving?

A. Waxing has many benefits, but it really depends on your lifestyle and pain threshold to determine what's best for you. Waxing will keep skin hair-free for longer and will encourage finer growth but you have to let the hair grow a certain length until you can get it done. With shaving, you have to be careful with nicks and cuts, but it's cheap, painless and convenient. You just have to be prepared for more coarse and faster regrowth.

Wax woes

Q. I've got light-coloured skin and it's very sensitive. Please you have to help me! My facial hair is dark and it's very noticeable. I can't use wax because it gives me a rash and I'm allergic to hair removal cream. What can I do?

A. You could try bleaching the hair. Buy a bleaching kit like Andrea 5 Minute Bleach from your chemist. Try it on the back of your arm first, to see whether you are allergic to it. If not, you can use bleach every few weeks to disguise the dark hair. Depending on where the hair is and how much of it there is, you could try tweezing the area. Use slant-edged tweezers, hold the area taut with your free hand and tweeze out individual hairs. The area might be red for a few minutes, but it will go down. There are also different types of wax. While hot wax used with strips might give you a rash, maybe soft wax that you just pull off won't. Keep in mind small spots or tiny pimples are common after waxing, because once you remove the hair from the follicle there is nothing to protect it from getting infected. Using calendula cream after waxing can also help.