Landscaping: On maintaining your lady garden

*Note: Dad, you may wanna skip this one. Warning: Potentially Definitely embarassing female and personal information about to be revealed! Seriously, skip it*

I got a request to write about, err, hairstyling for the bathing suit area. You know, trimming the hedges, grooming the hair-apparent, playing truth or nair? Its a delicate topic, but a relevant one. I mean, who wants to be concerned about their overgrowth on their honeymoon, or in their boudoir pictures? Pas Moi! Yes, pruning our pubicles is not only for the ladies anymore. There also seems to be a men's grooming movement... to which I say, its about time!
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From trimming to shaping to full removal or au natural, there's just so many options available. I personally favor a semi-regular trim with some strong edging skills, alternated with a full mow every few months to get a clean slate and fresh start. But, um, that's just me.

There are a wide range of methods available to help tame our under-mane. The most popular (and painful) being waxing. Since waxing takes the hair out from the root, it definitely leaves you smoother for longer, but its not for the faint of heart of sensitive of skin. I've only been waxed once, but broke out into quite a rash of little bumpy zits/ingrown hairs and figured I'd rather be a bushwoman than have a case of lady acne. Not sexy. However, I have friends who swear by it. Perhaps they're thicker-skinned, or have smaller folicles, but for my delicate alabaster skin I prefer other methods. At $20-$50 per treatment, its also not the most budget friendly option available. My best advice is to get a trial run several months before the wedding, so you can gauge your skin's reaction and have time to recover if you, too, have bikini-breakout-itis.

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My trimmer of choice is the personal trimmer, at a reasonable $8-11 depending on the brand. This little baby is inconspicuous, quiet, and effective. It works fast and takes the hair down to the skin, with quite a smooth result. It works best if you manually trim first (with scissors - be careful!) and then use this to smooth out the edges, asitwere. The safety guard is what I love best - no accidental skingrabbing here! And believe me, I've had many an electric razor give me a nasty gash. I love this one for travel, since its about the side of a highlighter, you can take it anywhere. I've used it for everything from some simple edging, to a full blown mow. With practice, you can even trim to custom lengths with this - so whether you're into a crewcut or the yul brenner, this baby can deliver.

I recently saw this online and I'm dying to try it out. First, who can deny a company called "Hair Care Down There"?!? I mean, c'mon! They had me at hello. HCDT has developed a line of gentle skin care solutions to help avoid irritation and create lasting smoothness. The 1-2-3 method focuses on shaping, soothing and smoothing - to avoid ingrown hairs and promote softness. You can buy many of their skincare products a la carte (prices range from $15-up), but their Ultimate Shaving Kit has quickly jumped to the top of my wishlist.


For $89 you get a sassy tote, jam packed with discreetly labeled products, including: a detailed shaving guide, razor, brush, comb, morror, scissors, clear shave gel, soothing moisturizer, anti-irritant spray, stencils, pencil and *gasp!* decorative bikini bindis! Its sounds like (dare I say it?) fun! This would also make a great gift, in a not-creepy best friend kind of way, right? I think my favorite thing is the testimonials on their site, on which many happy hubbies suggest using this as a kind of foreplay. Interesting.....

I personally stay away from hair removal creams, because I've heard horror stories of burns. Anyone out there a Nair advocate?

Now that we've covered removal techniques, let's take a moment to remember that even your lady-locks can be stylish. I've included this informative video which uses a simple outline and pieces of costruction paper to illustrate the many ways to style yourself. What's your favorite style?


I hope this has helped to demystify some of the tools and techniques available to help coif your cuttles (too far?), but I want to know what I'm missing. Anyone got a fave product, style, or technique they'd like to share?

*Update: I just got word that Duane Read carries special dye for your muffintop! I'd love to try that business out!*