Product Review: Nair Shower Power

Full Disclosure: Nair did NOT approach me to write this product review. I received no compensation what-so-ever. I just thought that it might be fun to use a chemical to burn the hair off my legs during a rainy afternoon. Hey, my house is a disaster, I have no idea what I'm cooking for dinner, and my kid is running around naked climbing the mountain (arm rest of the couch) so I figured why not? It's not like I have anything else do today.

Nair Shower Power. I paid $5.99, on sale, at Target. This, I must confess, was an impulse buy. This is why I don't go to Target alone. It's a lot harder to compare chemical hair removal products with a hollering three year old asking for a chocolate shake. You get the 5.1oz bottle and a small sponge that looks like one I might use to scrub my tub. If I, you know, scrubbed my tub.

*ahem*

The directions are....complex. There are three sections, and take up the entire right side of the back of the bottle.

First step: Apply Cream. Skin must be dry before application. Dispense cream onto green side of the dry sponge and apply evenly. Repeat until the entire area where hair to be removed is covered. Make sure unwanted hair is completely covered. DO NOT RUB IN. Hang sponge on hook in the tub/shower or place with the white side of the sponge down near tub/shower. Wait at least 1 minute before showering.

Ok. Pretty straight forward. I just put the cream on the sponge and slid it across my leg. It wasn't very thick. It looked like most of the cream was getting on the green side of the sponge instead of my leg. No matter, I'll just put the cream directly on my leg, then spread it with the sponge. That worked a little better. I wasn't sure how much to put on, but I was pretty sure I wasn't supposed to touch it. I mean, there's a sponge for a reason, right?

It was then, while I was naked, sitting on the edge of the tub, when Claire wondered in.

"What are you doing, mommy?" She asked, staring at my legs.

"Shaving my legs," I replied, helpfully.

"Ok. I'll help." She pronounced, climbing out of her twirly princess dress and walking toward me.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed as her hand veered dangerously close to my now white leg.

But, she was too fast for me. Great. Now I have a Claire-sized hand print on my upper thigh. We washed her hands immediately.

Waiting one minute was no problem. I had my hands full with the aformentioned hand washing, plus then Claire had to go potty, then wash her hands again. When I finally stepped in the shower, I had no idea how long it had been, but my legs were starting to tingle.

Shower. Step into the shower and follow your usual routine. The cream will resist wash off, but a small amount of wash off is not unusual. For optimum product performance, keep skin where cream has been applied away from direct stream of water. Make sure the cream stays on your skin for at least an additional 2 minutes while in the shower. DO NOT EXCEED 10 minutes of total application time.

Besides the overabundance of bolded words in this set of directions, it seemed pretty straight-forward. Shower, as normal, avoiding the water spraying directly on my legs. Got it. The problems started when Claire got in the shower with me. Showering with a 3 year old is hard enough. Add possible chemical burn-inducing cream on my legs and it was as if I were in Circ de Sole. I washed my hair, trying not to touch her. She wanted the "water spray" on her, then she didn't, then she did again. Not only was I worried about her, I was aware of where the water was spraying. Only on my head and back, NOT my legs. Check.

Downside: my shower was beginning to smell like a mixture of baby poop and amonia. Awesome.

Remove/Rinse. Total hair removal depends on hair thickness. Rinse the sponge and use the white side to remove the cream together with the hair in a small area. If the hair comes off easily, remove the rest of the cream by massaging in a circular motion. If the hair does not come off, leave the cream on longer without exceeding 10 minutes of total application time. Once the cream and hair have been removed, rinse your skin thoroughly under the shower. Do not rub. Pat dry gently. Rinse the sponge. Keep the tube closed when not in use.

Here's where things get, pardon my pun, hairy. I had to manuver my body so that one foot was against the shower wall, while trying not to touch Claire. By this point, most of the cream had already rinsed off, but there were still large patches of white goo on my leg. I used the white side of the sponge and rubbed my whole leg. Sometimes I remembered to use a circular motion, but most of the time I looked like I was scrubbing my sink. You know, if I scrubbed my sink.

*ahem*

A few times I dared rinse the sponge, desperately trying to not get any water on Claire, who at this point was entertaining herself by singing "Take a bath, wash yourself, take a bath, show me what you're scrubbing with" and largely ignoring me. Which was good, since I looked like an idoit.

Everything came off pretty easily, and the cream that was still on parts of my leg was rubbed in other parts of my leg thank to my vigorous circular motions. I got everything off, rinsed my leg again and finally stepped out of the shower.

Final Verdict: B+ The parts of my legs that had absolutly no hair were smoother than when I shaved them. But, the whole process was a little involved. Next time I'm going to try with more cream and less 3 year old helper.

I don't know if I'd buy this again; that will be determined once I see how long it lasts. But, it was more enjoyable than shaving. It's worth a try.