I need to ask autistic women about hair removal on legs

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Hello. This is quite a personal question. I'm almost 38 year old autistic woman with mortor skill problems (eye hand coordination issues) and sensory issues and I have a relative who shaves my legs because I can't and i would like to have another option of removing the hair since my relative is somewhat older now. I tried getting the hair removed on my legs with laser treatment and it hurt like hell and that is no longer a option. I also tried hair removal cream and my relative said that didn't work and I don't want to get my legs waved because it would hurt me. I have also also tried an electric raser/razer (not sure how it's spelled. Please give me some options if possible. Thank you.

I don't shave my legs usually anymore, so not shaving is an option.

I suppose if I did want to shave my legs I'd use an electric razor since that would be easiest.

Hmm dunno, I have eye-hand coordination issues too, but fortunately they aren't as bad as yours. Do you yourself want your legs to be shaved, or do you simply do it because society tends to pressure women in to it? If the answer is the later, then not shaving at all is a completely valid option, especially if the weather is cold where you're from since then no one else will see your legs anyway. I myself tend to get a bit lazy with this during winter.

I use nair on the places I won't shave & on my legs when I'm not wanting to spend the time in the shower shaving. It works, but I have to leave it on the max time. I do it on my bed over a large towel, using tp to wipe it off at the end. Then I shower to get the smell & leftovers off.

I occasionally have to go over the max time. I have thick dark hair that can be stubborn. Sometimes I end up with a very very mild chem burn. After that, I lay off the nair for a while but do go back to it. It certainly beats zits & ingrown hairs from shaving.

Nair is not a product to use on the same area multiple times per week. I'd even advise waiting at least a week between applications on the same area. I wait longer than that between.

You don't have to shave. If you're worried about social expectations, at most you only need to do it in summer. If you wear pants most of the time nobody will see.

I admit that I ... um have excellent hands so I always prefer the most manual and precise way of removing hair. Electric razor was a torture. Waxing didn't work for me because my hair wasn't actually long enough. A good manual razor with perfectly sharp blades will work a lot better. I recommend Gillette razors. Maybe you can practice with one. My sons (autistic) have very clumsy hands and poor coordination, but they're never cut themselves shaving using the Gillette razors. Don't be afraid of sharp tools. They are much safer than blunt ones.

What brand of hair removal cream did you use? Cheap stuff may be dodgy.

Veet are pretty good and so is Nair. It says you'll be done in 5min. That's a marketing lie. You have to leave it on for 10minutes and you have to slather it thick not a thin layer like moisturiser.

Give it another go. It's the least painful easy to use option.

I definitely agree with Hurtloam that Nair is the kindest(having tried epilators which strike me as a form of torture device LOL!) I tend to just use a lady non-electric razor on my legs, and I do this daily in the tub. I also find Nair very useful. I'm a blonde, so have very light hair, but from a sensory point of view, I don't like feeling stubble on my legs, so have made it part of my routine to shave my legs daily.

I had a lot of issues with this and here's where I finally landed....

Mens electric beard trimmer for my underarms. (If you have fine hair you might get away with a ladies electric razor, but those are like cheap toys for my thick monstrous hair )

Ladies disposable single blade manual razor for my legs, or nair. Nair is good stuff. (Extra blades or pivoting blades always cut me, I dont like them)

Pubes: mens electric beard trinmer followed by Nair.

(In my experience Nair works better on stubble than long hairs, so it helps to either use it frequently or use the electric trimmer first)

I also have a small pair of cat grooming scissors for stray hairs that the razors or Nair misses. These are good because they are small, precise, and very sharp, but have blunted tips and a "tooth" so it cuts hairs effectively but not skin. (Pinching my skin isn't fun but I've never managed to break my skin with them).

I'm too chicken to try wax or epilators...

I'm also on the side of not shaving!

For years I used to be very "everything must go!" and shaved everywhere... But the pain and bother of ingrown hairs, the itchiness of regrowth and the discomfort of spikey places just wasn't worth it. Plus, who said we have to shave our legs? I personally think it's a very silly ingrained aspect of patriarchy that women do not challenge enough...

Even so, the freedom of not shaving (and frankly, not giving a s**t what anyone happens to think) is amazing. Honestly no one will really notice unless you have very dark/thick hair, or they are very close to you. I get my legs out in the summer and let the hairs enjoy the breeze! Same for the pits! (Not so much the pubes because whipping those out would be a whole other issue!).

I will admit I do epilate the moustache - but I have PCOS and it is visible if left unattended and as much as I don't generally give a s**t, I also don't want a moustache.

I have never shaved any part of my body. The most I've done is clip specific hairs that are bugging me, usually either facial hairs or hairs growing from moles. I've never seen a point to shaving otherwise.

I shave my legs because hairy legs feel worse than smooth legs, even though I wear long pants every day except in summer.

But I don't use shaving cream or gel. I used to but it was too messy and I hated having to do it before taking a bath. It's easier to shave when I get into the bathtub and wash normally.

I know there are other cultures that aren't as hair-aphobic. Body hair might even help to protect the skin from infections and junk. Too bad I was born in a culture where everything is done the wrong way.

I have an epilator. I would have given up after the first try because it was so horrificly painful, it's worse than waxing! but my sister said the first go is the worst, then it's easier and that's true. Once you've pruned off most of the hair you're only pulling out regrowth. Its exhausting though. Shaving is quicker and less work. I haven't been well enough to epilate for a while and I'm dreading starting again.

Hey OP - if you're still around, I would whole heartedly agree with the women using Nair or similar well made creams. Read and follow the instructions carefully. It does not take any skill or much coordination, especially if you are about to shower and do it all in the bathroom. Give the creams more than one try. You have to find a balance between leaving it on too long or not long enough. Use a nice moisturizing soap to wash your legs (or whereever you've shaved) as soon as the time is up. Follow that up with some mild moisturizer after the shower. I also have used hair conditioner on my skin in the shower, after shaving, as it is cleansing as well and softening.

The hair removal creams work.

I don't shave my legs anymore but when I did, I couldn't use cream (allergic). Electric shavers weren't very effective for me either. Instead, I used hot soapy water and disposable razors - it's a lot easier as long as you are gentle, but takes some practice to avoid cutting yourself.

I don't know about body hair in general, but pubic hair definitely does. Shaving in the pubic region increases the risk of bacterial vaginosis.