I just found out that this girl I've been seeing for the past few months has some issues with underarm hair. She says that she's "balbon" in the said area and the strands are fatter than common underarm hair. It had always been an issue for her since adolescence and has slowly grown into an insecurity. Because of this, her parents paid for laser hair removal sessions; she's about to go into her 4th of 15 sessions.

She says it's working fine naman daw, and she's seeing some improvement. However, session intervals are long, and are getting longer as she progresses with the program. In between these sessions, she would simply let the hair grow out, and settle for clothes with sleeves. She won't shave because she's afraid that it may darken her underarms. She only does so when absolutely needed, like when she has to attend an event where she has to wear a dress or something.

Anyway, I heard about epilators from my girl friends. I'm thinking of getting her one for her to use in between sessions. I googled about them and ran into this blog. Now, I ask, would you recommend that I buy her an epilator? Would it work on underarms? Kasi, most product reviews I read say na the product is for legs only. Also, do consider that she's getting laser sessions.

Miss Liz, and other Filipinas out there, I hope you can help me help my girlfriend. Thank you! - Thoughtful Boyfriend

Hi Throughtful Boyfriend! You are thoughtful indeed! And sweet. I like that your letter was well-written and thought out, so I thought I'd answer it on the main blog. :) 

I'm glad you asked me this question because one of the worst things your girlfriend can do is epilate while on a laser regimen. Epilating pulls out hair from the roots (well, most of it) - hair will take longer to grow out and it shouldn't damage the skin as much as a razor would. However, laser requires hair follicles to be present. Otherwise, there won't be anything to zap off permanently. Laser works best when there's some hair growth!

In other words, it's not recommended to wax or epilate while she's doing her laser.

What I'm curious about though is why it would take 15 laser sessions to remove her hair permanently. Is she doing IPL laser?

My favorite place for hair removal is Wink Laser & Wax Studio at Bonifacio High Street Central. The salon looks great, the attendants are friendly and always smiling, and the prices are fairly affordable considering the location and quality of service. I usually go in for underarm and leg waxing, but a couple of months back I finally took the plunge and tried the laser.

The underarm laser is just P2,500, which is actually not that expensive in the great scheme of things. Consider, you only need to go in every six to seven weeks, then after about six sessions and nine months (or P15,000 estimate), you're completely hair-free in that area - forever! Think about that. You'll never have to worry about waxing or shaving again.

The laser works by heating up your hair follicles, eventually disabling them from producing more hair. Some people may grow some hair back (it's a case-to-case thing) but Wink's laser hair removal is designed to be permanent et ceteris paribus. 

So is it painful? That's the million dollar question isn't it! No, it doesn't hurt AT ALL. If it's your first time to do laser they will use the lowest frequency. It's so low you won't even feel it but for the brisk rubbing of the laser gun on your skin.

Remember the epilator I was so excited about last January? I still like it, but I find that waxing is still the best way to remove body hair. The epilator is great to use if I'm in a rush but the downside is I don't get ALL the hair and sometimes, if I'm not careful, I end up doing a half-assed job. Waxing is much more thorough (when done by someone else) and has a better guarantee that I won't get those pesky ingrown hairs.

Now I won't be throwing out my epilator anytime soon but if time permits, waxing remains to be my first choice. :) That said, have you heard about the newest hair removal place in town? It's called Wink Laser & Wax Studio, located in Bonifacio High Street Central on top of Slice.

Now before we go any further I want you to know that I do PR and marketing work for Wink. :) Let's get that out of the way first! Nonetheless, I hope you can trust me to share a review that is honest. Believe me when I say that I won't chuck Project Vanity's credibility out the window just because of a client.

So! Let's get started.

Wink is the baby of Holly Chang, a 24-year old woman who claims to be extremely hairy (and pimply in college - but that's another story!). She's funny, down-to-earth, a true-blue skincare junkie, and yes, all of 24 years on the planet. She decided to start this business because she found out that laser is so cheap in other countries that people would prefer to get it instead of wax. Here it costs an arm and a leg! She wanted to bring affordable laser hair removal treatments to the Philippines and so Wink was born.

Laser gun!

Laser is Wink's specialty, but the salon also offers waxing services. Brazilians, legs, femstache, knuckle hair - if you need them taken out, Wink can take them out. I love that the pricing is quite affordable considering the location and how beautifully appointed the place is.