Get your bits neat with Veet (Veet 3 Minute Hair Removal Cream)

Member Name: rrrrachel

Product:	Veet 3 Minute Hair Removal Cream
Date:	07/05/09 (166 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Painless, leaves skin smooth

Disadvantages: Stinks the bathroom out

I've used Immac and Veet hair removal creams in the past, but I always found them a bit time-consuming standing around for 10 minutes waiting for them to work, so when I saw this new 3-minute cream in Boots I thought it was worth a try. The one I got was the green Shea Butter and Lily, for dry skin. I got it in a big 400ml pump container rather than a 100/200ml tube. This would normally be £10.50, but Boots are having a half-price offer and it was only £5 something.

The way depilatory creams work is by dissolving the hair - they have chemicals in that make the hair literally shrivel up and die, rather than by cutting it off at skin level like razors. This supposedly gives a smoother finish (as there is no stubble left) and longer-lasting results, or so it claims on the advertising...

I used this on my armpits and bikini line - I have used these products on my legs before, but as other reviewers have said, you need so much to cover the area that it would cost a fortune as you'd get through it so quickly! I found the pump dispenser quite handy as I just had to press down and it came straight out into my hand, ready to apply to the right area... there is a spatula provided in the pack, but I find it easier just to use my fingers as you have more control. I spread a thick, even layer over the area and then sat back for 3 minutes and waited for it to work.

The worst thing about this product was the smell - every bit as bad as I remembered! I suppose it must be the active ingredient that smells so yukky, as every hair-removal cream seems just the same. There was hardly a trace of any Shea Butter or Lily fragrance, just chemicals with a trace of artificial perfume. My other complaint is that it's just a bit too runny, and gets everywhere! It dripped off onto my bath mat - not nice! Or maybe I used too much - I'll try being more sparing with the cream next time.

After three minutes I wiped a little bit of the cream away and saw that the hair was coming with it - it looks quite funny as it shrivels up, like when you put a crisp bag in a flame! The hair had literally melted away and came away easily from the skin. Again, I didn't use the spatula as I find it a bit unwieldy, I just used a tissue and then showered the residue off. The result was, as promised, soft and smooth and almost hair free skin, although I have to say it wasn't perfect and a little bit of stubble did remain, less than after shaving though.

One bad thing is that you're not supposed to use any perfumed products for 24 hours afterwards which is a bit awkward for deodorant on the underarm area. I don't dare try as I think it might sting, so I'll just have to be a bit stinky for a day. On that note, the smell of the cream does linger, both on my skin and in the bathroom. If they could figure out a way to get rid of the smell, I'd be very happy. Until then I'll probably keep using this now and again when the fuzzies get too much.

Summary: Worth the faff now and again