Dear Andi,
Do “Smooth Away pads” really work?
Dear Hairy and Hopeful,
If you haven’t seen (and fallen for) the infomercial, Smooth Away pads are hand-held buffing pads that promise to “buff away unwanted hair” while exfoliating, instead of having to shave or wax. My lack of sleep has left me vulnerable to late night marketing, hence my new steam mop and the inevitable purchase of my own set of Smooth Away pads ($14.99 + S&H).
The thought of being able to de-hair while watching cartoons with Brandon was ideal, but I was disappointed. The exfoliating aspect was impressive, but to remove all of the hair I had to go over each section several times and it didn’t work at all on the softer (i.e. longer) hair on the top half of my legs. It worked better on the stubble around my ankles, so I will keep it around for touch-ups, but it is no replacement for my razor.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I tried the smaller, finger sized pad on my mustache (yes, I admit to being a hairy brunette) and saw no difference. Also, I don’t know how anyone can bend the right way to successfully use it on her underarms.
So, to recap, the Smooth Away pads are great for exfoliating and if you have time to use it every day on fresh stubble it’s not bad, but I won’t be throwing out my Lady Schick anytime soon.
Andi Douglas is a local mom of two and the ruling make-up queen at nwaMotherlode. E-mail your questions to her at mamas@nwaMotherlode.com and the answer may be featured in her weekly column.
