Freak369's Full Review: Nads No Heat Hair Removal Gel
WARNING This review contains adult language and a frank discussion of hair removal on the female body. If you are easily offended, please do not read this review.
We've all seen the infomercial. Sue Ismiel talks about how she created her miracle hair removal system from common household goods to help her daughter Natalie deal with embarrassing unwanted hair. I was one of the millions of people that fell for the product hook, line and sinker. If you’ve ever had an ingrown hair due to a bad shaving experience you know what’s involved with it – pain, redness, swelling and the eventual bursting of puss and blood. If you’ve never had one, that statement might seem a little harsh but if you have had one you’ll agree that you’d probably try anything to avoid it again. Until a few years ago I would get professionally waxed [Brazilian style] about every six weeks which was just as embarrassing as it was painful. Knowing full and well that I wouldn’t be able to cover all the areas that the girl at the salon would, I figured I’d have to settle for just the bikini line. I called the toll free number on the infomercial, ordered the product and waited anxiously for it to arrive.
What Is Nad’s No-Heat Hair Removal Gel?
Just as the name implies, this is an alternative to hot and dangerous waxes. The no-heat system allows you to have a little more control over the gel when applying it however it is messy and tends to get all over the place. It is made of common household products and when I read the ingredient list I was impressed that it didn’t have a bounty of harsh chemicals. For the curious few, here is the complete list of ingredients: honey, molasses, fructose [sugar], vinegar, lemon juice, water, alcohol and an unspecified food dye. Seems harmless enough doesn’t it? So does listening to the radio when you are in the bathtub – that is until it falls in and electrocutes you.
The premise is simple; prep the skin area and allow it to dry completely. Be sure to completely remove make up and use no lotions or skin care products before using Nad’s. Apply the sweet smelling gel to the area to be worked on in a thin yet generous manner. Apply one of the cotton strips to the area, rub several time to ensure a good bond between the gel and cotton strip and with adequate tension rip the strip off. The strips are designed to be used over and over again however I was never so fortunate and had to rinse them out and allow them to dry before using them again.
Since this is made from mostly household items I wasn’t too worried about getting it all over the place the first few times I tried it out. Much to my surprise my dog seemed to go crazy when he smelled it and insisted on checking out the scent repeatedly while I was trying to apply it. This of course meant that the other dog came running into the bathroom to see what all the brouhaha was about. Now, I love my dogs but trying to apply this stuff to my leg while they are sitting there slobbering away was too comical. Sort of reminded me of when I would grill on the patio and they would sit there just waiting for me to drop a piece of meat. I did give this the taste test to see what was driving the dogs insane and – to put it bluntly – I must have the two stupidest pups on the planet. Ever taste KY Jelly? Well, you get the picture …
What Do You Get?
Nad’s Natural Hair Removal Gel A round tub containing 12 ounces [350 grams] of the gel with a screw off lid.
Nad’s Skin Smoothing Lotion A flip top tube containing 2.5 ounces of a kiwi – chamomile soothing lotion that is applied after you use the Nad’s Hair removal product.
Cloth Strips If memory serves me there were either four or six cloth strips included. These are used to remove the gel and hair from your skin.
Application Tool A virtually useless item that was tossed in the trash shortly after the first use. I opted to use a cake-icing tool instead.
There are several different packages offered by Nad’s, some only come with the basic items needed to use the product and others give you additional lotions, soaps and skin preparation products. When I ordered this I paid about $40.00 [including shipping] however the price for the basic package is about $20.00 and the deluxe package roughly $30.00.
The Pain Factor
Well, to be truthfully honest, the pain you will experience all depends on several factors. The length of the hair that is being worked on, how sensitive your skin is, your personal pain threshold and how firmly you hold the skin when using Nad’s. I tried this by myself as well as with my trusty neighbor Jane doing the “taffy pull” as she called it and no matter what we trued, the results were rather bleak. I have tried this on the bikini area, underarms, legs and eyebrows and I also talked Jane into letting me try this out on her underarms – after which she didn’t speak to me for a week. The bikini area is naturally sensitive and since I had Brazilian style waxes I knew what type of pain was involved. After using this on that area I had a new found respect for the waxing technician at the salon. When getting professionally waxed there is pain but it doesn’t last for more than 30 – 60 seconds – the Nad’s system made the area red, tender and sore for over an hour.
Comparison To Other Methods
While not used to remove hair but rather hide it, bleaches such as Jolen and Sally Hansen will help to lighten hair to make it less noticeable. Inexpensive and easy to use, most are a bit strong smelling when applied to the skin and could leave it red and irritated for a while. This is good for facial hair but larger areas such as the arms and legs make it expensive unless large containers are purchased. Products like Nair and Ultra Hair Away could be too harsh for those with sensitive skin but for everyone else it is a painless, but smelly, way to rid your body of hair without having the shave or use waxes. Lastly you have the professional electrolysis that basically sends a current down the hair follicle shaft, kills the root and leaves you hair free. The down side is that it is expensive, painful if they don’t numb your face and there is always a possibility of regrowth. There are home electrolysis kits available however the ones that I have tried were not effective and were a real chore to use.
What Do I Really Think About Nad’s?
In all honesty I think it is false advertising. If you read over the testimonials and have seen the infomercials you are presented with a product that is supposed to help you remove unwanted hair in a painless fashion. I can deal with pain, I can deal with paying to remove hair – but what I can’t deal with is deceptive marketing. There is mention of a “slight stinging sensation” depending on the type of hair you are removing [fine or thick] but nowhere does it say that you might be in tears when using it. The people I really feel bad for are the women with facial hair that ordered this and were completely disappointed. I know that it is only a matter of time before I have to deal with this ultra sensitive and embarrassing fact of life since the female members of my family are prone to this type of hair growth before middle age. Knowing what I do about the Nad’s system I highly doubt that I would be brave enough to use this on any part of my face [upper lip or chin area] and I pray that someone invents something that works, regardless of the pain factor, before my ‘time comes’.
The Bottom Line
I am not a sissy. I have numerous tattoos and body piercings in area that would shock the living hell out of most people. I had natural childbirth. I lived with an infected toe for nearly a month. Nothing really prepared me for the stinging and gut wrenching pain that came with using this system. For something that was supposed to be “virtually painless” it sure left me whimpering like a schoolgirl with a skinned knee. If you don’t have a high pain threshold I really suggest that you explore other hair removal options before you give this a try.
After seeing the infomercial so many times that I felt compelled to order this system I have to ask how much money the people featured in the advertisements received. I distinctly recall one man, middle aged, with thick patched of hair on his legs. Sue applied the Nad’s, went over the strip three times and ripped it off – then proudly showed the camera the hair that was removed. Other women were shown getting facial hair removed as well as a clean up on the eyebrow area. Not one of these people screamed, jumped out of their seat, screamed or threatened to inflict bodily harm on her. Sadly, I wouldn’t have been as accommodating – television camera or not.
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