just_a girl, a depilitory is a chemical hair removal. Nair is just a brand name for one of the many ones available in the stores. If you are looking for a recommendation of a good depilitory I would not recommend Nair, but Veet. I find that it works better than Nair. Veet does make a depilitory that comes in a tube, but I am talking about the Veet that comes in a *an aerosol can* with a little plastic "scraper" that you use to remove the cream along with the hair (then rinse off any residual product). Veet has been sold in Europe for many, many years and has been introduced to the American market a few years ago. I do not know if it is sold in Canada but I think I read that it is. They have a website. Think that one of the reasons Veet aerosol works so well, is that the can keeps it fresh, and it doesn't break down and degrade, like depilitories in the tube do when they get old. I have no experinece with at home waxing but I have read, and have heard from firends who tried it, that the results are not that good. Two problems encounterd - the hair does not come off OR you cannot get the wax off of your skin. I did try professional waxing in a salon ONCE. It HURT so bad having it done, that I will never try it again. My skin was raw for days too. One of the downsides of waxing is that you have to let the hair grow out enough for the wax to grab onto. So half the time you will have smooth hairless skin and the other half of the time you will be "growing it out" so waxing can be done again. You will have to plan your appointments around vacations or events because of this. If you are getting red bumps after using Nair it does not sound like an allergy. (It could be, but allergies usually will give you red puffy skin.) The red bumps sound like Folliculitis, also know as "razor burn" but it can happen anytime the hair follicules are damaged - like with a depilitory or waxing or shaving , or even with tight clothing, for some very sensitive individuals. See here for Folliculitis: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000823.htm Someone gave me a tip once how to avoid this. After hair removal, use Desitin on the area. Just pat it on you don't have to coat it on thickly. No more red bumps after shaving! Really. I didn't think it would work but it solved the problem. You can find Desitin at the drugstore in the baby care section. It is made to treat diaper rash in infants. It smeels very strong and medicinal so I find it is best to shave in the evening and use it, and then wash it off in the morning. I have a friend who tired the laser and it works BUT it is really, really expensive. It cost her *hundreds of dollars* just to do her mustache and chin hair. If you are doing a large area like legs or arms I can't even imagine the cost. $$$$$$$$$$$$. I can't try the laser as I am pale with very blond hair. Laser works when you have dark hair on pale skin. So dark hair on very dark skin does not work either. The reason being is that the laser light is attracted to "dark" and will zap dark hair and ignore pale skin. If you are dark with black hair, or pale with blond hair, you will not be a good candidate for the proceedure. If you are going to try using the Nair again, maybe leave it on a bit longer and then use some Aloe Vera on the skin to soothe it. Aloe Vera is good to use after waxing too. Here is a link that might be useful: Folliculitis

LOL. I had to recheck to see if I wrote your post. I, too, had a short hair style for many years. As we all do from time to time, I decided...for the umpteenth time...to let it grow. This time, however, I periodically went to a modestly priced salon and had it shaped. It made quite a difference and I persisted in letting it grow. Eventually I had to keep removing the hair from my mouth, etc. just as you've mentioned. I had the stylist cut it shorter, but not short like I used to wear it. I like this shorter âÂÂlongâ style much better. It looks much perkier - definitely needed at my age - than having long strands curling under my chin. I also found I preferred my hair after I'd slept on it - it isn't as fly away on the sides. Did a little research on hair products and found that if I purchased those which have hydrating in their name, and leave the conditioner on for one minute before gently rinsing, the fly aways were gone. I think a low ponytail on the back of the neck with a pretty bow or similar is attractive. But that's means the face is really front and center, perhaps not as desirable as we age. Since you mention not wanting to wear yours in a pony tail, maybe you need to consider a trim to get some "perk" back.. I recall a funny essay Erma Bombeck wrote many years ago about her quest to grow long hair. I tried to find it online but wasn't successful. You and I, and probably many others, could relate. Good luck in your decision.

Jlc, you're stunning dear. Your hair is faboo… Like the others, it's not at all what I expected. I have seriously curly hair, and wear it just past my shoulders with very long layers. Any other cut would be treacherous on a humid day. I'm a bit older than you, and that style works for me. I have had too many bad haircuts to worry about if I'm too old for what works best. I color it because I don't feel old enough to be all grey. Maybe one day I'll move to a silver bob, but probably not for another decade or so… Ellendi and BBee3 mentioned Keratin. I tried about 5 different professional Keratin treatments, and there is a wide range of results. Some are poker straight, others hardly any difference. I like the one that just makes the curls "drop" a little, and still take a curling iron if I want more "boing." There are temporary 30 day treatments, others last about 6 months. The 30 day doesn't make a huge difference, but it will make blow drying time shorter. It's a nice entree into the keratin products, and maintains the flat iron even on rainy days. I remember when Laurie Partridge and Marsha Brady hair was the style. After one of the Keratin treatments where my hair wouldn't hold a curl, I was cured of wishing for that. I'm accustomed to big hair, and it's just not me in pin straight. You rock those curls Jlc! Here is another great Dove Campaign: Dove Curly Hair Campaign

Maybe hair styles are like politics: Local. That comes to mind because we just flew to and from Maui via Dallas. We saw a wide range of hair and dress styles on our flights and in the airports. I agree with Elmer in liking a 'whole-person' look that is simple, neat, smooth, and not 'fussy' -- on men and on women. It's sometimes called looking 'put together'. HS boys sport sparse whiskers to 'look manly'. HS girls buy every 'beauty' product in the drugstore to needlessly decorate their beautiful young selves. The same insecurities often result in balding men who add facial hair and 'locks' down the backs of their necks -- and ladies with flowing manes who turn their heads and shock you with their surgically stretched faces. 'Simple' doesn't mean childish-- like the haggard country and western singer in a full skirt with her hair hanging down her back, a caricature of the weepy girls in her songs. There is such a thing as the general perception of 'age appropriate' and 'occasion appropriate' in hair styles as well as clothing. Hair styling is one way to 'age' an actresses in a story. In "Victoria", the unformed girl is presented with long hair held back with an Alice band...and she skips and runs. Ah, but to be perceived as more than a child, she 'puts her hair up'...and she walks with poise. Women didn't cut their hair in that time, but today they still 'put their hair up', by sleeking it close to the head. The high 'pony tail' that flips around in youth is fastened at the nape, becomes a chignon -- or is cut. The visual is no longer childish, *girlish*, but adult -- often adult in the workplace. How a woman wears her hair in bed is a whole 'nother story. Were I a man, I'd hope my lover would save her most *attractive* style for me.