One of my least favorite pastimes is to shave my legs (by the way, I'm a woman). I can't tell you how much I loved it when I found a time that I didn't have to shave my legs for a few days. Of course, then there were still the underarms that needed tending to, but that was a small feat when compared to the time it took to shave my legs, making sure that every square inch was covered.

And the most frustrating part was that since I'm a person whose hair grows faster than your standard-issue garden weed, I'd most likely see that hair coming back in stubble just a few hours after shaving! Talk about frustrating, I was willing to pay just about anything to either never have to shave again or to dramatically reduce my shave time so I could do things that I actually enjoy instead.

I even briefly considered laser hair removal or electrolysis for my legs, and even for my underarms, but after looking at the hefty price tag and getting anxiety attacks about spending that sort of money, on top of hearing stories about how it many times took repeat treatments and sometimes didn't even work, I decided that wasn't the way for me to go.

So I started to look into some better, less expensive options for staying hair free. I looked into waxing, but I realized that I'd first have to grow the hair on my legs to a very unattractive length before I could attempt to wax, and looking like Bigfoot for a few weeks was not an option for me personally.

I also read how waxing was many times painful and could leave you with rashes or red bumps. I have sensitive skin to begin with, so I knew that I'd probably end up with the bumps if I tried it.

When I was younger I even tried a hair removal device called an EpiLady. Do you remember these things? It should have had a tag line called "Torture Hair Removal Chamber", because the process was so painful and uncomfortable that I ended up giving it away.

The person I gave it away to had electrolysis performed on her face several times, which is rumored to also be a painful process, and she said this device was ten times more painful. So much so that she tossed it in the trash after one go at it.

So that dashed my hopes that there was a device that could pull my hair out and leave my skin baby smooth for weeks without sending me through the roof with pain. Hmm, wonder why these devices are nowhere to be found these days?

Onto my final solution, which has worked like a charm for me. I've been lucky enough to find a gentle-formula permanent hair removal product on the market that doesn't irritate my skin, and actually makes my hair disappear for weeks on end. You can find one too, since there are a few good ones out on the market.

You will pay a higher price for the better ones, but keep in mind that you will have to use less and less of the product as you go, since it is designed to slowly virtually stop hair growth where it is used. You can either shave or wax before you apply most permanent and semi permanent hair removal creams or gels.

With these permanent hair removal products, you do want to make sure you leave them on for as long as they recommend, as this is crucial in getting the product to work deep enough to inhibit the follicle from sprouting again.

Also, during the first few times of using it, be sure to space out uses as the specific product indications recommend, as this will also be key in getting the hairs at the right stages for stunting their growth properly. This will be important for getting to that "maintenance level" where you hardly have to use it any more.

Of course waxing probably offers a better result the first time, since it pulls the hair out by the root and allows the product to work at root level right away, but I've just used shaving as my means of hair removal before application and it has worked beautifully.

So, there you have it, an easier, pain free, less expensive way to dramatically reduce your time with razors, wax kits and other various instruments for hair removal!