Shave or wax?

Hi I am a newbie to and finally diagnosed with PCOS after 15 years of ovarian cysts, no periods and hair on my body.  Recently I have noticed a lot of hair on my face and was wondering the best way to take it off...I can't be on meds for it right now though not sure why FAMOUS QUESTION: SHAVE OR WAX?

I would go with the wax.  Also, have you been treated for the PCOS?  And about your cycle, what are they doing about that?

I have started taking Progesterone, but I go for aqua therapy/aerobic classes and it is too heavy for me to go swimming.  I can't use tampons so I just don't take it.  I haven't had my period since 1996 well a little spotting for the past 10 years here and there, and I've had cysts on my ovaries since I was 16, so I don't know if I can have kids.

How bad it the hair on your face?  If it's waxable...then wax...it's more painful...but has longer lasting results.  For me I shave because the hair is so coarse...it hurts just too much to wax. Kristy

Neither! After years of doing both - I finally got Laser Hair Removal...the best thing in the world! 

I do the unthinkable...pluck, shave and bleach!  I have alot of thick long hairs on my neck and chest. They come back worse if I shave. Plucking doesn't hurt me so bad and the hairs seem to stay away longer.  I have a pretty bad mustache...but I bleach that bad boy. I have tried Nair and shaving which made it come back worse and plucking is too painful there.  I also have a hairy stomach which I shave. Being hairy is just kinda more maintence for me but it doesn't really overly bother me. It's more of a nusiance than a big problem. But it is steadly getting worse as I get older so I am hoping that losing weight will help balance my hormones and reduce the hair growth or at least have it not get worse.

I'm so on this laser thing! I haven't had it done yet, but I have a lot of friends that have and it's worked wonders for them! If you must choose between shave and wax... wax all the way. Shaving leaves hair feeling course because it cuts the hairs top off.... imagine cutting a skewer and leaving a flat top surface. When you tweeze or wax it pulls the hair out from the root so it has to grow back new, with a tapered end. The one reason I don't wax my face is because they do have to grow a little before the wax can 'grab' the hair. If you can stand the coarse hairs, you can bleach them and wait a few days then wax them so you get the growth you need but without having the dark hairs that show up easily. After waxing several times you should start having to do it less and less. Your hair grows in (don't quote me exactly) 3 months cycles or so. This means that if you wax once a week for 3 months you should be getting every hair. I've known some people who can maintain for a while between waxing with tweezing this way. RE: waxing... I've never had luck with cold wax. If you know anyone who has a beauticians license, ask them to pick up a real wax warmer for you and a couple of pots of wax. The warmer is about $25-$35 or so, and the wax is about $10-$15. It's worth it to buy a lot if you're asking such favors. I use the hard wax that doesn't use any muslin or paper strips. If you do use the kind with strips use the kind that goes with the paper strips... the muslin ones haven't worked as well for me. Be sure the hairs are 1/4in or less (with at least a mm growth so the wax can stick). Use the pre wax gel that you can also get at a professional supply house, dab off any excess and give it a couple of seconds so it's mostly dry... rub a bit of baby powder on the area, apply the wax (in the direction of hair growth) and rub the paper/muslin strips in that same direction... (or skip if using the hard wax that doesn't require the strips). LET IT COOL, then while holding down your skin at the beginning of the wax area pull the wax/strip off in the OPPOSITE direction of hair growth. You may do a bit of tweezing until you get the hang of it, but once you learn it's a lot easier. You could get it done at a salon to see how they do it, but it gets really costly when you have a lot of hair... not to mention appts of any kind are a pain in the ass. If you don't have any salon professional connections, try SALLY BEAUTY supply. They have pretty decent fakie products for people with out a license. Ebay might have professional supplies too... Good luck!

I know a few people with license so it will not be a problem buying the waxing products. RE: laser..I have a high tolerance for pain but the expense and smell of burning pork is not for me lol.  My best friend had this done to his face so he wouldn't have to shave any more, as his face was extremely sensitive and every time he shaved he would break out severely and bleed. To be honest the hair is not coarse and it is blonde, but very thick.   I will have to come back and read all the info to make sure I get everything just right.

wax