One of the main reasons I regularly visit the salon is for hair removal. I want smooth, hair free skin on my legs, under my arms and in the bikini area. The high-end salon offers numerous hair-removal methods. Looking for a painless and effective process, I’ve tried them all. There are pros and cons to each. I’ve seen hair-removal trends come and go. I trust the esthetician at the salon to look out for my best interests and only recommend safe methods. One of my least favorite methods is waxing. It removes the entire hair follicle from the root by applying heated wax to areas where there is unwanted hair. The benefit of waxing is that it’s quite long-lasting. It’s especially good for getting rid of short, stubborn hairs. After several wax treatments, the hair that grows back is softer, finer and more sparse. What I don’t like about waxing is that it is painful. Plus, it’s necessary to let the hair grow to a half-inch in length before scheduling the process, which is very unattractive. I prefer sugaring. It is an all-natural hair removal technique that uses a paste made from water, sugar and lemon juice. It’s applied to the skin and then removed by way of a flicking motion that pulls the hair out from the follicle. It gently exfoliates skin and avoids ingrown hairs. There is no hair breakage and it is quite long-lasting. The downside is that sugaring is time-consuming and the process sometimes irritates my skin. I can end up with ugly and rather painful red bumps.