Refers to the Brazilian method for removing hair from a woman's yoni that is currently all the rage among Hollywood starlets, porn stars, fashion magazine beauty editors, and basically anyone into s&m with $40 to spare.

The look was popularized by a group of Brazilian sisters in New York. At the "J Sisters" salon in Manhattan, one has to book up to two weeks in advance for the "privilege" of stripping completely from the waist down; sitting spread eagle in a private booth; having talcum powder sprinkled liberally over one's entire labia; watching a mixture of honey-like concoction spread over the area; and then having all one's public hair from the anus to the navel ripped out in a few sweeping (and incredibly painful) motions. For the more conservative woman, a tiny Hitler-like mustache of hair can be left on for character.

According to an article in Salon magazine, everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Vanessa Williams is having it done every six weeks.Michael Hutchence ex-girlfriend Paula Yates reportedly flies in from London to get her lawn manicured by the famous J Sisters.

Let's not beat around the bush. Ha HA! Did you get it? If you're contemplating this procedure, you probably have questions. Some women have large groups of skinny-eyebrowed, Fendi-bagged girlfriends from whom to get good advice, but some of us lack such resources. So this is what I wondered, and what I discovered.

Why???

Now, some women get a Brazilian at the request of their lovers. There's nothing wrong with that. It's generally good to do nice things for your lover, especially if you do in fact love them, or just love getting them really, really aroused. But plenty of women, believe it or don't, undergo the procedure for themselves.

Genetics having blessed me with a northern-white-people-style public hair, I'd never really seen my "girlie region" unless I shaved it, which was terrifying, cause that's an area I don't really want to have razor blades near. Plus ingrown hairs, so I only did that once or twice. Now I see it constantly. And it fucking rules.

Besides the visual fascination that not everyone may experience, the smoothness is really, really nice. Because a Brazilian is not a bikini wax and means removing everything, any hairs that might have dulled the touch of your lover or fukuoko are gone. I've found it to increase sensation, besides being pleasing to the touch.

It probably hurts some, huh?

Especially the first time. The first time, they should really be putting you under, but estheticians and anaestheticians, though phonetically similar, are not licensed to perform the same types of services. The best advice I can give is to take some ibuprofen about half an hour before you go under the wax.

The lady doing it may tell you that certain places hurt worse than others. In my experience, this is bullshit and she just says that so you'll think the worst is just about over. The normal bikini wax area hurts a lot. When she gets to the labia, you may have to restrain a flight or fight response.

(That's not hyperbole. It's not unheard of for a Brazilian wax to produce such high levels of adrenaline that you're in danger of passing out, especially the first time.)

The good news is, it gets better. One reason is that your body realizes no one's killing you and learns to react less dramatically. A sort of disillusioning second reason has to do with your hair growth cycle. The second and third time you have it done, if you're following a schedule, will be a completely different experience than the first. Your hair growth will be light and it will hurt far less. The hairs removed at these times are the hairs that were under the skin or dormant during your first waxing. But hairs grow back, and most of the original hairs will return by your fourth visit, so don't go thinking you're Miss Supergirl and skipping your ibuprofen.

The really good news is that hair removal by waxing traumatizes your hair follicles. No, no, that's a good thing. Hair follicles are kind of wimpy and, when traumatized, often curl up and die. That means you begin to produce fewer and finer hairs with rigorous waxing.

Who to trust?

This is not something you want the multi-tasking small town beautician who always tries to sell you on permanent makeup performing. If you can't find a good recommendation on a salon in time for the Valentine's Day surpise you had planned, suck it up and shave it, but don't let just anyone rip out your pubic hair.

Your best bet is to fork over the larger sum you'll probably pay at a boutique waxing salon specializing in Brazilians. If you make an appointment and show up and the salon isn't clean with a soothing atmosphere, or the esthetician wants to hustle you onto the table without explaining at length what you're getting yourself into, I'd run for it.

The kind of person you'd want doing this will have a real interest in educating you. She's been to school for this and she should be able to answer questions you didn't even know you had. If you can't get a recommendation, conduct interviews beforehand and don't go to anyone who doesn't make you feel she's completely competent.

Lastly, please be warned that getting a Brazilian is a little like hard drugs. It's addictive. Not just because it feels nice, but because once you've started, you never ever want to go through the first time again, so it makes a certain kind of sense to continue to keep the full pelt at bay.

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An especially useful piece of info one helpful noder shared with me: I've taken to using a Braun epilator and it has several advantages over waxing. It grabs the shortest hairs, it cost $50 once, follicle problems are rare.

How To

As I type this, I listen to the new T.a.t.u. album and munch astronaut ice cream. Hello, Everything. This is the fourth time I've waxed my own bits.

So here's whatcha do. Get thee to a drug store and purchase SURGI-WAX brand Brazilian Microwave Hair Remover for Private Parts. Yep, it says all that on the box. It'll run you about $7, and usually includes little vials of unguents: one "pre-epilation oil" for massaging into the hairy skin prior to the harvest; probably some blue azulene oil for post-wax treatment; and if you're lucky, some anesthetic oil to numb your scared mons veneris. While you're there, get a bottle of Ibuprofen.

Once home, take two Ibuprofen. This serves two purposes: it dulls the pain, but more importantly, it quiets the inflamatory response your skin will have to the hair-yanking, making everything much more pleasant for you in the long term. Wait for it to hit maximum efficacy; this varies from person to person. For me it's 30 minutes or so. Test this by pinching yourself pretty hard. Can you handle it? Yeah, I knew you were hardcore.

Get your bottom half nude and wash your to-be-waxed area with soap and lukewarm water. Get it dry. Now slather on some of that pre-ep oil and rub it in real well. Stick the little cup of wax into your microwave and get it nice and goopy (follow the instructions that came in the box). Sit down somewhere you can spread your legs and get into all sorts of ungainly poses. Usually I'm on my bathmat, but tonight I'm on my computer chair. Get a mirror. I just have a little cosmetic handmirror, but one you don't have to hold is more useful.

Now you should be seated with your warm wax, little wooden stick, numbing oil, tweezers (you remembered tweezers, yes?), mirror and hairy junk all close at hand. Your pubes are about half an inch long; maybe a little shorter. The wax is actually more of a resin, and smells piney. It's pleasant. Dab a little on the back of your hand to make sure it isn't burning hot. Note how stringy and sticky it is. Like hot glue! Be careful of carpets.

The moment of truth. Pick a spot. If this is your first time, probably somewhere along the edge of your pubic triangle would be best. Smooth about a square inch's worth of wax onto the skin, in the direction of hair growth. Let it harden a bit. It should be still a little flexible, but far past 'tacky'. Tap it with your fingers to test. Ready?

Flick up the far edge of the wax blob with your fingernail, and get a good grip on it. This takes practice; everything is oily and you're scared and etc. It's okay. Be cool, honeybunny. Use your other hand to hold the skin taut and flat. Now yank firmly and quickly in the opposite direction of hair growth. This motion should be parallel to the surface of the skin. Do not pull upwards! This is more painful, and will not remove as much hair. You might lose your grip on the wax piece; just grab it again and keep trying until it's off. Short, quick movements. Like a bunny.

When it's off, immediately press down on the newly hairless area with your fingertips. Pet firmly in the direction of hair growth, and smooth down your follicles. Admire the forest of liberated hairs on the chunk of wax. You don't literally get in touch with your roots often, so revel in this opportunity. Decide if you want to keep going. A couple of your follicles might bleed a little. That's okay, just pet them down and they'll stop.

The first time is the most painful. If you can get through this, it'll be smoother and smoother pubis from now on. "genital hair tends to grow back thicker and wider"*? Horse pucky. It gets easier every time. I'm almost done with this session, and experiencing a minimum of discomfort. I started underneath this time, instead of at the triangle. I think that helped, working my way up.

Be most careful around the labia. They are stretchy and tricky to pull flat. Take your time. If all else fails, the wax will harden enough to crack and remove.

Alrighty, so you got through it. Congrats! You're mostly bald. Now you gotta go after those little stubborn leftover hairs. This is picky and takes some mirror work. I'm always left with super-fine little blonde hairs afterwards, which are barely tactile to a finger but would probably show up under a tongue. I go after them with spot waxing and some tweezers, but there's always a few left.

Now you're totally done. If you're obsessive compulsive about it like I am, that means you're pretty darn bare from there to there (front and back clefts, respectively). Now douse yourself in azulene oil (remember the little blue vial?) and pet it in nicely, smoothing down your follicles. If you're inflamed, a cold towel or squishy blue ice pack with a towel around it can be very soothing. Don't use up all your oil; you'll want it for later. It should be applied daily for a few days afterwards, to keep any open follicles free of bacteria, and moisturized. It also helps soothe the itch of regrowth, and keeps ingrowns from getting infected. It may sting a little bit when you put it on. No worries; it's doing its job.

I have had less luck with other kinds of wax. Especially the Sally Hansen leg wax strips on the plastic sheets--those were terrible. This seems to be the best kind. It sticks only to hair and not to skin, no not ever. This means there's an absolute minimum of irritation. It's also cheap. A Brazilian wax at a salon will run you around $60. I am not willing to pay that much. I'd rather learn a new skill, kick back in my own chair, and listen to some Wumpscut while I become charmingly bare.

Questions, corrections, additions and anecdotes are encouraged. Happy waxing, hairy friends!

Bonus Stage! Epilatory Epilogue

It's growing back in and it itches! Now what? For me, this is the part that's most worth waxing as opposed to shaving. In shaving, the hairs have been cut off bluntly and are a hell of a lot itchier and more painful (not to mention scratchy). Regrowth usually happens soon enough that exfoliation is often out of the question due to razorburn. But since you waxed, you lucky pig, you are now totally recovered from any initial trauma, and ready to take on the new issue. Namely, ingrown hairs.

My generalized recommendation is to use your favorite method of exfoliation and carefully, gently scrub the affected area. This gets rid of dead skin that may be trapping the hairs in their follicles, and works them up to the surface so they can grow out unimpeded. It also is a far less damaging method of easing the itch than scratching with your nails (if you are sans washcloth and itching, give the itchy skin a swat with your flattened fingers instead of raking with your nails). Specifically I recommend using a microfiber cloth as your washcloth, both for this and for face-washing. I use the nubbly kind (as opposed to the fuzzy kind, or the smooth kind) and it cleans out my pores a treat.

More delicate care will have to be taken with hairs that are already trapped and inflamed, forming a little red bump. I could tell you not to pick at it, because it won't get better if you do. This is a substition, so I won't bother. I will tell you that when you do inevitably pick at it, wash your hands and nails thoroughly first, as well as any tools (bobby pins, safety pins, tweezers, thumbscrews) in soap and water for the former, rubbing alcohol for the latter. Clean tools will prevent almost as many infections as not fucking with the bump in the first place.

*(in reference to a now-deleted node)

A New Frontier In Bodily Beautification

Long (well, 25 years or so) have the women of the world been aware of the vaunted Brazilian bikini wax, which involves applying very hot, viscous wax to the hair on a woman's vulva and then violently pulling it off with a nylon/plastic pad. Many consider the effect of a hairless, smooth vulva sexy and rejuvenating. (And no, for Pete's sake, does such an affinity have anything at all to do with pedophilia in adults. Personally, I prefer the Brazilian look because it affords a view of one of the most beautiful parts of the female body that would otherwise be concealed by hair. It also makes cunnilingus much more enjoyable for the performer and the receiver.)

Men of the world: the 2000s have brought the introduction of the "Brozilian" bikini wax, which is exactly the same as the Brazilian except that it's done on a man's penis, scrotum and perineum (and, for an extra charge, the anus and buttocks, too).

Given the radically different structures between external male and female genitalia, the Brozilian is somewhat different and a lot more work for the person performing the waxing. Since male pubic hair grows in random directions, there's no grain to work the wax against, requiring tiny swatches of hair to be waxed off, and the hairs that are unwaxable are carefully tweezed out. It's about as painful as it sounds, and it inspired in me the same fight-or-flight reaction mentioned in prole's writeup above. In spite of the pain, however, it leaves one's penis looking shiny and new, and infinitely more smooth and sexy-feeling than shaving it does. The standard price for the Brozilian, as of this writing, runs about $125 (USD). In my estimation, it was worth every penny.

I got my Bro done in conjunction with getting my legs waxed. I highly recommend it to swimmers, twinks, porn stars and really anyone who wants to add a little oomph to their sex life and self-image. Though it's painful, the pain is transient and by the time it's finished, you'll feel like a new man. Or a new boy, if that's what you're aiming for.

—300—

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Sources for comparison's sake:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Male_genital_waxing
http://fashaddix.com/2008/11/brozilian-wax/