Today my attention has been brought by MEO to a beauty treat: the 123 Hair Stop Skin2Skin shaving cream!
I confess I've always had issues with depilating my private areas: when I went on my actual contraceptive pill years ago, my body hair started to grow at an incredibly fast rate. It is very thick, and I need to touch up every day if I want to feel at least a little smooth down there.
I have never been able to afford going to a beauty salon, so waxing on my own was difficult and painful without giving me the results I was longing for.
That's why I had the terribly bad idea to start shaving with disposable razors and bath foam, right into the shower. Why did I ever attempt to try that?
My intimate area suddenly became full of ingrowns and razor burn. The most affected area by the blemishes was the bikini line, along with the pubic area when I wanted to shave completely.
So I tried an electric razor similar to this one, specifically made for intimate bits of both men and women: it immediately stopped my terrible amount of ingrowns, but it was a little impractical for everyday use, because it needs to be used only for dry shaving. Not into the shower as I was used to!
Now I have found my own balance: I dry shave every 1-2 days with the electric razor, and I touch up everyday with a disposable one under the shower. I can't do otherwise when I'm in a hurry: however, the only way to not get horrible rash from wet shaving is using a quality shaving gel specifically formulated for intimate areas.
I've tried HUNDREDS of shaving gels, but I was particularly curious about the SKIN2SKIN Hair Stop because, as the name suggests, it promises to slow down hair growth. The idea of having to shave less is tempting, isn't it?
At the date of today I've been using it for at least 3 weeks nearly everyday, and the results are already visible: my hair finally are less thick and I don't feel anymore the first stubble regrowth after only 10 hours from shaving. I'm a particular case due to my contraceptive pill that makes me more hairy than average, and I can consider myself more than happy with the first results.
At the date of today, I've been using this product almost everyday for three weeks, and I've definitely seen my hair grow slower and thinner. I don't feel the need to touch up as often as before, and my pubic hair's texture has changed enough to make them easier to remove.
I've been using it only on intimate areas because my skin on other parts of the body is not that delicate and I can shave with soap or shower gel with no problems. Also, the bottle of my Skin2Skin Hair Stop looks quite small despite being in a 100ml format, and I was determined to save it for where I need it the most.
On days when I feel like shaving completely, I try to not use this shave cream on the 'triangle' area I want to grow back up: I like to change the styling of my pubic area very often, and I don't want my semi-full bush to grow back in non uniform spots. I only use it on the genital area and bikini line where I'm sure I want the abhorred stubble to grow as slow as possible, and do the areas I want to grow back up with the electric razor.
The Skin2Skin leaves my skin moisturized because of the rich, nourishing oils included in its formula: shea butter and jojoba oil: this means pleasantly soft and smooth skin. It hasn't the gel consistency of my usual intimate shaving products: it is presented as a white, lightly scented cream.
Once applied on the wet skin, it doesn't foam at all: I confess more foam gives me the idea of a more comfortable shave, but may also mean more harshful chemicals such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and more aggressivity on the skin. However, no foam means I tend to use more product for each session.
To describe the consistency on wet or damp skin, I'll compare it to the one of a very light body lotion or a cleansing milk. The light floral scent is not one I would describe as masculine, but so mild it won't be an issue for male users: that's what I mean when I say 'unisex fragrance' :) .
As for ingrown hairs, razor bumps and rash, the soothing and moisturizing ingredients definitely do their job mitigating those symptoms on my skin.
The INCI is quite long, and honestly not one of the best I've seen from the MEO brand:
Ingredients (INCI): Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Peg-7 Dimethicone Isostearate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Larrea Divaricata Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Peg-75 Lanolin, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Disulfite, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Parfum (Fragrance), Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Limonene, Eugenol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Evernia Prunastri (Oakmoss) Extract
You can see by yourself there are lots of ingredients with names ending in -paraben, then we must note that those PEG-something substances are sadly derived from petrol: they're commonly used in cosmetics. I know that Oakmoss extract, used as a perfume, can be an allergenic or a skin sensitiser, but I haven't experienced any issue with it yet.
I must note that the instructions for use on the back of the bottle are only in German.
To be honest, on MEO's website I took a while to realize this is a shaving cream: from the product description I figured it to be a hair reducing post-shave lotion, until I found on the bottom of the page the .pdf file containing detailed instructions for use. This product, the website says, is not available for shipping to the US.
At 29€ for 100 ml (25.17£ on 12/04/2018) this product isn't exactly cheap, given also that you use a little more because it's non-foaming. But I'm convinced you get what you pay for: the moisturizing feel on the skin suggests that the Skin2Skin Hair Stop is a quality product! I would buy it again for its effectiveness at slowing down my body hair's growth and at preventing ingrown hair and razor burn. Try it for yourself at MEO's official shop here.
I got this product free of charge from MEO in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. Thanks MEO! Also, this post contains affiliate links: buying from them you help me keep producing the content you love at no extra cost for you.
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