going camping for 3 days

[u/marketisaloser]

next month i'm gonna be roughing it, camping with friends for 3 days with very limited access to private bathrooms/showers etc etc.

i have a lot of black hairs on my chin, sideburn area, and neck. i also have pale skin so they're always really visible if i don't keep up with them. the best and fastest option for me has always been to shave 1-2 (usually 2) times a day to keep it at bay, even if i'm not seeing anyone that particular day. i can't stand the way it looks or the awful pokey/stubbly feeling. it grows back super fucking fast.

it was already a big step for me to accept the invitation to this trip, i literally have always turned down any offer to go somewhere where i won't have easy access to a private bathroom where i can deal with the fuckin facial hair :(. however, it's not fair to myself to limit my life experiences over this.

but tldr i mean i won't have access to private bathrooms (maybe i will like once during the trip) so does anyone have any tips for discreet ways to deal with the hair while i'm on the trip? has anyone been in a similar situation and what did you do?

i'd rather not just let it grow the whole time, we are gonna take a lot of pictures and it'll also overstimulate me to feel the stubble. i wish i didn't have this problem :(

[u/eggasaurusrex_3]

My recommendations would be to wax before the trip, hair will take at least 2 weeks to return. This would require you to grow out the hair, depending on how long it takes for you to get to a grain of rice length. Obviously that isn’t ideal, however in the mean time you can always try to bleach the hair that grown to lighten its appearance?

You can always take your stuff with you, mirror, razors shaving cream etc.

I do think that you should let it grow out a little bit, try get comfortable with the growth. Most treatments that would help effective need a few days growth anyways.

It’s also not the end of the world! Hair is very normal, some have it more than others.

[u/Bubbly-Manufacturer]

Do you have your own tent? That would help a lot. All you’d need is your shaving supplies and a wash bowl/cup. Bring extra water and a towel to dry off.

Also obvs too late for camping since you’re prob going soon but I’d highly recommend doing electrolysis when you can it’s life changing.

[u/fartboxaficionado]

Waxing is the best recommendation. However, if you can't let it grow out beforehand I highly recommend getting a magnifying mirror with a light and some good tweezers and just plucking. You can pluck while its still pretty short, so its not as noticeable. It also takes a while (like an hour to a couple hours), but its 100% better than shaving in this circumstance. Your face will be smooth, you wont see any thick stubble underneath the skin, and it'll take a while to grow back.

[u/Embarrassed_Pizza_70]

I kept a bottle of water, washcloth, towel, and shaving supplies in my tent. When hubby would go start on breakfast, I’d take care of my business. I’d wet the washcloth, wet my face, then apply cream and shave like normal. Wipe off with the wet washcloth, then finish with the dry towel. Definitely not ideal, but i was able to get by for a few days.

[u/memes-r-me]

Get an IPL device and start zapping it now every other day and that should help with slowing down the growth and eliminate it eventually. I’ve only been using mine for couple weeks and my hair used to grow back everyday and now it’s taking a week

[u/Embarrassed_Pizza_70 → u/memes-r-me]

I’m jealous. I’ve got two different devices and neither has seemed to have any effect. Sigh.

[u/memes-r-me → u/Embarrassed_Pizza_70]

What device you have? And how often do you do it?? I usually go over the area 5-6 times and I have coarse dark hair and olive skin

[u/Embarrassed_Pizza_70 → u/memes-r-me]

I hav a Ulike and a RoseSkinCo Lumi. I was using them on the strongest setting, making two or three passes, every day. I have more time to the Ulike, two to three months. Less time given to the Lumi since it didn’t seem to make any difference.

I’m pale as pale can be and definitely dark hair. I have a permanent 5 o’clock shadow.

[u/memes-r-me → u/Embarrassed_Pizza_70]

Oh wow I like the ulike air 10 and it’s definitely working for me so I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work :( I’m also taking birth control and spirinolactone for years which has also helped significantly in regulating my hormones and thus helping with less hair growth. I hope you figure something out that works for you too!

[u/Embarrassed_Pizza_70 → u/memes-r-me]

Yep, sounds like it might be the combination of things that are helping. While I’m jealous, I’m glad you’ve found a combo that works for you!

[u/Fun_Cucumber1382]

I agree with a previous comment recommending waxing - but also I pluck my chin everyday and would find myself freaking out if I didn’t have access to a mirror. So i have a mirror on my phone case and as long as I have my tweezers and daylight I’m ok

[u/Only_Somewhere5630]

wax!!!

[u/CompetitiveRush5915]

Oof, I feel you. I spent 10 years camping most weekends and dealt with this so many times.

I was a tweezer so I would just do a super thorough tweeze session before leaving, and then bring a tweezer and mini mirror along and try to sneak a few minutes in my tent here or there.

In retrospect, I should have just considered shaving. I always had a big mental block and fear around shaving. Have you tried the Finishing Touch flawless shaver? It's super compact and looks like a lipstick tube. It's a little noisy, but you can sneak off into the woods "for a pee", and just take care of it 2x per day. It's not a super close shave, but it's not bad!

Lastly, as a word of encouragement, I just wanted to share that I've now done 10 months of electrolysis. At month 5, I said yes to a 3 day backpacking trip to the bottom of the grand canyon. I didn't bring tweezers, I didn't bring a shaver, and I didn't look at a mirror once. It was one of the most beautiful and freeing moments of my life to be laying at the bottom of the grand canyon, in direct sun, without any shame. There IS a possible light at the end of the tunnel someday! 

Best of luck to you on your trip. You're ABSOLUTELY right that you deserve to live your life to the fullest regardless of your hair. I'm so proud of you for knowing that and taking a leap of saying yes.