... Then quickly changed my mind, and decided facial bleach would be a much better option! Which is why, last week, I was lurking around the hair removal aisle in Boots at the Trafford Centre, a box of Jolen facial bleach in my sweaty palm, praying that nobody I know would go past!
So, what ... Read review
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arms body and eyebrows.This is the most popular hair lightening product in the UK. Contains hydrogen peroxide. Avoid contact with eyes, rinse immediately if product comes into contact with them.
arms body and eyebrows.This is the most popular hair lightening product in the UK. Contains hydrogen peroxide. Avoid contact with eyes, rinse immediately if product comes into contact with them.
A review by JessL on Jolen Bleach February 18th, 2004
Author's product rating:
How easy is to apply?
Ok
How did the colour meet your expectations?
Quite well
Advantages:
Works
Disadvantages:
Messy, painful
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Because my eyebrows are naturally a bushy nightmare, I have 'fat-person' paranoia - although they are much slimmer and tidier than they used to be, I can't help comparing mine with other peoples - are theirs in better shape? What tweezers do they use? Will anyone realise my carefully shaped brows used to be hairy, shapeless rectangles? I even forked out 12 quid for a pair of tweezers - it was painful but an investment! (Yes I need to wake up to real life and stop being so vain!)
When I first started plucking my eyebrows, aged 12, I made the mistake of tweezing the hairs above the eyebrow. They seem to grow back much faster than the hairs below my eyebrow do, which annoy me! I have to do my eyebrows every day, they're part of my ritual - cleanse, tone, moisturise, pluck! Lately though, I just can't be bothered doing the hairs above the eyebrow every single day, so decided to buy some wax. Then quickly changed my mind, and decided facial bleach would be a much better option! Which is why, last week, I was lurking around the hair removal aisle in Boots at the Trafford Centre, a box of Jolen facial bleach in my sweaty palm, praying that nobody I know would go past!
So, what do I think of it? My first thoughts were that you don't get a lot for your money - inside the ordinary-looking cardboard box is a tiny, Barbie-sized 30ml jar of creme bleach, a plastic spatula and a 7g tube of 'accelerator' powder, which I assume is to speed up the bleaching process. A quick look at the ingredients and it seemed easy enough; in fact I was quite optimistic!
I scooped out a small blob of the cream, scraping it onto the lid of the jar, and added a half-spatula of powder. I tried mixing it, as stated, with the spatula, but it's better to use your finger as the powder and cream do not mix together properly otherwise. Once it's prepared, you smear it onto the areas you want lightened, wait for ten minutes, then remove. Simple?
Er, no. It's simple enough applying it; it looks like a odourless, creamy, white face mask and at first seems quite pleasant. That is until the pain sets in! This stuff stings like hell! I was really alarmed at first but the skin underneath wasn't red or anything so I stuck with it, praying it wouldn't burn my skin off! You are recommended to leave this stuff on for ten-fifteen minutes, but I had to take it off after ten because the stinging had turned to full-blown burning. My eyes were literally watering and I was in actual pain! I was concerned about the state of my skin - once I had rinsed it off, the areas where I had applied it were reddened and quite sore to the touch, but this quickly settled down. I got out my mirror, sat down by the window, and had an inspection...
Some of the hairs were blonde and barely noticable unless you actually looked for them, which was what I wanted, but a lot of them were brown (they are naturally black). I think this was because I didn't leave it on for long enough! By now the skin had really calmed down and was back to normal, so I started again. This time, it actually worked and all the hairs were blonde... but I had actually smeared some onto my eyebrows while it was working it's magic! I now had eyebrows with alluring ginger patches! I was absolutely devastated. Half my eyebrows were a fetching shade of orange, just lovely.
Once I had stopped panicking, I realised it wasn't actually that bad. I gave my eyebrows the once over with an eyebrow pencil and they look pretty much alright now (still look a bit shocking in the mornings) I have to admit, now that all the excess hairs above the actual shape of my eyebrows are bleached blonde, they are invisible and my eyebrows are much neater. It's also nice not to have to attack them every morning!
I noticed something else too - the skin where I had applied the bleach was lighter than the rest of my skin! Can you imagine my horror? I had visions of turning into Michael Jackson, and was ready to go back to Superdrug and complain, but the morning after, my skin was back to it's normal colour, so there's no need to worry if your skin looks lighter than usual after using the bleach. It does seem to dry out your skin though, and the day after bleaching, the areas where I had used it were flaking and dry, although this was quickly sorted out with moisturiser.
It doesn't take away the hair, but dyes it so it blends in with the skin. The hair is pretty much invisible unless you're in very strong sunlight, which, let's face it, is pretty unlikely in rainy old Britain! I'm not too sure about whether it's suitable for black people; surely if it's a bleach your hair will go white and stand out even more? I don't know any dark-skinned people who use this however, so I can't really comment. I have olive Asian skin though, and it works for me.
I would recommend Jolen, but only just. It is easy to use, is effective and works out relatively cheap, but it's also messy, can be painful and you need to be very careful. As long as you are patient and careful you shouldn't have any problems, though! It costs 4.25 from Boots and Superdrug. I can see the bleach lasting me a while, as I only use it on my eyebrows, so only need a small amount. If you use it on your arms and other areas, it could get quite pricey, though.
I have mild eczema, and although initially my skin was slightly red and irritated, the irritation quickly calmed down and I've had no adverse effects from Jolen. It is available in a normal and mild formula. I tried the mild one, which also contains aloe vera. If that was mild, then I wonder what the normal strength bleach is like! Both versions cost 4.25 GBP, and are widely available.
Just a small tip for you though; if you buy this, ditch the spatula, and use your fingers. It just makes things ten times more fiddly to use!
Advantages: Lasts ages and works. Disadvantages: The fact you look like an idiot while doing it.
...so I invested in some Jolen Bleach myself so that I could carry on bleaching it and not having to worry about it in future. I always buy mine in Superdrug or Boots, to be honest O have never seen it anywhere else. They do a 'normal' and a mild version. I find I don't need the mild one, the 'normal' one isn't too bad, it doesn't sting so I cope ok with that. This comes in an old fashioned looking box, rather boring packaging but it isn't the packaging ... ...is a little tub of crème and a smaller tub of accelerator, as well as a spatula, piece of flat plastic and the instructions. To mix this up is quite easy basically it is one part accelerator and two parts crème. You use the spatula to spoon the accelerator powder onto the flat piece of plastic, wipe the spatula and then spoon out some of the crème and mix it well. You just apply this mixture over the area with the hairs you wish to lighten, in my ...
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Advantages: Makes hair almost invisible Disadvantages: Costly over time if used on large areas of the body
Jolen Crème Bleach
I'd say body hair is one of my biggest pet hates. Being a brunette does give you long dark eyelashes and silky dark hair but it also gives you dark body hair, which in my opinion is the only downside. I spend a fortune on waxing, shaving and jolen creme bleach to stay hair-free, and wait patiently (like many women) for the day that they invent a pain-free, do-it-yourself, in-inexpensive way to illuminate unsightly body hair forever. ... ...invest in a pot of jolen crème bleach for sensitive skin, with aloe vera. The box includes two pots, one small narrow pot of powder, (known as accelerator powder, which I assume helps the bleach to do its job faster), and a pot of cream. It also contains a little plastic mat for you to mix the powder and cream together and a little plastic spatula to apply the mixture to the chosen area. I use a plate and a knife to mix and spread the mixture onto ...
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Advantages: Lightens dark hair Disadvantages: A bit messy
...me!
I always use Jolen Creme Bleach before going on holiday as the sun doesn't always bleach all of the hairs on my arms which it does on the majority of people as they really are black....in the winter when my skin tone is paler the hairs look even worse so out it comes every 6 - 8 weeks or so.
So off came the obligatory winter woolly, best to wear a vest top when doing your whole arm area as it does rub off on to clothing although has never stained ... ...with Jolen Creme Bleach in white writing. Lightens excess dark hair.
Inside the box there is a pot of creme bleach 30ml, inside of which as you would expect a white cream. There is also a thinner tube inside of which is a white flaky powder (7g) known as the acclerator.
There is an instruction leaflet along with a plastic rectangular 'tray' type thing and a plastic spatula. I never use the mixing tray or the spatula, always preferring to use a ...
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Advantages: Works well, lasts ages, fairly cheap Disadvantages: Smells bad!
...lady, but I've been using Jolen for several years because it just makes me feel more confident about something that, let's face it, most girls have, especially brunettes. For me, bleaching is a far less scary prospect than waxing my upper lip - stumpy regrowth hairs might look funnier than if I'd left well alone! - and it is a painless, quick way of tackling hair a little darker than you'd like.
Jolen can be used on arms, face, or pretty much anywhere ... ...get into your peepers!
Jolen comes packaged in a plain blue-green box with white print, which contains a 30ml tub of creme bleach, 7g vial of accelerator, plastic mixing board and spatula. It also, of course, comes with complete instructions, which are quite straightforward.
To mix the bleach, use the spatula to measure "one quarter teaspoon" onto the tray. I believe this to equate to about a third of the spatula, quite heaped. Add "one half teaspoon ...
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Advantages: Great results, very economical, lasts 2 weeks Disadvantages: Messy and awkard to apply, can sting nose/eyes
...opt for bleaching. Jolen is the only brand name I have heard of. I usually go for brands as I don't think some shop brands are up to scratch. Now you've bought your pack of Jolen. It comes in a very plainly designed green and white package, which contains a spatula, a palette, a small vial of accelerator and a small jar of the creme bleach and the instructions. Always, always do a patch test before each use as you could become allergic, or may well ... ...do anything else whilst having Jolen on your face (sounds kinky!!!). I personally lie down and watch tv till the time is up. If you get an itch, DON'T scratch it as it is hard to reapply and you may have to remove the whole lot and start again, and you'll have messy fingers. The mixture can dry up and flake off onto your clothes/furniture. Get it off immediately. It rubs in so easily and stains so very badly. Not a good idea on your £500 leather ...
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Advantages: Plenty of cream Disadvantages: Doesn't work!
...I have almost black hair which i love on top of my head, but hate it on the rest of my body. I also have really pale skin which makes it show up even more. I am especially conscious of the hair on my arms, to the point wear i will not wear t-shirts, even in really hot weather. I got sick of hiding my arms and didn't want to wax or shave them, so i decided to try a hair lightening cream.
I lingered in the hair lightening and removal aisle in Boots, trying to decide which product to use. I had narrowed it down to to two: JolenBleach and Veet Hair Lightening Cream. As it was my first time doing this and the word 'bleach' scared me slightly because i thought it would burn my skin off, i went for the Veet Hair Lightening Cream. It was also a lot cheaper per 100g than the Jolen (by about £10!)
I used it on Christmas Eve, planning to wear...
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Advantages: hair bleach for face and body, makes hair less noticable, easy to use Disadvantages: none
...I have dark brown hair and I am ashamed to say that I have always secretly envied those who have fair hair. You know the ones I am talking about - those who are fortunate to be able to go a whole fortnight without having to shave their legs or armpits because the hair is less noticeable and once they shave they don't get the dreaded 5 o'clock shadow! But for me, I need a little help in this department from bleaching creams to bleach the hair on my top lip which is not particularly dark, however when I wear make up it seems more noticeable (well to me anyway!).
Luckily I have never resorted to waxing, shaving or using depilatory creams to remove the hair above my lip, as this makes it grow back thicker and darker. I have used Jolenebleaching cream in the past but had to stop using this as I had a reaction to it. In my search...
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Advantages: excellent hair removal - almost pain free! Disadvantages: quite messy and diffilut to take small bits of wax off
...this is a great product which i would truly recommend. having dark black hair myself, which tends to grow back in a few days! i was looking for a cost effective way to make my face smooth and hair free!
for many years i had been bleaching with jolen but this as you know is still visible and gives a glow to your face in the sun! not ideal! i tried paper wax strips that are ready to use - what a waste of money! you can only use them once and the hair doesnt even come off. then i tried cold wax strips of the same brand. also very useless. they are just like sticky tape they dont remove a single hair! especialyl as hairs on the face are quite short and often ingrown
then i decided to try this. i have never used wax anywhere before as iv always been worried bout the pain but you do get used to it and its no way as bad as threading! you...
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Production Year: 1994 - Horror - Director: Robert Golden - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Peta Lily, Philip Pellew, Julian Bleach, Oleg Federov
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