Veet Immac Hair Removal Cream 3 Minutes Softening with Silk Extracts > Reviews (3)

I’m not one for pain. I’ve only ever tried waxing once, with DIY strips and it just left me with blue waxy lumps on the hairs, and shaving takes ages, only lasts for a little while and I don’t know about anyone else but I always tend to miss a wee bit when shaving in the shower. It’s also good for bikini lines on holiday, and easy to top up, while meaning you don’t get the ingrown hairs that shaving leaves.

My mum’s always used Veet (formerly known as Immac) so I began using it too. Now there are three types: this, the original one with pink packaging; the sensitive one with blue packaging; and the newest addition to the family is the purple supreme essence hair remover. Of course, now they’ve invented sprays and in-shower hair removers but I stick to the original version. This comes in a toothpaste-style tube, with a spatula shaped like this ~ to apply it and help removed the cream. One of the new inventions is a pump-bottle with the same cream, and this also comes with a spatula. I tried this once but had a wee bit of trouble getting the pump to dispense where I wanted it too – i.e. on me and not on the carpet. I now have a line of carpet much paler blue than the surrounding area. The product does stain clothes if it gets on them and isn’t removed straight away by being washed.

There are two different type sizes and although the larger one costs about £4 compared to the £2.something the smaller one costs, it does work out cheaper to buy the big one. Shops tend to have deals on them from time to time, so sometimes you can buy in bulk and be kept in them for ages.

HOW DO YOU USE IT?

It’s pretty easy to use, just open the tube, squeeze a line of the white cream onto the desired area (legs, underarms or bikini line – you’re not supposed to use it on the face, head or any other body parts, or on sunburnt or broken skin or on moles). Then use the spatula to smooth it into a layer covering all the hair – it doesn’t need to be incredibly thick as long as the hair is covered. Wait the allotted amount of minutes (3 to 6 for this one, although the sensitive cream can be on for as long as 10 minutes), I usually wait until the longest limit in order to remove all the hairs but if using for the first time maybe leave it on for the shortest time.

Use the spatula to check if the hair is removed by scraping along a small part. If the hair comes away with the cream (you can see it) then you can remove all the cream then. If the hair is still attached, leave it on a wee bit longer, but do not go past the longer limit. If the hair comes away, use the spatula to remove all the cream (best idea is to have a big wad of toilet paper nearby to wipe the spatula on if not following the next step). I tend to shower during this, in order to make sure all of the cream is gone, and that there are no hairs still clinging on which are ready to fall off – the hair is sort of elastic feeling. If you don’t have time for a shower, even running a baby wipe over the area helps. I also like to moisturise after – this is not really needed as it contains a moisturising complex and doesn’t leave the skin rough like shaving does but as I will explain later there is a bit of a whiff!

It can only be used every 72 hours. At the end of this time, there will probably start to be slight regrowth, but don’t use it before 72 hours because otherwise there is not enough hair and it will cause pain. Obviously, if using on armpits, do not apply deodorant for an estimated 24 hours, unless stinging pain gives you joy. It says don’t go swimming for 24 hours after use (because of the chlorine) but on many occasions I have used it early evening before going out to dinner and the next morning have been fine to go swimming.

Warning: If kept on too long, the cream will burn the skin slightly – it dissolves the hair, so extended time obviously does the same for the skin. If it starts to burn before the selected time is up, remove it straight away. The packaging suggests checking it on a small patch of hair before doing everywhere. I suggest a small patch on the leg, instead of testing on the armpits or bikini line (ouch!!) Obviously, if you have sensitive skin don’t even try this – maybe try the sensitive one.

WHERE WILL I FIND IT AND WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

It’s in the female personal beauty section in all decent supermarkets and chemists (tends to be cheaper in supermarkets), usually next to the razors.

It comes in a rectangular cardboard box with the logo on the packet being a white circle with ‘veet’ in the middle in blue with three green leafs hovering between the two ‘e’s. The colours for the three different types of hair removal cream were explained above, and the boxes match the colours of the tubes. Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to memorise the colours – it will say what type it is on the box. The box also has all the details such as a picture guide of how to use the product and the ingredients.

IF IT LASTS LONGER THAN SHAVING WITHOUT THE PAIN OF WAXING, WHY ISN’T EVERYONE USING THIS?

The smell! Lotus milk and jasmine fragrance is what the tube says, but don't expect a pretty floral scent. This version, and the blue (sensitive) version, has a horrible smell which is very distinctive. I can’t think of anything it smells like, the best I can describe it as is rotten eggs which someone has sprayed perfume on to try to cover it up. This is why I tend to slather on a ton of scented moisturiser after use. As an only downside, it is not too bad, but is the reason why I’ve given it four stars instead of five.

However, I have recently discovered that the new (purple) supreme essence Veet, which is supposed to smell like velvet rose and essential oils is actually very nice! I would probably recommend that version more than this, just because of the smell. In every other way they are identical, including the amount of time you leave them on for.

Apart from the smell, this is a great product and although it can take slightly longer than shaving it provides smoothy-smooth legs, armpits or bikini line for longer and with far less chance of pain.