It’s been a really, really long time since I’ve used the original Nair formula. I think the last time I used it had to be in high school — it came in a pink bottle and it smelled awful. It still got the job done, but I mostly just shave my legs with soap and a disposable razor as needed and don’t think much else about it.
But I have sensitive skin on my legs — not necessarily as far as products go — but I could be sitting in a hot tub and still have goosebumps on my shins. Its weird, but it’s always made shaving difficult because it’s hard For me to NOT get razor burn.
Which is when I saw a commercial for Nair’s new product: a leg mask, I wanted to try it right away. Please note, this post is not sponsored at all — I just wanted to share my experience with this product because it’s so new and pretty different!
I looked for the leg mask during my latest trip to Ulta, and they had both available options on the shelves: Brighten + Smooth and Exfoliate + Smooth. I looked at both extensively.
The Brighten + Smooth has charcoal in it and the Exfoliate + Smooth has seaweed in it. I ultimately went with the Exfoliate + Smooth because I thought it would work best on my skin, however I think both would work equally great.
They were $12 each at Ulta, but you can buy them anywhere Nair is sold, including Target and Walmart.
The Exfoliate + Smooth leg mask is made from seaweed and clay and the package says you can go six days between uses. We’ll see about that!
The directions say to smooth the product over dry legs and leave a thick layer on for 5-10 minutes, max. Leave on longer for course hair, but no longer than 10 minutes.
I put it on, but I didn’t use a “thick” layer. I was afraid that if I did that, the whole bottle would be gone! The formula seems much thicker than what I remember from the original Nair and the smell is certainly MUCH better! It’s still slightly there, but tolerable and almost unnoticeable.
I should note that the Exfoliate + Smooth formula doesn’t have any salt or exfoliating beads or anything like that; it’s totally smooth. I believe the mix of clay and seaweed naturally helps smooth the skin, instead of any sort of scrub.
I left it on for the entire 10 minutes and it’s thick enough that you don’t have to sit still for that time — you can get up and move around. Of course, Nair’s directions encourage you to use this as relaxation time but I think I was doing my makeup while waiting. You do you, boo.
I wiped it off using a damp washcloth and it came off — hair and all — with no problem. I rinsed off the washcloth with each pass, so it would be helpful if you were at the sink or the edge of your tub. Honestly, my legs were mush smoother than they are after a shave and they felt very moisturized. I’m looking forward to using this before my next sunless tan!
As I write this, it’s been a full seven days since I used the Nair and it’s a short stubble, which is impressive. I usually have that after just a few days from shaving.
All in all, I loved this product and am definitely going to try the Brighten + Smooth next. It also makes me want to check out some of Nair’s other products, like their in-shower creams and the Moroccan Oil Sprays Away!
What about you: do you use Nair products or something similar? Would you try a product like this?
If you’d like to see more writing from me, I curate and edit an email newsletter focused on local news and entertainment in Austin, Texas, called Inside Austin. It comes out every Tuesday and Thursday, but once I hit 3,000 subscribers, it gets a third day of publishing. Sign up to get Tuesday’s newsletter and/or read past issues!
The Bitter Lemon 