I got suckered into buying this terrible product at the Mind Body Spirit Festival on the weekend. I guess it serves me right for believing something so painless would work by actually removing the hair from the root. Lesson learned - there is no natural and painless way to remove hairs from the root.
Smooooth Legs hooked me in by their very clever demonstration. As I walked passed the stall I heard them explaining to women how their system removes hairs from the root so it’ll grow back slower and finer. And as I watched a demonstration I got hypnotized into trying it myself.
Luckily that day I was wearing jeans because my legs were, um, a little bit unkempt! So I actually had some hair to trial the product on. They gave me a VERY impressive demonstration which involved exfoliating my leg quite vigorously in a circular motion with what looks a lot like sandpaper. I was then told that you have to moisturize and they recommended to moisturize with their own product which of course they tried to sell me as well.
The part of my leg they exfoliated actually felt amazingly smooth so that sold me straight away. At that point I totally believed the product worked, and that my hair had been magically and painlessly pulled out from the root. This was enough to convince me to buy the product. Although I didn’t buy the moisturizer because it’s not natural.
But of course it was all too good to be true. I knew by that afternoon that the product was scammy as the patch they’d “removed my hair” from started to get prickly. If they’d actually removed my hair then it would take a couple of weeks to get to that prickly stage. Still I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt so I gave it a good go at home, but the results were even worse. Not only did I find it difficult to achieve that same smoothness that I experienced during the demonstration, but I found it a lot of work to remove all of my hair. In fact, I gave up not long after I’d started on the second leg. Honestly, shaving is a lot easier and quicker.
And then for the next couple of days my skin was very dry and irritated. I had to use a lot more moisturizer than usual and I even got a bit of an itchy rash in the areas that I’d used the product. It’s so not worth it.
I would definitely not recommend this product to anyone. I’m a bit sad it doesn’t work because it seemed like a great option. Even if it did just cut the hairs off like shaving does, I would have been happy to continue using it (because that would mean I could use it while watching a DVD), but the skin irritation just isn’t worth it.
So if you’re walking passed one of these Smooooth Legs stalls, don’t get suckered into it. Unless you want something that can “buff off” a few stray hairs in an emergency situation.
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
24 responses ↓
I use Veet strips - the ones you heat up in your hands. They are pretty good. Quick, convenient, cheap(ish) and take out the hair from the root. Was the festival good? I was thinking of going, but then forgot it was on.
Thanks for posting this! I just saw the infomercial again last night and was wondering if it actually worked. Sorry you had to learn the hard way, but you’ve probably saved a lot of people from buying it!
I bought the same product from an infomercial but the name is slightly different–Smooth Away. But, the product looked exactly like the one in your photo and came in the same pink pocket. Not only did it take them nearly a month to ship it to me, but when I tried the product, I quickly lost patience with it. It takes so long to remove all of the hair!! It can also cause a bit of discomfort it you rub it over the same area more than a few times. Shaving is so much easier. I think I might like to try those Veet Strips Dancinggal mentioned…
To echo Sara above, thank you for your review! I’d seen this on TV and wondered about it as well. Sorry you got irritated skin from it, too bad you couldn’t go back and tell them and all the women there that it’s crap! The hair on my legs grows very fast, I have to shave every few days in the summer! Suppose I could wax, but I don’t want to let my hair grow long enough…meh, oh well
I’m so glad that you reviewed this because I was thinking about buying it for a long time. I knew it was too good to be true. I guess I’ll stick with Nads. Its a tad less painful than regular waxing with…well, wax. Love your reviews!
Dancinggal- Yeah it was okay, I spent WAY too much money on makeup and skin care though! I also would have LOVED to buy a vitamix by they were $1000. Maybe next time
There is this new Veet product that you apply cream to the legs and it helps get rid of hair instead of shaving. Thinking to buy it someday as I am so sick of shaving my legs which I always let go to hairy mode lol
Fran I hope you are asking for a refund!!!!!!
Kylie - I found Veet takes just as long as shaving and smells really bad..
Oh sorry to hear you got sold the hair sandpaper mit.
I was using those back in the early 90’s & found they were just as bad as shaving.
I have tried ‘every product’ for hair removal in nearly every country I have been in including developing countries & only O N L Y the pain free ‘Hair Free’ Centres has reduced hair growth under my arms.
However i do not know what the long term downsi
des of lasering would be. Client of mine is getting pain free lasering done on legs & bikini & it’s impressive results.
Waxing since 19y.o and I am tired of ingrowns & every anti ingrown hair cream salon’s plug too.
Happy Hunting
Mrs MW
Kylie- That cream freaks me out ..it seems like such a harsh chemical to be able to remove hairs like that!
MrsMW- Lovely to see you in here
I heard lasering only works on black hair, do you know if that’s true?
Well, I have a few things to say. I’ve read on lasering websites (so maybe not the best source) that they can remove all hair now, but darker hair and fairer skin is more ideal.
I’ve also been worried about removing hair at the root because I’m worried about in-grown hair. I don’t think I’ve ever had one, and I don’t want to.
Wow, the sellers of these products really are scammers… I also found this product’s promise of a painless and easy way to remove hair. So naturally, I bought it for $30, and then took it home try out. I tried doing my legs, and it took so long just to get one little area clear. When I finally went through about 3 pads and 3 hours to get both legs done, the hair grew back in about a week. HORRIBLE PRODUCT!
I too tried a similar product - and to my dismay, the hair on which I tested this grew back darker (possibly due to the excessive friction and irritating the hair follicle)
I have heard, however, that there is a raw papaya enzyme that is supposed to inhibit hair growth if applied on the skin after removal of hair from the root…
Fran - I have tried this product and LOVE IT! It’s called Smooth Away in the U.S. I am quite hairy and it works so well for me! Are you sure you are using it right? You have to buff in circles, 3 times in one direction then 3 times in the opposite direction… just repeat doing that until the hair is removed. It works great for me. It can be a bit of a workout though for your arms as I have to buff if for quite a while to see results in certain areas. It really does work for some people though, so I don’t think you should warn people against it 100%!
I love the small buffer for use on facial hair. It’s painless and makes my skin very smooth… and doesn’t break me out on my face!
Thanks for posting this review. I was just a click away when my husband asked me to check out online reviews before buying the product. I will stick to waxing.
Thanks Again.
Tosha
Ladies INTERESTED IN LASER listen up… IPL and MEDICAL lasering ONLY works on dark hair! I’m a natural red head and thinking IPL was the answer to my underarm shaving hell! (waxing and shaving both cause really bad rashes, itching and ingrowns) i decided what the hell! i went to a nearby beautician who is not my regular and inquired she never mentioned my colouring and said she was confidant that if total hair removal wasn’t possible i would at least notice a significant reduction. Of course i signed up and started treatments 1 every 3-4 weeks for a min 8 weeks but i was happy to pay the $80/per session. I was finally not going to need to worry anymore. I didn’t get the nasty ichy shaving rash and i was thrilled, but best of all it didnt hurt at all, it felt like a mild sunburn at best. But after 8 weeks when i hadn’t noticed quite to my liking the reduction i was promised and with the beautician now saying at least 8 more sessions were required i got a little curious about MEDICAL lasers and if they were possibly any better so i ventured off to the nearest Medical laser hair removal centre where i was stunned when the technician told me i had been taken for a ride that RED and GREY pigments in the hair cant be removed via laser the way DARK (black, dark brown) can. She also told me i think more to console me that even dark haired people dont always see a 100% removal of hair as everyone has either the blonde, grey or the red pigmant in thier hair.
So there you go ladies the down low on IPL or Medical hair removal. I’m still searching for that miracle hair removal treatment for me but hopefully this will help some of you make your decisions as to whats right for you.
And thankfully to all your reviews on Smooothlegs and Smooth Away i will be ruling this out before i waste my money!
Rinny - Syd Australia
I bought this product in a festival as well and was immediately sold by the demonstration that was given. I used it a few days after my purchase and I actually kind of enjoyed it. I am still using it currently despite the price of keeping it up. My legs do get prickly again by the next day though and it makes me upset. I also have very very sensitive skin (about as sensitive as they make it these days haha) and the irritation only occurs if I put moisturizer on that has perfume in it or it isn’t natural. The product is great for special occasions if you want to have extremely smooth legs for a night or something.
Hello ladies. I just bought this product at a mall kiosk for $10. I saw the commercials on tv and decided to try it (and if it was a dud, I would only be out $10). It worked great on my legs, although it did take awhile. Keep in mind that I don’t have super hairy legs. But, on my face, the first day I tried it hurt and it didn’t really remove the hair. I moisturized and tried it the next day. It did work, but took awhile and didn’t hurt nearly as much. So, I’ll probably keep trying it out until my little pads run out and see how it goes!
Hey guys, i tried this thing right now actually as i have a sports practice tomorrow morning and want to wear shorts. Must say it actually works pretty well, but i usually wax my legs so it probably hurts ALOT less anyway. It does take a while to take out all the hair because the pads are smaller, but it seems to be working well… i guess i’ll wait till regrowth for a full critique.
I bought the product from Big E and tried it just now. Seems to work fine; however, I really like to know what is the substance from which these flex-crystal pads made…and how they really work. I don’t like to use chemical products.
bought this for a dollar at a dollar store, not worth the dollar
I got the same product (called Smooooth Legs) from the fair. The guy demonstrated on a girl who hadn’t shaved in a loooong time lol Her friend called her “Amazon Woman” and couldn’t believe her leg hair was so long under her jeans. It takes too long though and is the same thing as fine sandpaper. I didn’t get any kind of irritation from it but I could shave 4 times in the time it takes me to remove hair from both legs with this product. I might try some sandpaper that’s a little less fine though…..
I recently bought this product, hearing from a roommate, about the demo she received, at a recent fair. I too, thinking,” Heres a way to get rid of leg hair down to the root”
I don’t have thick hair, and also don’t have to shave every second day. I tried the smooooth legs, and soon found it was too much work. the pads dull too fast, and my hair actually grows thicker in just the next day! I tried it a second time, and as I’m writing this, my legs are on fire. I was careful not to press to hard like the instructions said.
I Hope there is a guarantee on this product. I haven’t even used half of it.
I also purchased this product at a local Fair a few weeks ago. I watched the Representative remove hair from everyone’s legs so I sat in the chair and to my amazement, it worked! I took the kit home and used the small pad on my chin but didn’t use it properly because I was all chafed and irritated for hours. Today, I tried the larger pad on my arms from the elbow down and within 5 minutes all the hair was removed and my arms were exfoliated and silky smooth! I forgot that I wasn’t suppose to use the cream for 2 hours afterwards so they itched and burned for a few minutes after that, but 30 minutes later and my arms look great and feel great! I am now trying it on my shin on one leg and I’m getting the same great response! I’m 49 years old and have darker hair but getting less of it as I approach menopause so maybe it works better for women like me! I’m very satisfied and glad I purchased the kit for only $20. Plus the lady gave me 2 extra replacement pad kits free because I was such a good sport!
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