The Secret to Golden Arms
One of my biggest insecurities growing up was my body hair — thanks to my Irish heritage, I have pale, hairy arms and legs that could easily be mistaken for a man’s. In fact, one of my most vivid memories from kindergarten is being told I had “gorilla arms” by my cool older neighbor. I counted down the days until my mom would let me shave my legs, but after experiencing the almost immediate dark stubble that ensued, I thought twice about lathering my arms up with that Raspberry Rain Skintimate or a depilatory cream like Nair. Laser hair removal seemed promising, but after trying it on smaller areas I was told I might not be a good candidate for arms, and I wasn’t willing to shell out that much money to end up with patchy arm hair. So over the years, I’ve shied away from attempting to remove the hair on my arms in hopes that I will eventually find the perfect solution, opting for cardigans and long sleeves in the meantime.
So when I was offered the chance to try out what’s being hailed as Brazil’s hottest new beauty treatment, the Brazilian Golden Body Veil ($39), I immediately raised a hairy arm. After all, Brazilians are well known for their impeccable grooming habits and have already changed the game once before (who hasn’t heard of the Brazilian bikini wax?). But when it comes to peach fuzz, the makers of the Brazilian Golden Body Veil, Sol de Janeiro, claim that Brazilian women actually take a “use it, don’t lose it” approach, opting to lighten hair instead of deal with unsightly stubble. The Brazilian Golden Body Veil is just making its way stateside and promises to lighten hair to a “shimmering golden veil” while moisturizing skin with its blend of acai, creamy cupuaçu butter, and coconut oil. It seemed like the answer to my playground prayers — and just in time for summer!
The instructions were straightforward and simple: mix equal parts of the lightener and accelerator in the tray, apply the blended formula to the desired area using the triangle shaped silicone applicator and let sit for 5-15 minutes. Once the time is up, rinse it off with cool water and moisturize with the Rainforest Relief Cream. I was not anticipating the bleach smell when I first poured out the lightener and accelerator, but was relieved to find that the smell became much softer and almost tropical once I applied the product to my arms. When my 15 minutes were up, I rinsed my arms off as directed and was shocked by the immediate results: my jet black arm hair was suddenly golden blonde, giving the illusion of sparseness and even allowing me to see a small birth mark I never knew existed. As the name suggested, the hair on my arms truly glistened under my bathroom light. The hardest part about the entire process was trying not to let my arms touch anything during those 15 minutes. This was not like the facial bleach I once borrowed from my mother’s medicine cabinet growing up — there was no stinging, burning, or irritation at all; my skin actually felt softer after using the products.
Before (left) and after (right). The Brazilian Golden Veil worked to lighten arm hair.
I spent the following day at work transfixed by the sight of my arms as I typed. I consulted with friends about which body parts I should “veil” next. While I haven’t completely given up my dream of hairless arms, I think it’s safe to say that I’ll be trading in my long sleeves this summer for some more Brazilian Golden Body Veil.
Related:
Beauty Essentials to Kick-Off the Summer
