Women are always looking for shaving alternatives. They want to shed unwanted hair without razor bumps, messy creams and cuts. Enter Smooth Away, the hair removal system with superfine crystals that simultaneously buffs away hair and exfoliates skin.

Advertised on direct-response TV as the fastest selling, most popular women's product in Europe, Smooth Away claims to smooth away unwanted hair in moments. Best of all, its commercial says, less and less hair grows back with use, and it grows back thinner each time.  

The Smooth Away system is now available at Bed, Bath & Beyond and Wal-Mart stores for less than $10. I picked my kit up two weeks ago. The directions were intimidating: Prepare skin by thoroughly washing and drying. For best results, hair should be no longer than ¼" long. Be sure that there is no cream, cosmetics or ointments on skin. With the large applicator, gently buff the area in circular motions with slight pressure. DO NOT use up-and-down or side-to-side strokes. DO NOT PRESS TOO HARD. Go clockwise three times in one area and then counter clockwise three times in the same area. Repeat until all hair has been removed. (And yes, they really did use caps.)

Save: After two weeks of this song and dance, I gave up on the Smooth Away system. I really don't think it's as easy as its manufactures claim. Although messier, shaving is much faster. Following all directions precisely, I began lightly buffing a spot on my lower right leg. Nothing. After 10 minutes of buffing, I let my husband try. He reread the instructions and then buffed the same spot. Still nothing. Then I applied more pressure and buffed making rapid circular motions with the applicator. OK, now I see less hair.

After 30 minutes, I was able to remove most of the hair from my lower leg except for around my knee and ankles. So much for "unwanted hair gone in moments." The directions suggested I use the smaller applicator for my knee and ankle areas. No such luck. But my upper legs were a different story. I lightly buffed in circular motions, and the hair was gone in moments.  Best of all, my upper legs were soft and smooth with no razor bumps. Unfortunately, my lower legs were not. The next morning, I awoke to prickly stubble, and areas where the hair wasn't removed at all.

On day two of my Smooth Away experiment, my upper legs were still smooth, but my lower legs were scratchy. On day three, I rebuffed my lower legs but not my upper legs -- they were still smooth. After 20 minutes of buffing, my arms got tired, and I gave up. On day four, my upper legs showed signs of new growth, so I rebuffed. The result: silky, smooth hair-free upper legs.

Save: After two weeks of this song and dance, I gave up on the Smooth Away system. I really don't think it's as easy as its manufacturers claim. Although messier, shaving is much faster. And according to the product's Web site, one pad, on average, will last long enough to use on a woman's legs twice before it needs to be replaced. At the rate I was going, I'd need two pads a week, and the kit only came with five large replacement pads. The Smooth Away commercial might be tempting, but remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't too good.