Bikini Waxing

Hey girlies! So I just started water polo and decided to go to the store today and buy the Sally Hansen hair remover wax strip kit for my bikini area....well it sucked!!! It really irritated my skin and left it bright red and on top of that it wasn't worth it cause it didn't do its job very well so I'm only half way done, but taking a break for a while to give my skin a break. This is the first time I've tried waxing. I have always shaved, but shaving really irritated my skin as well and left bumps and irritation. Do you guys have any recommendations? I've heard of cream but I'm afraid of irritation from that too. Any specific brands you find better than the others?