Skin sensitivity is a big factor. Seems like a lot of fair-skinned people are more susceptible to irritation, be it from razor bumps or depilatories. Then again, the redness from those methods is usually more noticeable on light skin, too.
If going the chemical route, try small areas. Certain parts of your skin can be more vulnerable than others, and just because the cream doesn’t bother one section doesn’t mean you’ll have the same luck everywhere.
Shaving with a razor may be the most popular method, although it can be a pain if you’ve got a lot of moles, skin tags, or are susceptible to razor bumps/burn. Learning good shaving “technique” is also a good idea. There are many good suggestions for blade selection, prepping the skin, the actual shaving, and post-shave applications.
There are some decent hard-waxes for sale in pharmacies and online. Read some product instructions, tips, and reviews if interested. You may consider getting a professional job done once every couple of months. It can make other “maintenance removals” a bit easier as the hair often grows back finer for a time.
If all else fails, you can always use electric clippers. I believe I recently saw in the store one designed specifically for male body grooming. The disadvantage is the trimming is not as close to the skin as the other methods. The best you may get down to is 1-2 day old stubble, but that’s a rather negligible amount.
For back hair, they make/used to make a device resembling a backscratcher that holds a disposable razor in the end. It’s called Razorba. I don’t know if it’s still around or how well it works. Someone also made a similar shaped device with an electric clipper head. I actually bought one, but it didn‘t work properly, so back to the store it went.