Hair removal methods range from simple and cheap (such as shaving with a razor) to high-tech and expensive (such as laser hair removal and electrolysis). There are different methods of hair removal for every part of the body, skin type, time commitment, and budget. That said, there are very few ways to permanently remove hair. The hair removal method that’s right for you depends on your needs and preferences. Auperwel has compiled 10 ways to remove unwanted body hair for you. It explains how each hair removal method works and the pros and cons of each method.
1. 10 hair removal methods and their pros and cons
The following introduces you to 10 hair removal methods and their advantages and disadvantages.
1) Shaving
Shaving is a way for many people to get started with hair removal at a young age. This is also the most temporary method of hair removal and can last from one to three days.
- How it works: Shaving involves using a razor to remove hair from the skin’s surface. Shavers come in many different styles, from inexpensive disposable razors that are typically used for wet skin to more expensive electric razors that are used for dry skin.
- Pros: A quick, easy, and inexpensive way to remove unwanted body hair is to shave. Most people learn quickly. Disposable razors are widely available and come in many styles. Electric shavers are easy to use.
- Disadvantages: Shaving can cause cuts, cuts, and skin irritation, commonly known as razor burn. The tip of the hair regrowth will be blunt rather than the natural tapered tip, making the hair regrowth more visible. A common side effect of shaving is ingrown hairs.
- Tip: Moisturize your skin first for a more effective shave. Shaving cream, conditioner, and body wash help the razor glide smoothly over the skin, preventing nicks, cuts, and abrasions. If you use shaving cream, remember to rinse the blades between shaves.
Shaving does not thicken or darken the hair shaft, contrary to popular belief. It also doesn’t make hair grow faster or slower.
2) Pull or pull out
Physically pulling hair out of the follicle is a simple, inexpensive way to remove unwanted hair. This is best for individual stray hairs that are long enough to hold onto.
- How it works: There are many different techniques for pulling or plucking individual hairs. The simplest is to grab a strand of hair with your fingernails and pull. More advanced methods such as tweezing or waxing are explained below.
- Advantages: Pulling out stray hairs with your fingers is fast and free. Physically removing hair will make it take longer to grow back because the hair must grow to the surface of the skin to be visible. Additionally, repeatedly pulling hair out of the follicle may cause enough damage to prevent hair growth.
- Cons: Pulling out strands of hair can cause damage. Some hairs are so stubborn that it may take several attempts to pull them out. Recommended for single hair removal only. For some people, hair-pulling can become a compulsive disorder called trichotillomania.
- Tip: To pull individual stray hairs, wait until the hair is long enough to hold between your fingertips. Hold tightly to the surface of the skin and pull quickly. If you still can’t remove it after several attempts, try another method.
What is trichotillomania?
If you have a strong urge to remove hair from certain areas of your body and feel pleasure or relief when doing so, talk to your healthcare provider. There is a possibility that you may have obsessive-compulsive disorder, a rare condition known as trichotillomania.
3) Tweezers
Tweezing is a popular way to remove unwanted hair and shape brows. It can take three to eight weeks for hair to grow back after tweezing.
- How it works: Hold the tweezers with your dominant hand and use your other hand to stretch the skin around the hair you want to remove. Use tweezers to grasp the hair close to the skin tightly and pull it out.
- Pros: Tweezing is an effective way to remove hair, eyebrows, nose hair, and stray facial hair. Plucking is cheap because all you need are tweezers.
- Cons: Tweezing can be time-consuming and not very effective on hairy body parts, such as legs.
- Tip: Tweezers come in many styles. The right tweezers depend on your hair type. Flat tweezers are better for individual hairs. Slanted tweezers are better for trimming brows because you can use the flat edges to pluck out multiple hairs at once, or use the pointed tips for more precise results. Pointed tweezers have narrow, angled tips that help with ingrown hairs. Tweezers that combine pointed and angled tips can be used for a variety of hair-plucking jobs.
4) Waxing
In a salon or at home, waxing can be performed. The wax adheres to the hair, making it easy to remove multiple strands at once. For best results, hair should be at least a quarter of an inch (6 mm) long. It can take three to six weeks for results to appear.
- How it works: Waxing involves applying warm wax to the skin in the direction of hair growth. Place the strip of cloth over the wax, press in, and allow to cool briefly so the hair sticks to it. Then, pull the strip of fabric down quickly in the opposite direction of hair growth, pulling the hair away.
- Pros: In order to remove large amounts of hair at once, waxing is an effective method. Any part of the body can be waxed, including legs, back, chest, lips, armpits, eyebrows, and bikini area.
- Disadvantages: Hot wax can burn skin and should be used with caution. Side effects of waxing include pain, skin burns, redness, irritation, ingrown hairs, infections, and skin tears.
- Tip: Taking Advil (ibuprofen) 30 minutes to an hour before your hair removal appointment can reduce pain and reduce swelling, especially when removing large or delicate areas. To reduce redness and soothe irritation, apply aloe vera to your skin after waxing. Reapply as needed for pain relief.
#1. Contraindications
Waxing should be avoided when taking the following medications, according to the American Academy of Dermatology:
- Isosolentoine (within the past six months)
- antibiotic
- Topical tretinoin (retinoic acid)
These medications can thin the skin, making it more fragile. This may cause the skin to tear when the wax is removed.
5) Sugar waxing
Sugar wax hair removal, also known as sugaring, is a popular form of hair removal that works on the same principle as traditional hair removal.
- How it works: A natural sugary substance with a honey-like consistency is applied to the skin in the direction of hair growth. Then, place a piece of cloth or paper over the wax and pull it down in the opposite direction of hair growth.
- Pros: Sugaring has the same benefits as waxing but is easier to clean up. The “wax” is made with real sugar and other nourishing, natural ingredients, so it’s water-soluble. It’s easy to clean up with warm water, while traditional wax tends to be more stubborn. Sugar wax can also be made at home using ingredients found in the kitchen (sugar, lemon juice vinegar, and water).
- Cons: Molasses hair removal can be painful and has similar side effects to hair removal, including skin irritation, redness, and ingrown hairs. As with waxing, people should avoid sugar for six months after taking isolation, a drug used to treat cystic acne.
- Tip: Before trying sugaring at home, watch a few videos to learn about the process. Make sure the wax has cooled before applying it to your skin.
6) Thread processing
Threading is a form of hair removal most commonly used to shape eyebrows. It’s usually performed in a salon, and results can last three to six weeks.
- How it works: Threading is done by folding and twisting a fine cotton or polyester thread, then rolling it over the area of unwanted hair, plucking the hair at the level of the follicle.
- Pros: Threading is fast, precise, and often cheap. Unlike tweezing, which removes hairs one at a time, threading removes short rows of hairs in one go, making it ideal for shaping brows.
- Disadvantages: Threading is difficult to do yourself, so you may need to pay a professional. It hurts just as much as waxing and takes longer, so you’ll have to live with the pain for longer. It can also make the skin red and inflamed but is usually not as irritating as waxing.
- Tip: Apply aloe vera after threading to soothe irritated skin.
7) Hair removal cream
Creams like hair removers contain chemicals called thioglycolate mixed with sodium or calcium hydroxide that can actually melt your hair. Thioglycolate breaks the chemical bonds (disulfide bonds) that hold skin and hair cells together
- How it works: Apply hair removal cream to unwanted hair areas and leave it on for 3 to 15 minutes. This chemical dissolves the hair and creates a jelly-like substance that is wiped off or washed off after an appropriate amount of time.
- Pros: Hair removal creams are a very effective way to remove unwanted body hair at home. They can be used on large areas of hair, such as legs. Hair removal creams are also very effective on thick, coarse hair and are a common solution for pubic hair removal. The results last longer than shaving.
- Cons: The chemicals in hair removal creams may be abrasive and irritating to delicate skin. There is a strong smell to hair removal creams as well. Be sure to follow package directions and do not leave on the skin longer than directed.
- Tip: Hair removers should be tested on a small area of skin first and allowed at least 48 hours before using on a larger area. You can relieve irritation after hair removal by applying hydrocortisone cream.
8) Electrolysis
Electrolysis is a permanent form of hair removal performed in a salon. Multiple treatments are required to be effective, and it may take 12 to 18 months to achieve the desired results.
- How it works: Electrolysis uses a fine needle inserted into the hair follicle to apply an electric current to the root of the hair follicle. This burns the hair roots, theoretically preventing them from producing more hair. Each hair follicle must be treated individually, so multiple treatments are often required to completely destroy the follicle.
- Pros: Electrolysis can permanently remove all hair types. Once the treatment is complete, hair will not grow back, so maintenance treatments are not required.
- Disadvantages: Electrolysis can cause harm and has other side effects and risks, including infection, keloid formation, hyperpigmentation (dark skin patches), and/or hypopigmentation (light skin patches). It doesn’t work immediately and it’s expensive.
- Tip: Electrolysis can only be performed by a board-certified dermatologist or a board-certified electrologist. Electrolysis works best when the hair follicle is in the anagen (growth) stage. Shave approximately three days before treatment to ensure anagen hairs are visible.
9) Laser hair removal
The procedure should be performed by a professional if you want to get rid of your hair with lasers. It takes two to six treatments, lasting four to six weeks, to be fully effective.
- How it works: Laser hair removal uses lasers that emit light of varying wavelengths, energy outputs, and pulse widths. The laser vaporizes the hair, creating a small puff of smoke that smells like sulfur. Hair removal lasers target the pigment (melanin) in the hair.
- Advantages: Once treatment is complete, hair will not grow back for months or years. New growth should be less noticeable.
- Disadvantages: Laser treatments must be repeated to see consistent results. Hair damaged by the laser disappears, but new hair can grow. You may experience discomfort, swelling, and redness in the treated area, similar to a sunburn. Laser hair removal can only be performed by a licensed professional and is expensive. If done incorrectly, laser hair removal can cause burns, permanent changes in skin color, and scarring.
- Tip: Laser hair removal is best for people with light skin and dark hair. Like electrolysis, laser hair removal is more effective at removing hair in the anagen phase. To ease post-treatment discomfort, apply a cold compress.
Tips: After laser hair removal treatment, your skin will become more sensitive to light (photosensitivity). Avoid exposing treated skin to direct sunlight, tanning beds, sunlamps, or any other indoor tanning equipment.
10) Vaniqa
Vaniqa (eflornithine) is an FDA-approved prescription topical cream that reduces and inhibits the growth of unwanted facial hair. Visible results are usually seen four to eight weeks after treatment.
- How it works: Vaniqa slows hair growth by blocking enzymes in hair follicles that are responsible for cell reproduction.
- Pros: Vaniqa is great for slowing the growth of unwanted facial hair in women around the lips or under the chin. Results usually appear after about a month, and they last for at least eight weeks. Vaniqa can also be used in conjunction with laser therapy.
- Cons: Vaniqa is only available by prescription, but is unlikely to be covered by insurance because hair removal is considered a cosmetic treatment. This drug may cause acne, burning, redness, stinging, swelling, and stinging. Contact your prescriber if these side effects do not subside or are severe. Vaniqa doesn’t completely stop hair growth – it just slows it down. You’ll still need to use other hair removal methods, just less frequently.
- Tip: Apply to clean, dry skin twice daily. Wait for it to dry before applying sunscreen or makeup.
2. Conclusion
Unwanted and/or excessive hair can have a negative impact on a person’s quality of life and may even have psychological consequences such as anxiety and depression. The good news is that there are many ways to remove hair, but no one treatment works best or is right for everyone. There are many options for hair removal, such as waxing, shaving, and electrolysis, and each method has its pros and cons. You may need to try several hair removal methods to find the one that works best for you. Or talk to your healthcare provider to develop an appropriate hair removal strategy for you.