What’s The Best Hair Removal Option For You?

From the time you hit your teens, hair removal becomes one of those ‘Welcome to womanhood’ things that you start adopting as part of your lifestyle. Admittedly, some of us would rather die than live with excessive body hair. While the hair on your head is supposed to be lush and voluminous; women with unshaven body hair is especially a huge turn off, as many men and women admit.

So what do you do to get rid of all that hair?

Let’s simplify things in here, shall we? Here’s what to consider before taking the plunge:
1. The amount of time you have on hand
2. Your skin type
3. The body part in question (face, hands, legs, bikini etc.)
4. Your level of pain tolerance
Based on these factors, you can choose the method that best suits your needs.

Threading

This is best suited for a smaller area of skin and thin, sparse hair growth. It is most commonly done on the eyebrows and the upper lip/ chin area.
What you can expect – Threading removes hair in lines so you can expect clean lines and a great finish, perfect for the eyebrows and facial skin.
Post threading, the skin does get pretty inflamed/red; don’t use any harsh chemical on your face atleast for 12 hours post the procedure.
Avoid lime/bleach for atleast 12 hours after.
Pain meter – 4/5
Time for hair to grow back again – 2 to 5 weeks

Shaving/Epilators

For most women who don’t find the time to go visit a salon regularly, the razor is a little miracle. It is best for large areas of hair and causes no pain at all when done right (unless you cut yourself)
What you can expect – Smooth skin in the least time possible. Make sure you exfoliate before and after shaving or you’re going to end up with bristly skin.
Shaving is said to cause rougher, denser hair growth. A hair strand has a soft tip at its natural end. When you pull hair directly from the root (as you would with waxing/plucking) , hair grows back with the same soft tip. In the case of shaving, hair grows back coarse because the soft tip has been shaved off.
Best suited for those emergency situations.
Pain meter – 0/5
Time for hair to grow back again – 1/2 weeks
Note – Shaving is the most common cause of ingrown hair and follicle infections.

Waxing

A small amount of a sticky liquid (mostly hot) is spread on your skin and pulled off with a strip. Waxing is not only the most preferred method of hair removal on your body, it also takes off dead skin cells and tan. How’s that for starters?
What you can expect – Waxing is great for those hairy arms and legs (also for the intimate areas). It also gradually lessens hair growth when done regularly.
I wouldn’t advise waxing your face. I’ve tried this so many times, hoping it would work, but it only resulted in breakouts repeatedly. Then again, my skin is super sensitive. If this works for you, do go ahead.
Pain meter – 3/5
Time for hair to grow back – 4 to 8 weeks

Tweezing

The most traditionally DIY hair removal method is tweezing. Just trap that hair, hold your skin taut and yank it off!
What you can expect – Tweezing is best suited for those stray hairs that prop up in between your actual hair removal sessions. It causes no redness but does scar your skin quite a bit if the hair strand is thick. Also, if the hair strand breaks off during tweezing, it will result in those awful ingrown hairs.
Pain meter – 2/5
Time for hair to grow back – 3/5 weeks

Hair Removal Creams

A chemical- based cream is spread on the skin and allowed to work for a few minutes. The cream dissolves the hair strand and when wiped off, takes off the hair.
What you can expect – Smooth skin in a lesser time with almost no pain.
Personally, I think we use enough chemicals on our skin (that are present in cleansers, makeup and sunscreens). So when we do have the option of choosing a hair removal treatment that doesn’t involve any chemicals, it’s often better to go with that.
Also, I don’t know many women who actually prefer hair removal creams.
Pain meter – 1/5 (mild irritation)
TIme for hair to grow back – 4/6 weeks.

Laser Hair Removal

This involves pulsed light or lasers to destroy hair at the root and is termed to be a ‘permanent’ method of hair removal.
What you can expect – Stay hairfree for longer!
This is also quite expensive and requires multiple trips to the clinic to remove hair completely. You might need to revisit maybe a year or two later to remove any new hair.
Pain meter – 3/5
Time for hair to grow back – The results are permanent according to a few top salons.

Was this post useful? What hair removal method do you prefer and recommend to other women?

Author – Rachel Vera