Here we discuss the different types of hair removal procedures. How much do they cost and what are the merits and demerits of each type of hair removal.

Types of Hair Removal

Mainly there are three types of hair removing methods. Which are as follows.

Temporary

Tweezing, Shaving, Mechanical Epilators, Chemical Depilatories

Less Hair Eventually

Waxing (tends to reduce hair growth with time)

Permanent

Electrolysis (Hair Electrology), Laser Hair Removal

Tweezing and Shaving

Tweezing works for about three weeks. Tweezers vary in price from about $2.60 for Revlon’s Deluxe Slant Tip Tweezer and $6.50 for Revlon’s Micro-Fine version, to $22 for Tweezerman Tweezers.

Shaving results in the reappearance of facial hair on men in one day but lasts about 4 days on body hair. Some of the new razors, like the new triple blade Gillette razor, cut the hair shaft closer to the skin and can add about one day to traditional shaving effects.

Shaving for women wasn’t popular until the early part of the century, when the safety razor was invented by the Gillette company, which advertised supposed sanitary benefits to women by shaving their underarms. Leg shaving for women became popular with the advent of sheer nylon stockings during World War II.

Body shaving is more difficult than facial shaving because the skin is more tender in certain areas of the body, such as the bikini area or the legs. Generally, shaving is done against the direction of hair growth. For sensitive areas, shaving in the direction of hair growth often works better and gives fewer skin cuts, but can be slower. It also helps to  lather up and soak the body areas for a while prior to shaving.

Stop shaving body areas that become red or get bumps after shaving until the skin heals and the redness vanishes. You risk infection if you shave while your skin is still healing. Some people feel that gel shaving creams work better on the body than foam creams.

Men, particularly, competitive body builders, often pretrim body hair with an electric mustache trimmer. The resultant short stubble is soaked in water, covered with a shaving gel, and shaved with a “ladies” body razor such as “Lady Sensor” or the Schick equivalent.

The cost of shaving is about $4.50 for Schick Silk Effects Refillable Razor for Women or the Gillette SensorExcel, and about $4 to $5 for a package of four replacement blades, which are enough to shave your underarms and legs about 20 times. Shaving cream runs at about $2.35 for 10 oz. of Skintimate Shave Cream for women, which should last about two months.

Mechanical Epilators

Mechanical epilators have an electric rubber roller or coiled spring that catches the hair and pulls it out, somewhat painfully, and tends to miss some hair. Hair must be about 1/4″ to 1/3″ long for the epilators to work. Epilators should not be used on very sensitive skin such as the face, genitals, or armpits.

Braun, the German manufacturer, has two epilator types, one for about $70 called Silk Epil Select and one for about $100 called Duo-Select which is available only through the Sharper Image catalog. Most reviewers prefer the more expensive Braun epilator which has 2 speeds, 2 tweezer strengths, plus an electric razor attachment for skin areas too sensitive for the tweezer action.

Epi-Lady epilator utilizes a coiled spring that is rotated by an electric motor. As the hair enters the spaces between the coils, the coils grab the hair and pull it out down to the hair root. This product has received good reviews and comes in several models, priced from $39 to $79.

Remington sells the Smooth and Silky epilator which also uses a rotating spring but offers different springs for different types of hair.

Depilatories

Depilatory creams are available in gel, cream, lotion, aerosol, and roll-on forms. They contain an alkaline chemical, usually calcium thioglycolate, that dissolves the protein structure of the hair and causes it to separate from the skin. Sometimes, chemical depilatories don’t work very well for naturally “hairy” people.

Depilatories can work well but they can also cause serious skin irritations and even second or third-degree chemical burns, and possibly, scarring, if the formula is too strong or is left on for too long. The depilatory dissolves any hair with which it comes into contact, but it also can dissolve the keratin in skin. Instructions must be followed carefully. Also, before using a depilatory cream, test the product on a small area of your skin for allergic reactions or sensitivity. Hair must be at a reasonable length for use to be effective.

Depilatory contact with the skin should be limited to somewhere between 4 and 15 minutes, depending on how fine or coarse your hair is. Most of the creams are specially formulated for the finer hair of a female and take longer to effectively remove the thicker hair of a male. Skin sensitivity varies on different parts of the body and some depilatories are for use only on the legs, while others are safe for sensitive areas such as the bikini line, face, and underarms. Depilatories should not be used for the eyebrows or other areas around the eyes, or on inflamed or broken skin. Their effect lasts about 7 days.

Waxing

Waxing is the lowest costing and most effective method for temporary hair removal because it removes hair with its roots, not just at the skin surface as with shaving. Regrowth of the hair usually takes 3 to 8 weeks.

For very important occasions such as competitive body building, beauty contests, or to impress someone special, a professional whole body waxing is recommended. This may cost about $150 for a whole “hairy” body and take 3 hours. You will be relatively hairless for about 3 weeks. One caution: have the waxing done at least a week before the special occasion to be sure that any tiny red pinprick-dots are healed.

Hair regrowth after shaving is immediate and the stubble is coarse and rough. With waxing, the new hair takes weeks to come back, and is softer, lighter in color, and much sparser. Not only are the hairs removed but waxing exfoliates the top layer of dead skin cells, resulting in a softer, smoother, more translucent skin. Leg waxing leaves the skin silky smooth for 4 to 6 weeks. Waxing also works well on the stomach, brows, and upper lip.

Waxing often results in a slower hair return. Each waxing permanently destroys some hair roots and so space between the hairs increases. Less hair returns and the returning hair becomes finer. Eventually, much hair is permanently gone.

Removing facial hair does not make it grow back darker. However, some women experience “shading” and the skin where hair is removed becomes darker. This is usually due to exposing the skin to the sun within 48 hours after hair removal. For best results, use a sunblocker on newly treated areas.

For best results, waxing requires:
=Special hair removal waxes
=Cloth patches
=A moist towel
=A wax heating unit
=A mixing and applying spatula
=A pain reducing gel
=A skin repair cream

Waxing at home costs about $5 for a 3 oz. wax kit, which is enough for three applications on lower legs, while a salon charges $25 to $35 for the lower legs, $15 to $25 for the bikini line, and $10 to $20 for the upper lip.

Types of Waxes

Special waxes have been developed for hair removal that contain combinations of waxes, such as paraffin and beeswax, oils or fats, and resins that help the wax adhere to the skin.

There are “hot” and “cold” waxes. Hot waxes are applied as a thin layer is applied to the skin in the direction of the hair growth. Newer, hot waxes melt at relatively low temperatures and often contain some sugar to ease their removal from the skin. The hair becomes trapped in the wax as it cools and hardens. A cloth is placed over the wax and pulled off quickly in the opposite direction of hair growth, taking the uprooted hairs with it. Waxes should contain no artificial colors, perfumes, or preservatives.

The best hot waxes melt at just above body temperature, reducing the danger of burning. The wax should wash away with water and not require any sort of special remover.

Cold waxes work similarly to hot waxes. You use strips precoated with wax that are pressed on the skin, then pulled off in the direction opposite to hair growth. The wax strips come in different sizes for use on the chin, eyebrows, upper lip, and bikini area.

Waxes should not be re-used despite the recommendations of some wax sellers.

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