Beauty Goodies

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

August 11, 2010 Beauty

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To shave or to wax? Or to Nair? Or to laser? Oh, and wait, what about electrolysis? It seems as though hair removal have come a long way from traditional shaving,  as more people are opting to be completely bare. There are many questions when it comes to getting rid of unwanted body hair. Hair removal is either temporary  or permanently reduced,  but which method is right for you?   Read on to find the best solution for your prickly problems.

Temporary Hair Removal

Shaving
For many, a quick whisk with Gillette is all it takes.  It’s a no-brainer since it’s probably been something we’ve been doing since the day adolescence kicked in. It’s affordable to everyone and fits easily into the daily shower routine.  To get a a close shave, use a multiple-blade razor and moisturizing shaving cream to avoid nicks (water alone or regular soap is very drying to the skin).

EOS Evolution of Smooth ($3.79 Walgreens) is free of parabens, ultra-rich and moisturizing, smells delicious, and is housed in an environmentally-friendly pump bottle that won’t “ring” the tub.

Gillette Venus Embrace five- blade razors ($11.99 Duane Reade) glide quickly and effortlessly on the skin.

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The cons?  Smooth sailing won’t last long,  as the stubborn stubbies reappear after a few days.  

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Waxing
Waxing tears the hair out at the follicle leaving you hair free for up to six weeks. However, there is a “growing out” period in between waxes,  and for it to be effective hair must be relatively long for the wax to adhere to.  It can also be problematic for women with darker skin as it can, in some cases, irritate, inflame, and may  leave discoloration.  
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Depilatory Creams
Known as hair removal creams, they are chemically based and work to destroy the keratin bonds that link the proteins in the hair that give it its strength.  This results in disintegrating them at the surface of the skin and can easily be wiped off.  Depilation creams are a quick way to banish unwanted hair with the results lasting a few days longer than shaving before the bristles start to crop up.  Sensitive skin beware-you should always do a patch test first on a small area because irritation may result.  One to try: Veet Spray-On Hair Removal Cream ($8.99 Walgreens) leaves dry skin feeling moisturized.

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Epilating
Epilators have a set of circular tweezers which whiz around, traps the hair  and pulls it out at the follicle.  The re-growth is slow (up to 4 weeks) and even taking in to account the initial cost of buying the epilator,  it is cheaper than waxing in the long run. In terms of pain scale, it is uncomfortable at first, but many build a tolerance to it,  especially since the hairs grow back finer. Results can last several weeks and can be used on all hair types.  I use Braun Silk-Epil X’Elle($69.95 Amazon.com).  This device is ergonomic and has a high RPM,  which keeps the ouch to a minimum!

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Tweezing

Fairly straightforward,  if correctly done, hair is pulled from the root and the resultant area is smooth for 4-6 weeks (for eyebrow hair). Generally speaking tweezing is ideal for removing unwanted facial hair .  It is also great for touch up shaping and maintenance of the eyebrows.

My favorite?  Tweezerman tweezers ($15 Tweezerman) are not only the gold standard, they also have cute designs and the slanted tip catches the slightest hair. Perfect for maintenance to prolong freshly arched brows. The best way to tweeze?

-Hold skin area taut.
-Direct the tweezers so that you are tweezing the direction of the hair’s growth.
-Pull just one hair at a time to control the overall tweezing effect.

If irritation, redness, and bumps appear,  soothe the skin with azulene oil and apply ice for a few minutes.

Threading

Threading is an ancient method practiced in India whereby a cotton thread is pulled along unwanted hair in a twisting motion, acting like a mini lasso to trap and pull unwanted hair from the root. I first was introduced to this method by my college roommate who had elegantly shaped brows that framed beautiful large eyes. I have to admit the first few “zips” were tearfully painful,  but after seeing the results, how precise the shape, and how much faster than tweezing it was, I learned to brave the pain (a little numbing gel helped!) and threading became a monthly ritual. Threading is generally limited to just the face, and not the body.  Always go to an experienced threader,  or else risk misshapen or uneven brows.

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Permanent Hair Reduction
In permanent hair reduction,  treated areas where the root of the hair has been damaged will not grow back.  However,  hair growth is affected by hormones in the body,  and there is no0 guarantee that new growth will not happen.  Maintenance from time to time may be needed to keep you hair-free. Always choose experienced professionals with a proven track record of safety when opting for these methods.