Hair removal and how to do it

Red spots and scratches all over

One of my best girlfriends is on her way to become a great genetics scientist. At the moment she’s doing research in a well-known institute, working with people who decoded and mapped the human genome.

She’s smart, beautiful, self-conscious, outspoken and fun. We had great times together and still paint the town red every time she pops for a visit. But, all of these qualities are not the reason of me reminiscing about Maya.

Believe it or not, this extraordinarily smart woman’s main goal in life (apart from some very obvious) is to discover where is the gene for leg, armpit, bikini zone and upper lip hair hidden, and to disable it. If she can’t do that, she swears she’ll invent a pill that stripes us from all hair except that on our heads. I say go girl!

But, until then (this crazy scientists can take the longest time in inventing something useful), we are left with the ultimate question: What is the best way to remove unwanted hair on our bodies? Razor, wax, cream, laser, epilator…what?

Shaving is the cheapest and easiest way to remove hair from your legs and armpits. But, it does not last; in the summer it needs daily maintenance for you to look ok. Your razor should be always sharp (replace it every fifth time). Take care you first moisten your legs for at least three minutes under warm shower, and be careful which shaving cream/foam/gel you use. It can irritate your skin and cause ingrown hair, so if you have any trouble, just use the hair conditioner. Never go swimming just after you’ve shaven your legs (see, pool etc.)

Waxing is considered to be painful, and guess what? It is, it hurts like hell. Especially if it’s just before or after your period. What’s more, your hair has to be at least ½ of a cm long. Good news is that it lasts for ages (or closer to 3 weeks), and your hairs reduce. But the excruciating pain! Don’t do the hot wax, you can choose cold ones. Drink an Advil or similar pill for at least two hours before ‘surgery’. For those among us who don’t take chances, there are creams that numb your skin (ask your beautician about it). If you’re doing it at home, sprinkle some baby powder on your legs first, and then apply the wax.

Depilatory creams stink and cause allergies. With the stench we can’t help you (open the window), and as far as irritation goes, try it out first on a small patch of skin. Creams are great if you want a durable result, they burn hair under skin surface, and so it grows out slower. You can do your legs, bikini zone and even face. Remember to put a warm washcloth on the area for few minutes before applying cream. Don’t overdue on time, follow the instructions. When removing the cream, wipe it off and then rinse.

Epilators hurt too. It’s just a fancy name for electric tweezers when pain is concerned. Many of them nowadays have skin coolers that should help. The effect is longer lasting than shaving or crams, but hurts and the skin tends to get red bumps. Plus is that once you buy it you don’t need anything in that department for a long time, and many of those appliances have interchangeable heads, so you can shave as well and perform a gentle peeling.

Electrolysis and laser hair removal give by far the longest lasting result. Almost forever! The downside is that the first one hurts (they insert needles in your skin) and both are really pricy. One treatment can cost from 50 up to 500 US$ (depending on the area covered and method used), and you’ll need at least 3.

Hope this short hair removal tutorial helped you, but let us know what you think. Coming up next in hair removal compartment: Combating facial hair