A Comparison of Hair Removal Techniques

It is safe to say that men and women have battled the war against unwanted hair, for more than a century. It seems that with all the technology present today, we still are at war with unwanted hair. A century ago, men, had straight razors and women used melted sugar or wax for depilation.

Taking a look at the available methods offered today, it still seems people are perplexed and undecided as to what works and what technology is possible. In this article, we will look at the many methods available today. Tips and cautions for those who DIY, and new and old methods.

Waxing

Waxing can best be described as painful. A glob of hot wax is spread on an area of the body where the hair has been allowed to grow out, the longer the better. A piece of cloth is spread over the wax and allowed to cool and stiffen.

Then, with a deep breath and a nod, the material, wax and hair is hopefully ripped away. At this point, one begins to pray that it does not have to happen a second time. Given, they do have waxing spas that use a blue sort of wax. It is much less painful, but the cost is higher than the DIY method.

Shaving

Here is a method that has been around for generations. They have improved the razor over the decades and it is not as easy to cut yourself, as it once was. The electric razor was invented over a half century ago, and women would use their husband’s electric shaver when he wasn’t around.

At that point, women were still using a double-edged razor that could easily slide sideways and leave a nasty cut. Then around the 1970s, they invented a shaver just for women, these were disposable, much like the ones men had now too. They had wire closely wrapped around the blade or they added a few more blades, close together, so the cut wouldn’t be so ghastly.

Tweezing

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Tweezing is another experiment in pain. Not intended for large areas of hair, tweezing was mainly used for eyebrows, chin, and face and possibly in those hard to shave areas that are exposed while wearing a bikini.

Advice to help the ‘pluck’ not hurt as much is to rub the area with ice to contract the pores and reduce the swelling. Prior to the tweezing, a warm cloth or compress was applied to open the pores and possibly reduce the discomfort.

OTC Creams

Most women have tried an over-the-counter hair remover at one time or another. These normally smell bad and if left on too long, will irritate the skin which may become a painful rash. The effectiveness of this method may have been in the hair follicle and its thickness.

If you had dark thick hair on your legs or underarms, you would not have had productive results. In fact, you may have been the one to get the rash and wear long pants for a while.

Prescription Creams

This is a cream that is prescribed by a doctor. It is applied at least once a day and does not remove the hair. Instead, it makes the hair increasingly finer and softer. This works well during laser treatments or to go longer without shaving.

Lasers and IPLs

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This fairly new technology has met with great success. A laser works by destroying the hair follicle with a strong beam of light. This is as close as we can come to a permanent solution for hair removal. Applied incorrectly can lead to burning or scarring, so make sure you have a trained technician.

The IPL or Intense Pulsed Light will also do the same thing as the laser. Neither is effective for blond or white hair. To work appropriately, it needs a thicker hair shaft to carry the laser light down and destroy the hair. It cannot be used over tattooed areas on the body.

Electrolysis

This technology has been around for several years. The method of Electrolysis takes an extremely long time to do. A tiny needle is inserted into each individual hair shaft, and an electric current flows down to the root of the hair and kills it.

Since this takes a while to complete an area, this is best applied to small areas. Those who do not qualify for laser treatment because of the hair thickness, may find value in this form of hair removal.

Hormones

The imbalance of hormones will affect many women and any age. A sudden growth of hair on the face should be talked over with your doctor. Birth control pills may be prescribed to control the hormones. Menopause and polycystic ovary syndrome have also been known to create unwanted hair on the face and other parts of the body.