If we’re going to be really honest, most women do not appreciate face and body hair on themselves, no matter what the true purposes of those hairs are in the first place.
On the face, they’re just a put-off – which girl needs hair on her upper lips? On the body, such as arms and legs, it may depend on the texture of the hairs – if they’re course and thick, then we’d probably want them off! If they’re fine and almost invisible to the eye, then most women wouldn’t mind just leaving them be. Where do you stand in this?
If you’re on the ‘hairs-off’ side, this article is for you, for we’re about to take a quick look into the most popular hair removal methods for women.
Shaving
Show of hands for anyone who has ever had an emergency facial hair situation while putting up makeup in front of the mirror – it could have been a few stray brows that appeared overnight, or worse, hairs on the upper lip! Wasn’t is just tempting to reach out for the razor and deal with it swiftly? Well, we don’t know how many of you have actually done it, but most women would rather not take a razor up to their face. Too manly is the popular reason.
When it comes to body hair though, shaving is by far the most convenient way to get rid of it, and it does the job instantly too. It’s painless, quick and depending on the shaver you use, it may be the cheapest hair-removal method too. Most women might recall their first encounter with hair removal which probably started with a razor, secretly, by themselves, or maybe with a buddy or two. We remember those days, don’t we? Flipping through those glossy magazines and admiring those glamorous models with hairless, silky legs to die for. And then, there were our own – somehow, we were convinced that removing those hairs will make our legs look like theirs! Well, maybe it did for some of you, but one thing’s for sure, the tool of your choice back then was probably a razor!
While the razor is the safest and easiest tool for practically any hair-removal job, you can easily end up with razor bumps, ingrown hair or even nicked skin if you’re not careful, so do pay attention to the task at hand if you use one. Opt for razors created for women, for they’re usually more gentle on the skin. Apart from conventional lady razors, there are also electric shavers created specially for women that can give you a faster and more accurate shave. Whichever shaving tool you use, remember the secret of achieving the best shaving result lies in the sharpness of the blades, for a dull blade will just hamper your efforts.
Epilating
An epilator is a device which you either love or loath. The reason why women may not be a fan of it is because it’s not exactly a ‘pain-free’ method to remove body hairs! In fact, some women who have very low tolerance to pain may refer to it as a mini torture device. Hint: Its mechanism involves pulling out the hairs from their root using dozens of tiny tweezers at a go. Tip: The more you use it, the more you get used to it and yeah, you’ll get used to the painful/annoying sensation too.
For women who favour it, the epilator is the most convenient way to ensure proper removal of body hair, from the arms, legs and even armpits. It leaves no stubble and is less likely to produce ingrown hairs. Yes, no pain no gain seems to be the motto of epilators, but hey, the results are worth it, for by owning this little device, you can achieve smooth, hairless skin whenever you need to – almost as if you just stepped out of a waxing salon!
Depilatory Creams
Here’s another popular choice for women who cannot tolerate the pain of other hair removal methods such as waxing and epilating. It really is a painless, albeit messy alternative, although the way it works may cause skin sensitivity in some women.Depilatory creams have ingredients in them that will dissolve the hair on the skin’s surface, making it easy to just wipe them off. This will leave behind smooth, hairless skin. Women with sensitive skin should always conduct a patch test first before using depilatory cream on large skin surfaces. Also, you can seek out formulas that are meant for sensitive skin, which generally have gentler ingredients, or lesser levels of active ingredients.
Using depilatory creams lend a pampering feeling to a woman’s hair-removing efforts. It’s usually done in the privacy of one’s bathroom to make clean-ups easier. It (literally) wouldn’t hurt to try it if you’re the kind that has zero tolerance for other hair removal methods like epilating and waxing.
Waxing
The number of women who favour this method of hair removal is rising! In terms of pain, it might be safe to say that waxing is less painful compared to epilating, due to the fact that a larger area is dealt with at a go. Like epilating, this method also removes hair from its roots, and there will be some pain when the wax is stripped off, but it won’t last. In comparison, epilating deals with small areas at a time, which makes it feel like the pain is prolonged.
Making appointments at their chosen waxing salons have become such a trend among women of all ages in Malaysia, and it’s not hard to see why. Some salons offer such great services and they get the job done quickly and professionally.
Threading
When it comes to removing unwanted facial hair, there is yet another method that has gained popularity in the past decade or so, and it’s called threading. It’s basically a hair removal method using a piece if thread, and it’s done by a threading expert. It does involve some pain as the hairs get pulled out, but once you’re used to it, it’ll begin to hurt less and less each time you do it. At least, that’s what most women say! If you’re looking to address that facial peach fuzz, or stray hairs on your brow line, this could be your best bet, for the experts are trained to produce accurate results according to clients’ preferences.
Intense Pulsed Light (Ipl)
This is a fairly painless technology used by cosmetic and medical practitioners to perform various skin treatments for various purposes, which include hair removal. IPL is said to be effective, with lasting results too. It is performed using a wide spectrum of light to penetrate the skin and stop hair regrowth. It is less painful than many other hair removal methods such as waxing and epilating, but it can be a bit costly too.
