The Hairy Truth, Part 1

by Valerie Gladstone — May 7, 2007

If you're a woman who believes the only place for hair is on top of her head, hair removal from other parts of the body is a regular routine. How enviable to belong to a culture that actually finds hair on your legs or armpits glamorous or at the very least acceptable. Well, that's not the U.S. I've tried shaving, tweezing, electrolysis, wax, and depilatories. Electrolysis made the most difference, but they all helped. Even a combination of methods isn't a bad idea.

Here are the options for temporary removal. I’ll follow up with the so-called permanent methods in my next blog.

Temporary Methods

Shaving or trimming, manually or with electric shavers

• Pluses: Inexpensive, fast, usually painless, very safe, can be done at home, available almost anywhere.
• Minuses: Lasts only a short time—anywhere from one to several days. Can cause skin irritation and cuts. For some, shaving causes ingrown hairs, especially in the bikini area. Blades require frequent replacement.
• Tips: Look for blades that have safety-guard wires, which minimize nicks and cuts. Also, you'll get a closer shave if you shave in the shower after your skin has been softened by warm water. Go slowly, change your blades often to avoid nicks, and use a moisturizing cream to soften the hair. Some dermatologists advise shaving downward, from the knee to the ankle instead of against the grain. If you have an ingrown hair, try exfoliating (removing dead skin cells with a loofah) or sterilizing a pointed pair of tweezers with rubbing alcohol and attempting to pluck out the ingrown hair.

Depilatories, creams, or "shaving powders," which chemically dissolve hair at the skin's surface

• Pluses: Inexpensive, fast, sometimes painless, can be done at home, available almost anywhere. B est on the leg, underarm, and bikini areas; special formulations may be used on the face and chin.
• Minuses: Effect lasts a short time--anywhere from one to several days. Can cause skin irritation and cuts. Can be a severe skin and eye irritant. Many people dislike the odor. May not be as effective on people with coarse hair.

Tweezing, with tweezers in front of mirror

• Pluses: Very useful for eyebrows or stray hairs on face.
• Minuses: Should not be used for nose hairs. Can be painful. Difficult for large areas. May cause ingrown hairs, pitting, or scarring.
• Tips: Make sure you sterilize your tweezers with rubbing alcohol before and after use to reduce the chance of infection.

Waxing: a hot or cold layer is applied and then removed with porous strips. An ancient method, one of the few temporary methods still commonly performed professionally. Hot wax is applied to the skin, and a strip of cloth or paper is pressed into the preparation. The strip is then quickly pulled away, taking hairs with it.

• Pluses: Can be done at home. Fast. Inexpensive. Leaves skin smooth. Lasts from a few days to a couple of weeks.
• Minuses: Biggest drawback to waxing is the pain when the hair is ripped out by the root. Hairs can break off at or below surface. Can be messy. Consistency is difficult to get correct. One must be careful to avoid infecting skin. Professional waxing is expensive compared with other hair removal methods. You also have to let the hair grow fairly long (yuk) before getting waxed.
• People with diabetes should avoid waxing because they are more susceptible to infection. Also, teens who use acne medications such as tretinoin and isotretinoin may want to skip the wax because those medicines make the skin more sensitive. Anyone with moles or skin irritation from sunburn should also avoid waxing.
• Tips: For waxing to work, hair should be at least 1/4 inch (about 6 millimeters) long, so skip shaving for a few weeks before waxing. Works best on legs, bikini areas, and eyebrows.