It’s true, choosing the perfect home hair removal system is not an easy task. First, there are so many different methods to remove unwanted body hair and second, a system that works great for one person may not work at all for someone else.
People are different, they have different skin types, different needs, different hair and they may react differently to various products. Also, each hair removal system has it’s advantages and disadvantages. There may be a perfect solution for a specific person and his or her specific needs, but there is no perfect solution that works for everyone the same.
Below is a list of all home hair removal methods with a short explanation, advantages and disadvantages as well as additional information that should help you to decide what would be the best hair removal system for your own specific needs.
The list below contains only system that fall into the category home hair removal, so I won’t be talking about laser hair removal, electrolysis machines and similar methods. I know, these kind of systems are also sold for personal home usage, but in my opinion, those kinds of treatments should only be used by trained and licensed medical offices and salons. And even under professional supervision it happens every now and than that people end up with skin discoloration and skin burns.
Basically, we can distinguish 2 different groups of hair removal methods – they are called depilation and epilation:
Depilation tackles the problem at the level of the skin surface, removing only the visible part of the hair. The main methods that fall into this category are shaving and hair removal creams or lotions (also known as depilatories). The big advantage of these methods is that they are pain free. On the other hand, the disadvantage here is that the hair grows back fairly quickly and that these methods have to be repeated more frequently.
Epilation attempts to remove the hair including the root below the skin surface. As you can imagine, the major inconvenience of these methods is that they are more painful, on the other hand, hair regrowth is much slower. The main hair removal methods in this category are waxing, sugaring, epilation devices and plucking with tweezers.
Now, let’s have a look at the various home hair removal systems:
Shaving
Shaving is quick, easy and probably still the most popular of all hair removal methods. The big disadvantage of this method is that it doesn’t last very long. Regrowth can happen within a few hours and the hair will usually be visible within a few days. Also, when the hair regrow, it will feel bristly and stubbly. To get a clean shave, you can use a safety razor and soap or an electric razor.
Advantages of Shaving
- This is the cheapest of all home hair removal methods
- It is easy accessible by everyone and rather quick.
- Shaving (especially wet shaving) leaves skin very smooth
- It’s painless
Disadvantages of Shaving
- Hair regrowth is rather fast
- The process needs to be repeated frequently
- Regrown hair feels stubbly
- There is a risk to cut yourself
- For some people, razor burn may be a problem
Depilatories – hair removal creams and lotions:
Many brands of depilatories are available on the market and you will find different products for different skin types and skin areas. With this method, hair regrowth is much slower than – the process needs to be repeated only every 7-10 days. Also, you don’t have the stubbly effect that you usually experience after shaving. On the other hand, using a hair removal cream will be a bit more time consuming. You need to apply the cream, leave it for about ten minutes and than wash it off with a washcloth soaked in warm water.
Advantages of Depilatory Creams
- Depilatories are rather cheap
- Easy to use
- Practical for the use in sensitive and tricky to shave areas
- Painless
Disadvantages of Depilatory Creams
- It may be a bit messy to apply hair removal creams
- Some of these creams smell unpleasantly
- Some creams can provoke an allergic reaction
- Different products are required for different skin areas (bikini line, back, arms…)
The video below explains how to use a hair removal cream:
Waxing
Waxing is very effective, but it’s also a bit painful. Also, the hair needs to be at least 1/4 inch long so that it can be successfully removed by the wax. You need to cover the skin area with cold or warm wax, add a strip of cloth and after a few seconds (once the wax has adhered to the skin) the cloth is pulled off taking the wax and the unwanted hair with it. The big advantage of this method is that hair regrowth is much slower and the effect usually lasts for 4-6 weeks.
Be careful not to wax over damaged skin areas, sunburn, irritated skin, warts or moles and inside ears and nose or other very sensitive areas.
Advantages of waxing
- Lasts for several weeks
- Hair usually grows back finer after several treatments
- Method can be used on most parts of the body
- It’s relatively quick to treat large skin areas
Disadvantages of Waxing
- At the beginning this may be a bit messy. It might take a few trials to get the hang of it.
- It is a bit painful
- Certain skin areas need to be avoided
- Hair must be long enough to use this home hair removal method
Electric Tweezers
Tweezing (plucking the hair with a tweezer) is a very effective home hair removal system, but unfortunately it is relatively time consuming. That’s why this method is most suitable for specific small areas. Also, in order to use this method, the hair needs to be long enough. So, regrowth will be visible for a while before the treatment can be repeated.
A tweezer plucks out the hair one by one by the root, which may be a bit painful and cause skin irritations. To make the process less painful, it’s recommended to use a tweezer after a hot bath or shower.
Advantages of plucking
- Effective way of removing unwanted hair
- Slow hair regrowth
- This is a relatively inexpensive home hair removal system
- You have control over individual hairs
Disadvantages of plucking
- Time consuming
- Tweezing can be painful – especially on sensitive skin areas
- Not ideal for large skin areas
- Sometimes, tweezing may cause ingrown hair
- May cause skin irritation
Epilators
These battery operated devices consist of spinning disks which pull out the hair from the roots. The disadvantage of using this hair removal method is that it can be quit painful, on the other hand, this technique is less massy than waxing or the use of a hair removal cream. Also, hair regrowth is relatively slow and the hair usually becomes finer over time.
Advantages of Epilators
- Less messy than other home hair removal systems
- Epilators are relatively cheap and once you have the device, no additional costs are involved.
- Slow hair regrowth
- Hair becomes smoother and finer over time
- Practical for use on large skin areas
Disadvantages:
- The use of an epilator may be a bit painful
- Epilators cannot be used on very short hair – a minimum hair regrowth is required
- It is not recommended to use an epilator on sensitive skin areas
You may also want to try different home hair removal systems in order to find out which one works best for you. Also, similar products from different manufactures may produce different results, so it may be a good idea to experiment with different approaches to find the most suitable home hair removal product.
