Let’s Talk Hair Removal

Let’s talk hair removal, ladies. Most of us do it. Whether you are a fair skinned beauty who has one pesky blond armpit hair you despise, or you’re Italian like me, with enough body hair that you could be pet like a dog, most of us have unwanted hair in some form or another. And let’s be honest, as women, most of us are willing to endure any amount of pain required so that we feel confident in our appearance.

If there is a process that removes hair, darling, I have tried it. I want to share my wisdom of hair removal techniques with you in the hopes that you can avoid some painful mistakes I made unknowingly on my journey to becoming less hairy.

1. Let’s start with the least painful: Bleaching. If you have thin dark hair that doesn’t bother you too much, save yourself a world of pain and bleach those lil devil hairs. Jolen-Creme-Bleach is a good, inexpensive bleach that is safe to use on your face and arms. The bleach lasts about two weeks before you need to reapply.
2. Next step up: Waxing. Most likely, we all know what it feels like to have our eyebrows waxed. Maybe you have been able to pluck your eyebrows and get away with it your whole life. Or you could be like me. I started waxing my eyebrows at 12 and all I remember is bleeding from my eyelids because there was so much excess hair around my “shape” that had to go. Regardless of the pain, a unibrow is not something I wanted to rock in life, so I continued waxing for years. While eyebrow waxing hurts, the other common areas people wax, such as upper lip, bikini and legs, are much more painful. If you are going to be brave and have your bikini line waxed or get a Brazilian (really brave), I suggest going to a reputable spa to see a trained esthetician. Make sure you allow the hair to grow out a bit before you go in or else they won’t be able to remove it. Take an over the counter pain reliever before you go and never get a bikini wax a few days before, a few days after, or during your period because the skin is more sensitive. It will hurt like hell but you will survive and a wax usually lasts 2–3 weeks anywhere on the body.
3. Threading is third on the list. Threading is a relatively new method of hair removal making its way into malls across America. The removal technique utilizes a cotton thread which is pulled across the skin removing hair at the follicle level. Yes, a thread that pulls out your hair. OUCH. While painful, I have since switched from waxing my eye brows to this method. It is fast (if you have a technician that is uncomfortable seeing you cry and knows she has approximately five minutes until the pain tears start flowing) and it is less irritating to the skin compared to waxing. I have also found it is cheaper in most areas than waxing by around $5–$10.
4. The final option is  laser hair removal. Laser hair removal beams highly concentrated light into hair follicles, pigment in the follicles absorb the light which destroys the hair. This is the only hair removal method that can prevent hair from ever growing back. This is a cosmetic procedure done by professionals that is very expensive and requires multiple sessions. There are laser spas in all cities and to find a location near you, look up laser hair removal in your city. Always read the costumer reviews and do your homework before picking a facility. Small areas, such as the upper lip, range from about $100–$200 dollars per session and 4–8 sessions are recommended to completely remove the hair. The larger the area, the more expensive the session. Unfortunately, if you are blond and your body hair is blond, it could be difficult to remove. It is recommend to do a few test spots before beginning treatment to test the effectiveness. I would consider this method to be the most painful as well, it feels like rubber bands snapping your face, hard. I wouldn’t recommend going out in public for at least an hour after having hair removed from a visible area, unless you like to be stared at.

Personally, I would suggest if you have a problem area, such as your face, that makes you self-conscious, get laser hair removal. After starting the process I am 100 percent for it. I want to laser off all my unwanted body hair and go crazy but unfortunately I am not rich and can only afford a small area. Of course, if all of those options don’t sound appealing, you can stick to shaving. Or maybe hair doesn’t bother you at all, in which case more power to you, sister. If a guy ever comments on your mustache just tell him “Hey, at least I can grow one.” (Advice given to me by my father in 8^th grade). Regardless of the method you choose to get rid of unwanted hair, know that you aren’t alone, we all have insecurities but unwanted hair doesn’t have to be one of them!