Hair Removal Techniques

The following is a list of various methods men and women have found to effectively remove unwanted facial and body hair. Some have been determined more practical and effective for particular places on the body, others are safe and useful all over. Links are included for those methods and product brands I have personally experienced and found success with. Additionally, keep in mind that I have omitted some hair removal alternatives such as laser hair removal treatment from the list if my research concluded them to not be as effective overall as other methods.

Shaving
The most common hair removal technique for both men and women is probably the old fashioned shaving method. Males and females frequently use disposable or refillable razor blades or else electric razors to shave their face, legs and other parts of the body. Shaving is quick and fairly easy since you can do it yourself from the privacy and comfort of your own house. The down sides to shaving are that the hair comes back extremely quickly (sometimes within one day), it comes in feeling spiky and uncomfortable and there is a great chance of getting ingrown hairs from the shave. Shaving is something that you must keep up with on a regular basis if you want to maintain a hairless, smooth skin appearance and feel.

Depilatories
Depilatories are creams or lotions, which contain a chemical ingredient that will dissolve the hair onto which it is applied. This can be used anywhere on the body for the most part, but not recommended for the face or bikini area. A quintessential example of a depilatory would be the product Nair (http://www.naircare.com/) . There is also a hair removal cream by Sally Hansen that works really well.
(Visit http://www.sallyhansen.com and click on the Hair Removal left hand side link to see many hair removal crèmes and other options). These hair removing depilatories work fairly well for the short- term moment, are very easy to apply and like shaving, can be done in the privacy and comfort of your home. However, they too have a down side. Most who have tried this hair removal method complain of the harsh chemical smell, almost like a burning of the hair aroma in addition to the procedure being only an immediate but brief solution. Since these products only dissolve the hair at the surface, the hair growing from the root pops up above the skin in sometimes as little as less than one day after applying the depilatory cream.

Friction Hair Removal Method
The friction method for removing unwanted hair is not as popular as some of the other ones, but it is another effective solution for getting rid of body hair in the short-term time frame. The procedure entails a sort of scrubbing like application of a coarse, exfoliating mitt to most often, the legs (good for fine leg hair especially). Apparently this method leaves the legs smooth and really is good for the skin but as a hair removal technique, it doesn't last that long. On top of it, people with especially thick or dark leg hair may not even feel that their hair has been removed, as the process may leave a dark shadow on the legs where the roots and newly growing hair reside. The friction hair removal method also only removes hair from the surface of the skin.

Tweezing
Tweezing, as a hair removal technique is quite effective, as with practice, you can really get the type of look you want, down to the very last hair. The method, though, does require of course the plucking from the root of each hair one by one, so not only does tweezing take a great deal of time and effort in front of a good mirror, but it also takes some skill to get it down. This hair removal technique is really only used for tweezing unwanted stray facial hairs with its primary use being eyebrow hair removal. Many people have made the natural mistake to try and pluck super ambitious protruding nose hairs with their tweezers, but it's safe to say that once one tries this he or she will never venture to do it again. Tweezing hairs out of the nose is not only extremely painful but it also can cause an infection so take note not to even bother trying it. Ultimately, the pros and cons of tweezing meet each other at a pretty fair balance, in my opinion. For the detailed styling factor is very nice, since some people concentrate their entire beauty routine around their eyebrows, but at the same time, the behavior requires an ongoing steady commitment. Many people who tweeze their eyebrows say they have to do it on an every other day and sometimes daily basis.

Waxing as a Hair Removal Technique
Waxing is a very efficient form of hair removal but it must be done with great care and caution. Women often use waxing for facial as well as well as body hair removal and men will often use on their body where it is not recommended for their face. Waxing is a great option in between shaving or tweezing hair removal and that of some more permanent procedure like electrolysis or laser hair removal. If the waxing is done correctly, the skin should be left smooth to the touch for at least a week or two, but of course that depends on the person. Often it lasts much longer. The down sides to waxing as a hair removal technique is that it can cause irritation, hair can break off only halfway and then create bumps or discomfort underneath the skin, it can be messy and it is very hard to do on oneself. In fact, some states actually do not allow the use of home waxing products unless a licensed cosmetologist or trained skincare specialist administers the hair removal procedure. The wax one applies during this technique is sometimes cold, more often hot, and then removed with a dry cloth or paper slip. One must be very firm in their removal strategy and also careful where the wax is applied, as it will grab everything it touches. That is why it is much preferred to accept assistance from another skilled facial technician or professional.

Sugaring (NADS As Seen on TV Hair Removal Gel)-Surely you've seen that fantastically compelling infomercial hosted by those women from somewhere like Australia showing off their amazing homemade and ready to use (or eat!) kiwi flavored hair removal wax, NADS. The name in itself should be memorable to you if anything. Nevertheless, NADS is actually a great example of the sugaring hair removal method and the as seen on TV product itself perfectly demonstrates during use of it the many conflicting factors when trying to determine whether the sugaring pros outweigh the sugaring cons. NADS comes in a nice little plastic jar type of package and the stuff inside is green and gooey. Often times you must heat it up in the microwave to soften the sugaring substance, but that is where the tough part comes in. See, in order for this sugaring hair removal method to work, one must layer it with perfect density and thickness upon the hair-filled area. In order to get the perfect thickness, one must go through a long process of trial and error, as every person's body is different, not to mention the product will most likely vary in temperature and therefore viscosity between each and every time you take it out of the closet to use. So in other words, this is a longer process than they make it out to be. However, for what it is worth, many of these sugaring hair removal products, including NADS as seen on TV waxing sugar, do in fact work if you can just figure them out. And in terms of NADS product specifically, the sugaring hair removal gel smells delicious and fruity and yes, you could actually eat a little bit if that is really something that you so desire. It is all-natural and has not been known to hurt anyone as far as I know. http://www.nads.com/

Prescription Hair Removal Medications
There do exist a few oral medications on the market that have been proven to effectively influence the growth of persistent unwanted hair on the face and body, for both men and women, but from what I have read there seems to be a universal concern for their various side effects. Research has pretty much indicated that as a last resort option of desperation, such hair removal tactics can be taken orally by a physician's authorization and prescription but one must take only with caution after discussing with the doctor all of the potential side effects. Some of these oral hair removal treatments include: Spironolactone (Aldactone), Propecia and Proscar, Flutamide, and Ketoconazole. Note that some of those listed may work in the opposite way for some people and actually help induce hair growth. Additionally, there is a topical cream by prescription only called Vaniqa. Vaniqa is primarily for women aged 12 and older who have unwanted facial hair. One need only apply the cream to their necessary areas for removal and the excess facial hair growth will hopefully be slowed down a bit somehow. It has not been proven 100% effective for women and has not been determined at all effective for men, but the percentage of women whose excess hair growth problem was helped by Vaniqa was enough apparently for the manufacturers, Bristol Myers Squibb in conjunction with Gillette to get it approved and on the market. http://www.vaniqa.com/

Electrolysis
Electrolysis has been in use as a permanent hair removal technique for over 125 years, according to HairFacts.com, and is a popular method today for men and women of all ages to remove unwanted hair. Since the procedure is permanent, one needs to be sure they really are positive they will never want hair in that spot again, ever, even if were to become suddenly a fashion statement to do so. Once the electrolysis procedures are finished there is a slim chance of hair growing back. Which I suppose, if you really have excess unwanted hair, is a good thing. The problems with electrolysis is that it can get very expensive calling for sometimes several repeat treatments, it can be very painful, and if not done correctly it can only remove part of the hairs and thereby cause or spread infections under the skin. Electrolysis is performed essentially by inserting a needle into the hair follicle, which apparently does not puncture the skin if done with precision, and performing some kind of stimulation that stops any future hair growth. Again it is a great way to get rid of hair you are sure you will never be comfortable with. The only catch to that, though, is the likely fact that the people who want the procedure the worst will be the hardest ones to successfully perform it on. The reason for this being that the most obvious of the unwanted hair growth types that are seen by these electrolysis professionals, which includes people with very dark, curly, and/or very thick and coarse hair happen to unfortunately be the hardest clients to work on. That being stated, one whose hair type fits into one or more of the above mentioned description should be aware that even after several treatments, there still may be a dark shadow to the area where the hair was removed.