Removal of Body Hair

Body hair is not the usual topic of conversation among women. Even close friends often shy away from discussing their unsightly body hair. Some women, particularly south Asian and Greek women can have more noticeable body hair than women who are white with blond hair. Girls who are just starting puberty may be surprised to see an increase in excess body hair, that they were not prepared for. As if the normal development of their body was not bad enough for them to cope with, some girls also have to go through even more embarrassment when they develop excess body hair, especially over their face and legs. Girls may lose confidence in their overall looks and features because peers tease them for their excess body hair. What is the solution?

Wet Shaving

Shaving is a quick and pain free procedure that girls can be taught as soon as they start to develop hair on their legs and under arms. It is embarrassing for girls to take part in sports at school when they feel self conscious about their hairy legs. So combat the problem before it escalates by teaching your daughter the correct way to shave. Supply her with a good razor and shaving cream and teach her how to apply a light pressure, so that she does not nick or badly graze her legs. Teach her to work along the natural curves of her body when removing unwanted body hair, which will make hair removal easier. Doing so after or during a warm bath will also make shaving easier. The pores will be open and the hairs will be softer. Shaving will have to be repeated regularly, but it is quick, cheap and simple. A word of caution though: do not use men's razors! The shave might be a lot closer, but it will make shaving difficult for the men in your family if you do not tell them you used their razor. So stick with women's razors.

Electric shavers

Electric shavers make the job of shaving so much easier than the humble disposable razor. At first, it will take time for your body to adapt to the razor and some irritation may occur at first. But once your body adjusts, you should receive a clean, close shave, that will leave your skin looking beautiful. The razor does the hard work for you.

Tweezers

Using tweezers to pluck facial hair is a good idea. It can hurt at first though, so prepare your face by running an ice cube over the brow line or other part of the face that will be plucked free of unwanted hair. Be careful when plucking eyebrows, so that hair removal is even on each side. Hair will be removed from the root, but it will quickly return, so will need to be repeated for it to provide any real benefits.

Depilatory creams

Be careful when using depilatory creams if you have skin allergies, cuts or sores on your face, otherwise your face will become inflamed and irritated. Even if you do not have allergies, depilatory creams can still sting and irritate the skin. So make sure you do not lather the cream onto the face. Test it on a different part of your skin and see if it will work for you. Depilatory creams stay on the face for a few minutes. They help to dissolve the hair and can provide a smooth finish. Do not use very soon before going out, as the skin may be red. So allow sufficient time before using depilatory creams and going outdoors. You may draw more attention to your red, puffy face than if you had left the hair alone!

Bleaching

You might prefer to bleach facial hair so that it does not seem too obvious. This can work well if you have the right skin tone. Some south Asian skins do not seem to cope too well with this treatment. So if you are of Indian origin, bleaching your upper lip and side burns blond may actually draw more attention to your face. The hair will be lighter, but will still be visible to onlookers. This treatment is not right for all girls and women.

Waxing

If you can handle pain for the sake of beauty, then waxing may be a better alternative for you. Warm wax is applied to the body and once it has cooled, it is quickly stripped away, removing hair along with the wax. It is quite a painful procedure, but if you can handle it, the results last for weeks. The skin will be smooth and soft and regrowth should not be as thick.

Threading

Threading is not well known in the West, but it is an effective form of hair removal. It involves removal of hair from the root by using cotton thread to loop and trap hair. The practitioner then quickly pulls and removes stray hairs. This is a fast and effective procedure and can be less painful than plucking. The results may last for weeks. However, it may be hard to find a practitioner who can perform this form of hair removal. So shop around. You may need to travel to the city to find a professional to do this for you in the correct manner.

Learning to like your body

Some girls and women opt for electrolysis or laser treatment, but there are risks and drawbacks to these, so I shall leave it to your discretion to decide whether or not these are for you, rather than going into the procedures in any depth. Each girl and woman is different and has different needs and expectations when it comes to hair removal. Even a mother and daughter can be very different. Not all girls take after their mother and develop great quantities of body hair. Oftentimes, it is quite the opposite. My mother was fortunate because she never had to shave her legs, as she had a white complexion and very little excess body hair. When deciding what treatment is best for you, look at what you hope to achieve with hair removal. Some girls and women want to feel comfortable in a bikini, rather than worry about excess body hair, whereas others do not want to deal with the embarrassment of facial hair. Experiment with different treatments and find a hair removal procedure that works best for you. Above all, learn to like your body, rather than be ashamed of it.