Many women would go to any extends to have a head full of thick, glossy hair. They would also pay through the nose to ensure that there was no hair on their bodies! Nobody likes to sport hair on their limbs, face, underarms and bikini area. But not everybody has the same amount of hair on their bodies – here’s taking a look at how we are all different when it comes to our body hair, and the hair removal solutions suitable for tackling them.

A Common Cosmetic Concern

The first thing you should note is that the appearance of thicker, darker hair on the body is a common phenomenon, even for women. But just like our physical traits that are determined by heredity and our ethnicity, the thickness, color and coarseness of our body hair differs from person to person^[1]. Additionally, the thickness and composition of our body hair is also determined by our hormone levels, leading to differences between men and women, and from one individual to the next.^[2]

A Short-Term Solution

While some people don’t mind sporting the hair on their skin, others are uncomfortable about it. It is possible to shave or epilate the thick body hair – shaving and depilatory creams offer effective short-term results. Besides, both of these hair removal methods are quick and convenient enough to be incorporated easily into your grooming routine, even when you’re taking a shower. However, thicker body hair is better removed by depilatory creams, instead of shaving it off. Shaving results in the thick hair being cut directly across the skin, so the regrowth is thicker than before, apart from being rough and prickly. On the other hand, depilatory creams dissolve the hair just at the skin’s surface, making it easier to remove even the thickest hair. Besides, the hair grows back with a smooth tip, and not before a few days.^[3]

Getting to the Root

There are days when you are too rushed for time to worry about the hair growth on your skin. Besides, it is not ideal to shave or epilate the hair every other day. In this case, you might consider opting for waxing, which is as effective as epilation but with long term results. Both thick and fine hair can be waxed off easily, and the hair regrowth is finer than before. Besides, the hair takes up to four weeks to regrow. But do bear in mind that waxing pulls the hair out from the roots, and thick hair is quite firmly rooted in the skin – so waxing the body hair can be quite painful if not done correctly^[4]. However, waxing need not be the painful chore it used to be, if you take the right steps to make it as comfortable as possible. Choose a hot wax, such as Veet Spa Wax, which slightly opens up the skin’s pores, thus making removal less painful than with cold wax methods.^[5] Do exfoliate the skin and sprinkle some talc before you start, so that the wax gets a firm grip on the hair without burning the skin in the process. Hold the skin taut just before pulling the wax strip, and pull the strip in the direction opposite to that of hair growth.

Thinking Long-term

Most women are content with using short term hair removal methods such as waxing, epilation and shaving. But you might want a permanent hair removal solution, after using which you never have to look at body hair ever again. In that case, you might consider a more permanent solution such as Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment, which works by emitting a broad spectrum of light on the skin. This light is absorbed by the pigment of your hair, and it ends up killing the hair cells right at the follicle level.^[6] Though IPL sounds like a high-maintenance, expensive solution, it actually isn’t if you consider that there are many at-home IPL devices now widely available in cosmetic stores and pharmacies. But it does have its cons – since the technology is based on the presence of hair pigment, its working can be less effective on individuals with darker skin or with fair, thinner hair.

Removing unwanted body hair is part of many people’s beauty routines. But when it comes to tackling areas of thicker hair on the body, a number of easy hair removal solutions can help you overcome this regularly embarrassing grooming challenge.

 

[1] https://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13917/1/Relation-Between-Ethnicity-and-Hair-Types.html

[2] https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/hirsutism/Pages/causes.aspx

[3] https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/hair-removal/hair-removal-creams2.htm

[4] https://www.helpforhairremoval.com/hair-removal-for-thick-hair.shtml

[5] https://www.waxing.org/heres-listing-the-basic-differences-between-hot-and-cold-wax-for-a-fruitful-waxing-session/

[6] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/does-ipl-hair-removal-really-work/