For a hair free body
For years women have been fighting hard to get rid of their unwanted body hairs. Now men have also joined the league. Now a days there are several ways of removing the hair. But to choose the one that suits you best, it is essential to know your skin first and the proper procedure of application of these methods. Some commonly used methods are:
Bleaching
: Though bleaching is not a hair removing method still one can use a bleach to lighten the hair colour of an area which has very less but dark coloured hair. It helps to make the hair less visible by making them lighter in colour.
Shaving:
Shaving is done with the help of a disposable razor or razor with disposable blades or electric shavers. All you require is to apply a moisturizing agent like water, shaving gel, liquid soap, shower gel on the hair before shaving. Too often shaving lead to cuts, burning sensation or a bumpy skin. As it only cuts the hair shafts off the skin so it’s a temporary arrangement. In a short time the hair shaft may be more noticeable as it grows with a blunt tip instead of the normal tapered tip. However, using razor doesn’t make hair shaft thicker, darker, or grow faster or slower.
Physical hair removal techniques
- Plucking, Waxing, Sugar waxing: Physical hair removal involves pulling the hair out of the skin. This procedure delays the hair growth because the hair has to rise to the level of the skin surface to be visible. However, repeated use of this method may hurt the hair follicle and make it inactive enough to produce hair any further. Plucking is an inexpensive but lengthy method of hair removal as it involves pulling out each hair one by one with the help of a tweezer. More over hair should be long enough to be held by a tweezer. In waxing warm wax is spread (in the direction of the hair growth) over the area with unwanted hair. It is then allowed to cool so that the hair gets stuck in the wax, then the wax is removed with the help of a strip pulling it against the growth of the hair. It is a painful method and often an expensive one when done by professionals. It often makes the skin inflamed, bumpy and rough. But this method delays the hair growth by 3 to 5 weeks. One should also take caution that the wax is not hot enough to burn the skin. In sugar waxing like the traditional method of waxing, the sugary substance is spread over the hairy area then a cloth or paper strip is pressed against the substance. The strip is then pulled against the direction of the hair growth pulling the hair out along with it. The main advantage of using this method is that the remaining sugar can easily be rinsed off from the body with water.
Depilatories
: Depilatories in form of hair removal creams and gels contains a chemical called thioglycolate, which is used to loosen the disulfide bonds, which are chemical bonds that hold skin and hair cells together. The hair cream is applied on the area with unwanted hair, left for not more than 10 minutes then when the hair dissolves and turns into a jelly like substance; it is wiped away using damp cotton or washed off with luke warm water. It can produce allergic reactions so it has to be tested first on a small area of the skin at least 48 hours before using it on the hairy area. It also has got a bad odor.
Electrolysis
: Hair removal with electrolysis involves burning the hair roots by applying electric current to the hair follicles with the help of a needle. This method has got certain setbacks like it is difficult to get a trained technician. As each hair is treated individually hence it is time consuming, the treatment can take up to 18 months. It’s a permanent but painful method and the side effects can include pain, infection, hyper pigmentation, or hypo pigmentation.
Laser
: In this technique the light ray of various wavelengths, energy output, and pulse widths is directed through your skin to the hair follicle to stop growth of the hair. It is not a permanent solution and works best for skin with lighter colours and dark coloured hairs. Under this treatment the hair can take up to 6 months to reappear. Laser treatments for hair removal must be repeated. It’s also a very expensive treatment. It seems that laser treatment retards the regrowth of new hair without causing permanent destruction to all hair follicles.
Prescription treatment
: The topical drugs like eflornithine are often prescribed for making the facial hair light. It can cause side effects like acne, inflamed skin etc. Often doctors provide antiandrogen drugs to remove the hair. Androgen is the main hormone responsible for hair growth. Application of antiandrogen blocks the production of this hormone and reduces the appearance of unwanted hair.