I am not an esthetician by any means. This post is about my experience and knowledge gained from such experiences.
There are multiple ways to remove hair without paying the fortune and taking some risks involved with some of the high-end hair removal techniques. The most common methods are tweezing, threading, waxing, and shaving. Let’s break down the pros and cons of each one.
I’m not going to lie. I’m a hairy mofo. I don’t know who I get it from, I don’t know if it’s hormonal (I’m kind of leaning towards the hormone side) but it sucks and is quite a large heaping spoonful of insecurity for me.
Waxing
Waxing is a quick and cost-efficient method of removing unwanted hair, especially on the face. There are two widely used types of wax; hard and soft. Hard wax is used on more sensitive areas, like on the lips of your vagina when getting a Brazilian wax. Soft wax is used on legs, faces, and underarms—areas that can handle more tug and pull.
One of the most common ingredients in all waxes is pine rosin, which helps the wax harden and bond not only your skin but to the hair follicles and paper as well. When you go in to get waxed, whether facial or body, you always leave with red areas and occasional bleeding. This redness normally subsides about an hour or two after the waxing. The reason for this is that the wax not only pulls out the hair from the follicles but also takes off the top layer of the skin.
Tips for Waxing
- Exfoliate before a wax. This will open up hair follicles, which will make hair removal easier and less painful.
- Wait for hair growth. You should have two to three weeks of hair growth before getting a wax. It is more difficult to remove shorter hair.
- Pick the right wax for your pain threshold. If you are really concerned about pain, you can use hard wax for your face.
- Wash and dry your skin before waxing. The wax will not cling to any oil or moisture.
- Get the right temperature for wax. If you are waxing yourself at home, make sure you have heated wax to the proper temperature. It should ideally be warm. If it’s too cold it won’t spread, and if it’s too hot it will scald.
Pros and Cons of Facial Waxing
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Quick. | It can be painful and tender the whole day after waxing. |
| Inexpensive, especially for upper lips and eyebrows. | Hair has to be 1 cm before it can be rewaxed. |
| Hair grows back finer than before. | It causes redness and sometimes bleeding. |
| Lasts 6 to 8 weeks. | Some are allergic to wax ingredients. |
| It can be done easily at home. | May lead to some patches forming on the skin. |
Threading
Threading is rapidly becoming one of the world’s best and fastest hair removal methods. This technique, developed in the Middle East, is an ancient method. A cotton thread is pulled along unwanted hair in a twisting motion to trap hair in a mini lasso. The hair is then lifted right out of the follicle. Sound painful? Well, to tell you the truth, if it is your first time, it can be a little painful. It’s not that bad. I honestly think waxing hurts more. Threading gets rids of the finest and smallest hairs with ease and doesn’t leave the area extremely swollen or red. It also allows for the sharpest eyebrow form and definition, more so than with tweezing and waxing alone. When you draw lines from the arch to each end, in accordance with your eye, they are perfectly aligned.
Tips for Threading
- Threading should really only be done by an expert. It is recommended that you don’t do it yourself (unless you happen to be an expert) since you will likely damage your skin, mess up your brown, and possibly cause an infection.
- Go into a threading session with clean hands. When you are asked to pull back your skin during a session, any grime and bacteria will come into contact with your skin. This could lead to breakouts or even an infection. Make sure to wash your hands prior to getting threaded.
- Take preparation and aftercare seriously. It can be helpful to exfoliate the skin around your brows prior to a session. This can get rid of dead skin and ingrown hairs, which can help create smooth brows. You should avoid touching the threaded area after a session for about 24 hours. This is because your pores are susceptible to irritation since they are now open. Do not put on any makeup and avoid going to places like swimming pools or saunas.
Pros and Cons of Facial Threading
| Pros | Con |
|---|---|
| Hair can be threaded out earlier than with waxing or tweezing. | It can be more painful than waxing. |
| No redness or swelling. | There can be a long wait in the salon as many don’t take appointments. |
| Inexpensive (about $5 for eyebrows and $30 for full face). | It can lead to breakouts and infection if it’s not done correctly. |
| Quick. Takes 3 to 5 minutes for eyebrows. | Not recommended if you have frequent or heavy acne since the procedure may trigger more acne. |
| Last 6 to 10 weeks. | May lead to a change in skin pigment. |
| Hair grows back finer than before. | It may be difficult to find a skilled practitioner. |
Tweezing
We have all done this, and honestly, it gets rather annoying. The cost is the lowest (the price of a pair of tweezers), but it is extremely time-consuming and can be rather painful, especially if you have never done it before.
If you have never tweezed before, it can be quite an eye-opener. Tweezing takes patience, attention to detail, and some drawing skills. Usually, before you start, you have to first draw the shape you want for your eyebrows with a makeup pencil. From there, you pluck all the unwanted hairs around the drawn line. Now, if you’re not symmetrical in your drawing, you will end up with quite odd-looking eyebrows because they won’t be even.
There will be times, even for some of the best professional tweezers, when they miss the hair and catch the skin instead. This can be rather painful and you may even break the skin.
Tips for Tweezing Hair
- Don’t use an old pair of tweezers. They can be dull, which will make it difficult to grab the hair.
- Tweeze after a shower. Hot water will open your hair follicles and make it easier to grab the hair. You can alternatively use a towel soaked with hot water and apply it to your brows.
- Grab hair at the base. You can potentially break hair if you pull at the end. This could mean having to do multiple painful tugs. You should also try pulling in the direction that the hair is growing.
- Use aftercare for irritation. If your skin becomes irritated after tweezing, use some aloe vera for relief.
Pros and Cons of Tweezing Your Eyebrows
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very inexpensive. | Time-consuming. Not the ideal method for removing lots of hair. |
| No appointment is necessary. | Hair grows back the same texture within a week. |
| The ideal method for removing small amounts of unwanted hair and shaping eyebrows. | Difficult to achieve symmetry. |
| It can easily be done at home. | It can be painful. |
| Lots of control compared to other methods. | It can lead to ingrown hairs and puckered skin if done incorrectly. |
Shaving
We have all done it, whether it was our legs or facial hair. Shaving is probably the worst of these solutions, but it is quick.
If you are not careful, shaving can cause razor burn, a red rash along the shaved area. It’s also easy to nick or seriously cut yourself. Shaving only cuts the hair above the skin, causing the hair to grow back faster and heavier.
The cost of shaving is basically just the replacement blades. This can run upwards of $15, excluding shaving cream. Blades last three to four weeks before they should be replaced. A dull blade is more likely to cut and cause razor burn than a sharp one.
Tips for Shaving Your Face
- Use a man’s razor. Men’s razors are specifically designed for facial hair. They are built to cut through tougher hair and are more durable. This means they have less of a chance of causing irritation.
- Don’t shave during an outbreak. Shaving over acne will potentially cause an infection.
- Don’t use the same razor you use for your legs. Using separate razors is a good way to keep bacteria and dead skin cells away from your face. This will prevent irritation.
- Use oil for sensitive skin. Oil can work as a buffer for your skin. This will prevent your skin from turning red.
Pros and Cons of Face Shaving for Women
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Quick and simple. | Expensive to replace blades regularly if you get a high-end razor. |
| Painless if done correctly | It only removes hair above the skin. This means you will have to shave frequently. |
| No strong chemicals are necessary. | Increases the likelihood of ingrown hairs. |
| It can lead to cuts and razor burn. |
So In The End
You need to decide for yourself which method will work best on you and your hair concerns and especially your budget. I prefer Brazilian wax my bikini and groinal area and threading for my face. I wax my underarms and legs at home, which was the cheapest option for me — even though the legs suck.
