The Pros & Cons of Different Types of Hair Removal Options
Introduction to Pros & Cons of Hair Removal Options
As we head into brighter days and warmer weather, the summer dresses and shorts come out, and so do your legs, arms… Really, everything! Getting ready for bikini and speedo season means hair removal for a lot of us. However, there are so many different ways to remove hair. What is considered the best hair removal option for one person, may not work for the other.
In this article, we’ll get down and dirty - going through the pros and cons of all the different hair removal options, and we’ll make some recommendations on what areas might benefit best from each method.
Specifically, we’ll look at the following types of hair removal options:
Shaving
Plucking
Depilatory Creams
Hot Waxing
Sugaring
Threading
Epilator
IPL
Laser Hair Removal
Electrolysis
If you get through this article and decide to break up with your razor, we hear you. At Elegance Studios, we offer laser hair removal, electrolysis, and waxing sessions to help get you ready for the summer season!
Shaving
Shaving is the tried and true, most common hair removal option. Using a razor either dry or in the shower, you glide the blade against the direction of hair growth, using moisturizers or shaving cream to limit irritation. Once you’ve shaved, it will stay looking fresh for one to three days depending on how fast your hair grows back.
Pros: Razors are easy to find, can be inexpensive and it’s quick to do!
Cons: Razors have some cons. They tend to dry out and irritate the skin, which is especially seen in the winter when cold air tends to be damaging. Additionally, depending on the areas you’re targeting with that blade, you can increase the risk of razor bumps and irritation (ex: groin area needs extra care if you go down there!)
Plucking
Plucking is an excellent hair removal option when you’re targeting areas like your eyebrows. If you tried plucking your leg hairs you might be up all night! The only tool you need is your tweezers and some patience and make sure you pluck light! Plucking can also increase the longevity of your waxing treatments - you can use tweezers to pull the little hairs that spring up ahead of the others.
Pros: Great for small areas, it’s very accurate and you can control the shape you’re creating easily. As you are removing the entire hair, it’ll take a while for it to grow back.
Cons: It’s slow, painful, and can damage the follicle - remember the thin eyebrow phase in the mid-2000s? That intensive plucking resulted in permanent hair removal for some! If you do decide to pluck, just make sure you go lightly while you figure out the perfect shape for your face
Depilatory Creams
Have you looked in wonder at that bottle of Nair at the supermarket, and wondered if that weird chemical cream is worth it? We are here to help quell that curiosity! Depilatory creams are meant to dissolve the hair up to the surface of the skin, so when used exactly as instructed they are safe and effective. They also remove dead skin that can cause razor bumps, although it is recommended to wait until the end of your shower to apply, as softer hair melts off more easily.
Pros - Very little effort required - apply, wait, and remove! You can get a variety of different formulations that can exfoliate and re-moisturize afterward.
Cons - Can burn the skin, can cause reactions - you’ll have to be very careful that you use it in the right areas, read the instructions, and spot test to make sure you don’t have any allergies!
Hot Waxing
Hot waxing sounds a lot scarier than it is and should be called “warm waxing” in all honesty. We warm the wax in a special pot (it almost looks like a little crockpot) before applying it in small strips. As the wax cools, it grabs the hair and holds it tightly.
A professional will pull against the direction of growth in order to remove the hair all the way down to the follicle. After everything looks smooth, an aftercare moisturizer is applied to prevent irritation, and it’s recommended to hold off exercising for the day to ensure you don’t anger your pores.
Pros: If you go to a professional, it’s quick, reduces bumps, and limits reactions that may come from shaving or using creams. Additionally, you can go a month without needing to be waxed again, especially if you pluck the stray hairs that can spring up before the rest of your hair grows in.
Cons: It is definitely more painful than the average hair removal option. It also takes some time as you have to travel to your appointment, and there needs to be some hair growth before treatment can happen again.
Sugaring
Sugaring is a very old technique that has grown in popularity over the last few years. It contains three ingredients: sugar, water, and lemon juice, and when combined in the perfect ratios become a gel-like substance when heated. It is applied to the skin and sticks only to the hair, making it less painful than waxing.
Pros: Can be gentler than other treatment methods, won’t dry out like wax so it can be applied to larger areas, and can lead to permanent hair removal over time.
Cons: Very few salons will do this treatment, and it’s tricky to get the consistency right to be effective meaning it can’t be done at home.
Threading
Threading originated in India, Iran, and central Asia as a hair removal option and has grown in popularity over the years. Like plucking, it’s an accurate way to remove hairs in small areas and is typically used on eyebrows or other areas of the face. Using a twisted thread several hairs can be removed at a time and an appointment can take as little as fifteen minutes.
Pros: If you visit a professional, threading is quick, easy, and more accurate than waxing.
Cons: Threading can be painful and needs to be done by a professional - however, the speedy process definitely makes up for a lot of the drawbacks here!
Epilator
An epilator is an automated, handheld device that mechanically pulls the hairs out while you glide it up against the direction of hair growth. An epilator is not as effective as waxing as a hair removal option as it only removes hair from the surface, while waxing pulls out the entire root. If you are looking for a facial epilator, there are manual options that can help you get those delicate areas and preserve your eyebrow shape.
Pros: An epilator is a device that can be used at home, meaning there are fewer trips to the salon, and the treatment lasts two to three weeks.
Cons: It is definitely the most painful type of hair removal. Using a rechargeable device that’s waterproof can help with the pain as you can use it in the shower when hair is softer. You can try numbing creams to help offset the pain as well. Facial epilators are the cheapest option, while body epilators can be $130+, which is a big investment for something that may be too painful to use again.
IPL - Intense Pulsed Light
Intense pulsed light machines are either at home or in-salon treatment that use a broad spectrum of light in order to target the melanin in the hair and have a variety of clinical applications. Essentially, the light transfers heat energy to the hair follicle, causing damage that may become permanent over time. IPL requires multiple treatments to be effective, depending on how stubborn your hair is.
Luckily, it can treat larger areas as broad-spectrum light spreads more than laser will. This may result in quicker treatment sessions and may be cheaper overall.
Pros: Can be done at home or in a salon and after the initial treatment phase it’s only done every 6-8 weeks for maintenance and can result in permanent hair removal.
Cons: It only works on dark hair/light skin (so the device can detect the difference between skin and hair), and it’s expensive to invest in an at-home system that may or may not work. If you decide to try this route, make sure to do your research! Before choosing a device, make sure to check to see it’s safe and effective and will work on your skin.
Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal and electrolysis work differently to damage the hair follicle - slowing hair growth after multiple treatments. Laser hair removal uses mild radiation through high heat lasers to do this damage, and when hair grows back it’ll be lighter and finer than before.
Pros: Laser hair removal is fantastic as a hair removal option - especially if you have light skin and dark hair, as it is easier for the machine to detect hair. If you’re ready to commit to the sessions, it can have a lasting impact on your beauty routine.
Cons: If you have darker skin or very light hair this treatment will be less effective. Additionally, the costs can be a barrier. Luckily, our laser services are not priced as a package and instead are per session.
This means you can try laser hair removal and see how your body reacts without investing $2000 in a multi-session program. It also means you can purchase the sessions that your skin needs and add more if you see hair growth.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis and laser hair removal are often compared as approaches to long-term hair removal options. Electrolysis works by inserting an epilator device into the skin and transmitting shortwave radio frequencies that destroy the hair follicle. Like laser hair removal, it takes multiple sessions in order to achieve lasting results but is approved by the FDA in the United States for permanent hair removal.
Pros: Electrolysis is the only FDA-approved solution for long-term hair removal, and is less painful than using an epilator.
Cons: Electrolysis cannot be used on as large of an area as laser therapy, and will therefore require more sessions for treatment as a hair removal option. It’s expensive as it requires multiple treatments but like laser hair removal we also price per session, meaning it’s a lot more affordable depending on your needs.
Conclusion to Hair Removal Option Pros & Cons
In this guide, we broke down a number of different methods of hair removal options in order to give the big picture of what’s out there on the market.
We started with a number of at-home methods, including the epilator, shaving, creams, and plucking - all great options when you need a quick fix, but can be really hard on your skin.
We considered some of the salon treatments available and what areas of the body they’re best used for, like threading for the eyebrows and facial hair, and hot waxing for other areas like your legs and bikini line.
Finally, we went over some of the benefits of long-term hair removal like electrolysis and laser treatments, which offer really promising and lasting results if you fit the criteria.
Ultimately, for the at-home hair removal options, we prefer shaving to some of the other methods, as it is less traumatic on the skin. Although, if you get the instructions just right - creams offer a lot of promise for easy removal that can still protect the skin.
At the salon, we prefer hot waxing to sugaring treatments as they’re more readily available and easier to mix for effective use, and we like threading treatments for the facial area for their ability to be both quick and accurate. We loved both of the long-term hair removal treatment options because when both are available for clients, it means all skin and hair types can get lasting results.
At Elegance Studio we recognize that each person has preferences for their skin, so we offer a wide range of hair removal services to cater to everyone who comes through the door. From hot waxing to laser hair treatments and electrolysis, we have what you need to be ready for bikini season! If you have questions about any of our treatments and what will work best for your body’s unique needs, get in touch! We love hearing from you.