6 Ways to Remove Unwanted Body Hair

Although I hate to admit it, I'm extremely self-conscious about embarrassing and unwanted facial hair.

My one advantage is that most of the facial hair is blonde and fair, which means it's not very apparent from far away. It is very noticeable up close though, and I've always had a few stubborn long coarse hairs that stand out.

Because I was so self-conscious about it, I decided to research ways to remove unwanted body hair so I could resolve the problem and feel better about myself.

If you're feeling self-conscious about unwanted body hair, please know that you aren't alone. Here are 6 great ways to remove unwanted body hair, and the pros and cons of each one!

Tweezing

For most of my life, I've relied on tweezing to manage my unwanted facial hair. I've always heard that tweezing makes your hairs grow back darker and thicker, and even though that seems to be a myth, it sure seems like it's true!

What might be true though, is that tweezing stimulates hair growth. If you're trying to tweeze to control unwanted hair, this might be counterproductive.

I tried only tweezing the dark, coarse ones, but the blond coarse ones were always still there, taunting me. I didn't want to tweeze them because I didn't want to make things worse.

Shaving

I've always heard never to shave your face because it makes the hairs grow back faster and thicker. Although not exactly true, the blunt edges of the shaved hairs to make them appear thicker.

I have never shaved my face, but I do shave my legs and armpits. I think it is a good method for these areas, even though I do get razor burns around my bikini line.

Depilatory

Depilatories are hair removal creams. The limitations with using cream to manage unwanted body hair is that they can be expensive, and they have an awful smell.

I tend to shy away from this method of removing unwanted body hair because I do not like waiting for 15-20 minutes with this nasty cream on my body. I also have found that the cream does not remove all of the hairs. When the hair is thicker it takes longer than the recommended time, and sometimes doesn't even work at all.

Waxing

Waxing has a reputation for being painful, and it lives up to this. With waxing the hair on your body is ripped off with hot wax and strips of paper. Think of pulling giant bandaids off your leg over and over again, and this is what waxing is like.

The plus side of this method is that the hair doesn't appear coarser after a waxing session. It also takes a longer time for the hairs to grow back, as they are pulled out at the root.

Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is sometimes advertised as a permanent method of hair removal, but in actuality, it is a method of hair reduction, not permanent removal. On the plus side, it does reduce hair growth by up to 90%, which in most cases really does help the problem.

The major downside of using laser hair removal to manage unwanted body hair is that it only works on very particular hair and skin types. It only works if your skin is light and your hair is dark. The darker your skin is, the less likely this treatment method is to work. The contrast is also true, the lighter your hair is, the less likely it is to work as well.

Because my facial hair is super light, this method is not likely to work on me. In addition, laser hair removal can be painful.

Electrolysis

electrolysis is the only FDA approved method of permanent hair removal. It works on all hair and skin types. However, it's not an easy fix. It can take years of sessions to remove all of the hair.

As this is the method that I have chosen to remove my unwanted hair, I will write a full hub on the pros and cons of this method as I have experienced it.

The different methods of hair removal all serve their purposes. Some are cheap and easy, some are expensive, painful, and time consuming. The method you chose depends on a few questions. How much money are you willing to spend on it? Are you looking for a permanent solution, or will you be satisfied with a temporary solution? What is your skin type? How much pain are you willing to endure?

In the end, you must decide which method is the best for your situation.