Unwanted hair, that is...
Whether you are trimming, styling, or removing body hair, there are many way to get spa quality results in the privacy of your own home!
1. SHAVING. The classic tried and true (and least expensive) method of grooming, and often the choice for legs and underarms by many women because it is easy and fairly quick, and can be done in the shower during your daily routine. Unfortunately shaving can cause skin irritation and lead to ingrown hair, and actually causes hair to grow back thicker and darker. If you are going to use this method, I really like the SCHICK Quattro TrimStyle Razor & Bikini Trimmer because of its duality of use with a razor on one end and a trimmer on the other.
$10 - Drugstores Nationwide
2. WAXING. A process by which hot wax is spread over the desired removal area with a paper or fabric pressed into the wax. When the wax is cooled, the paper is swiftly pulled away from the skin, taking the hair with it. Unfortunately traditional waxing methods can be very messy and somewhat painful if not done by a professional. The benefit to waxing, however, is that over time, it actually reduces the amount of hair and coarseness, allowing more and more time to pass between treatments. There are some great products out there to make this process easier such as the MOOM Express Pre-Waxed Strips for Face and Bikini, which are simple and effective.
$9 - Folica www.folica.com
3. CHEMICAL. This became an at-home trend very quickly with products like Nair, Nads, and Veet released over the last 20 years, with their effectiveness constantly under debate. The process is all too convenience, and results tend to not be consistent. SURGI CARE makes a fairly good, inexpensive 3-step cream system. If you have very sensitive skin, I would shy away from this method.
$10 - Ulta Beauty www.ulta.com
4. ELECTRICAL. Electrolysis is a process by which each hair is individually removed using an electric impulse, and often done at a professional salon. Now you can get professional results at home with CLEAN + EASY Deluxe Home Electrolysis Kit. The major downsides of this is that it is VERY time consuming and somewhat expensive, and is best used for random stray unwanted hairs than entire large areas.
$38 - Folica www.folica.com
5. LASER. This method involves aiming tiny pulses of light into the follicle to stop hair growth. This is the newest technology, and is generally the most expensive AND the most permanent. While the at-home systems available are not as potent as the spa treatments, and do take some dedication, the long term results speak for themselves. With dedication, you could be permanently rid of ALL unwanted hair within 6 months. If you are ambitious and really want to invest the time and money, try the TRIA Laser Hair Removal System.
$495 - Tria Beauty www.triabeauty.com
6. THREADING. One of the latest salon trends is threading is an ancient Indian method of removing unwanted hair, performed by running a two twisted threads over the selected area and pulling the hairs out in the twist at the follicle. Normally, I wouldn't recommend trying this at home, but KARMISSIE has come out with an amazing at home kit that makes threading EASY, and even comes with an instructional DVD. Though it does take some getting used to, once you get the hang of it, threading is one of the quickest and painless methods of removing hair, especially on the face.
$125 - Karmissie karmissie.com
MY VERDICT:
Legs - Shaving, Waxing, or Laser
Bikini - Waxing
Underarms - Shaving, Electrolysis, or Laser
Face - Waxing or Threading
Whether you are trimming, styling, or removing body hair, there are many way to get spa quality results in the privacy of your own home!
1. SHAVING. The classic tried and true (and least expensive) method of grooming, and often the choice for legs and underarms by many women because it is easy and fairly quick, and can be done in the shower during your daily routine. Unfortunately shaving can cause skin irritation and lead to ingrown hair, and actually causes hair to grow back thicker and darker. If you are going to use this method, I really like the SCHICK Quattro TrimStyle Razor & Bikini Trimmer because of its duality of use with a razor on one end and a trimmer on the other.
$10 - Drugstores Nationwide
2. WAXING. A process by which hot wax is spread over the desired removal area with a paper or fabric pressed into the wax. When the wax is cooled, the paper is swiftly pulled away from the skin, taking the hair with it. Unfortunately traditional waxing methods can be very messy and somewhat painful if not done by a professional. The benefit to waxing, however, is that over time, it actually reduces the amount of hair and coarseness, allowing more and more time to pass between treatments. There are some great products out there to make this process easier such as the MOOM Express Pre-Waxed Strips for Face and Bikini, which are simple and effective.
$9 - Folica www.folica.com
3. CHEMICAL. This became an at-home trend very quickly with products like Nair, Nads, and Veet released over the last 20 years, with their effectiveness constantly under debate. The process is all too convenience, and results tend to not be consistent. SURGI CARE makes a fairly good, inexpensive 3-step cream system. If you have very sensitive skin, I would shy away from this method.
$10 - Ulta Beauty www.ulta.com
4. ELECTRICAL. Electrolysis is a process by which each hair is individually removed using an electric impulse, and often done at a professional salon. Now you can get professional results at home with CLEAN + EASY Deluxe Home Electrolysis Kit. The major downsides of this is that it is VERY time consuming and somewhat expensive, and is best used for random stray unwanted hairs than entire large areas.
$38 - Folica www.folica.com
5. LASER. This method involves aiming tiny pulses of light into the follicle to stop hair growth. This is the newest technology, and is generally the most expensive AND the most permanent. While the at-home systems available are not as potent as the spa treatments, and do take some dedication, the long term results speak for themselves. With dedication, you could be permanently rid of ALL unwanted hair within 6 months. If you are ambitious and really want to invest the time and money, try the TRIA Laser Hair Removal System.
$495 - Tria Beauty www.triabeauty.com
6. THREADING. One of the latest salon trends is threading is an ancient Indian method of removing unwanted hair, performed by running a two twisted threads over the selected area and pulling the hairs out in the twist at the follicle. Normally, I wouldn't recommend trying this at home, but KARMISSIE has come out with an amazing at home kit that makes threading EASY, and even comes with an instructional DVD. Though it does take some getting used to, once you get the hang of it, threading is one of the quickest and painless methods of removing hair, especially on the face.
$125 - Karmissie karmissie.com
MY VERDICT:
Legs - Shaving, Waxing, or Laser
Bikini - Waxing
Underarms - Shaving, Electrolysis, or Laser
Face - Waxing or Threading
