Body Hair Removal - How to Remove Body Hair

Unwanted body hair has always been a problem for girls, women and men too. But first of all, let's study the different types of hair which is present on our body.

• Vellus Hair: Hair which is fine, short and barely noticed in comparison to terminal hair is called vellus hair and it is not affected by hormones. It is seen mostly in women and children.
• Terminal Hair: Terminal hair is coarse, thick, dark and long. This type of hair is mostly seen on the face, chest, abdomen, legs, arm and feet of males and is affected by hormones.
• Lanugo Hair: It is basically fetal hair and begins to grow after three months of the baby's conception. The soft and fine hair grows all over the baby's body and also at the same rate. Babies who are born prematurely have soft hair. These are shed about four weeks before the baby is due.
• Hirsutism: Sometimes women suffer from excessive hair growth which is similar to the male pattern of hair growth like the moustouche and the beard. The hair is thicker than usual on the limbs. It may occur due to the polycystic ovary syndrome or due to certain medications.

Now coming back to how to remove body hair; techniques galore. Some of the popular methods of removing body hair are:

1. Shaving: It is the cheapest and by far, the easiest way to remove hair from body. You can do shaving on your own and need not visit a salon. Your shaving kit must have a razor, a shaving cream/shower gel and a hot running shower. But body hair removal through shaving is not long lasting, let alone permanent. Hair grows back within hours and prolonged shaving may make your hair rough and coarse.
2. Waxing: Though, waxing is one of the most painful methods, some women swear by it. One of the many advantages of waxing is that it slows down the process of hair regrowth and also helps in removing dead skin cells. It takes 3 to 8 weeks for hair to grow back. In this procedure, heated wax is applied on an unwanted patch of hair, then a soft cloth is placed over the area and is yanked off in the opposite direction. Be careful not to overheat the wax or you may burn yourself badly. Removing body hair through waxing requires hair to be 1/8 of an inch long to get the maximum effect.
3. Depilatory Creams: It is also one of the quickest and the cheapest methods to remove body hair. These creams contain chemicals which have alkali and they burn the protein structure of the hair. Here also, hair needs to be of certain length to get the maximum effect and lasts up to 7 days. But depilatory creams may also induce third degree burns and skin rashes.
4. Electrolysis: If you want to remove body hair permanently, electrolysis might be a good option for you. But electrolysis is very expensive and may require a number of sittings. The process involves a combination of heat and electricity that destroys hair follicles.
5. Laser: It is another permanent hair removal procedure. Many women reported that upto 80% of their hair disappeared after two visits which proves that it is quite effective. But laser hair removal is also pretty expensive and painful and may require a series of treatments.

These are a few regular procedures to remove body hair. Some of the unconventional methods are:

• Threading - If you want to shape your eyebrows and remove some of the unwanted hair in your upper lip or chin area, you can go for threading. Even the smallest and the thinnest of hairs are removed by it but it is quite painful.
• Bleaching - It is not exactly a hair removal method but helps to make the hair less noticeable. The process involves applying a chemical in the desired area to remove pigmentation.
• Plucking - A pair of tweezers is required for the purpose. It is quite effective but can be very time consuming.
• Sugar Waxing - It is similar to the process involving heated wax with the exception that here a caramel-like substance is spread on the skin. This sugary substance is also easier to rinse off in water.

Improvements are being made everyday which means that you no longer have to be content with stubbly legs. But before that, do try some of these techniques of the removal of body hair at home or get it done professionally because there is nothing like the feeling of soft, smooth and silky skin.