Many women would gladly pay for a thick mane of hair on their heads. But when it comes to body hair, it can be a different story altogether. Here is a look at why we are all different when it comes to our body hair, and you can find some hair removal solutions that might just get to the root of the problem.
A Common Cosmetic Concern
The appearance of thick, dark body hair is a common issue, even in women. As with many other physical traits, heredity and ethnicity can play a role in the thickness and color of our body hair[1]. In addition, the nature of our body hair can also be affected by hormone levels leading to differences between men and women, and from one individual to the next.[2]
A Short-Term Solution
If you are uncomfortable about the appearance of thick body hair, quick solutions such as shaving and depilatory creams can offer effective short-term results. Both of these methods can be incorporated easily into your grooming routine, even while taking a shower. However, due to the nature of thicker body hair, depilatory creams could be the better solution. Because shaving cuts directly across the thick hair, regrowth can feel coarse and brittle. Depilatory creams, like Veet® In Shower Hair Removal Cream, dissolve the hair just at the skin’s surface, giving even the thickest hairs a smoothed tip, making regrowth less visible for a longer amount of time than shaving would.[3]
Getting to the Root
Worrying about hair removal every other day might not be ideal for everyone. In this case, you may wish to look into waxing, which is just as effective on thick hair as it is on finer body hair, and the hair removal may last up to four weeks. However, because thick hair is more firmly rooted in the skin, this can be a more painful measure if not done correctly[4]. The good news is that there are many steps you can take to make waxing as pain-free as possible. Choosing a hot wax, such as Veet® Botanic Inspirations Warm Sugar Wax, is a good place to start. Hot waxes slightly open up the skin’s pores, making removal less painful than with cold methods.[5] Exfoliating and sprinkling talcum or baby powder beforehand helps to ensure that the wax gets a firm grasp of each hair, avoiding any dead skin in the process. It is also very important to hold the skin taught while you are pulling away the wax, making sure to work against the direction of growth.
Thinking Long-term
If you are confident that you would rather say farewell to thick body hair, it might be time to investigate a more permanent solution. Intense Light Pulse (IPL) treatment works by emitting a broad spectrum of light. This light is attracted to the pigment of your hair, killing the hair cell right at the follicle.[6] It may sound like an expensive solution, but in fact, at-home IPL devices are now widely available in cosmetic stores. Veet® InfiniSilk™ Pro is designed for easy home use, and it even features a precision cartridge for tackling more precise areas such as the face. If you’d like to make waxing and shaving a thing of the past, then you may wish to consider an IPL device of your own. Since this technology is based around pigment of the hair, its results can be less thorough on individuals with darker skin or with fair-colored hair.
Taming unwanted body hair is part of many people's beauty routines. But when it comes to tackling areas of thicker hair, this can be an embarrassing grooming challenge. Luckily, there are a number of solutions to this common beauty concern.
[1] http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/13917/1/Relation-Between-Ethnicity-and-Hair-Types.html
[2] http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/hirsutism/Pages/causes.aspx
[3] http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/beauty/hair-removal/hair-removal-creams2.htm
[4] http://www.helpforhairremoval.com/hair-removal-for-thick-hair.shtml
[5] http://www.waxing.org/heres-listing-the-basic-differences-between-hot-and-cold-wax-for-a-fruitful-waxing-session/
[6] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/does-ipl-hair-removal-really-work/
