Beauty: Unwanted Hair! What's a girl to do? 12 Options to Get Rid of Unwanted Hair.

Every woman on the planet, if she lives long enough, will experience the dreaded stray hairs on the body and face. It can range from one or two hairs that keep coming back to many hairs in various locations on your body. How do you deal with this? What are the options for hair removal? What are a woman's options to get rid of unwanted hair? Wild and stray hairs are not just a problem for older women, younger women get them, too. The choices for removing these strays are the same no matter what your age.

There are several options for unwanted hair removal. I have tried all but the laser (and laser related treatments), threading, and sugaring, so I feel I can give you a good idea of each option. The results and my opinions are based only on how they worked for me, they may work better or worse for you. Hopefully, this information will help you.

There are a lot of home hair removal recipes and techniques out there to be found. In all honesty, I haven't found one that works all that well. I have seen some things remove some hair, but not a lot of hair and certainly not for very long.

Below you will find all of the options that I am aware of. I have reviewed almost all based on my experience. However, I have not done laser, threading, or sugaring, so I can't give you my thoughts on those treatments. Also, this is only my experience and your experience may be different.

Maybe this will help someone with unwanted hair to find their own personal treatment method:

1. Tweezing: hairs are tweezed, or pulled out, with tweezers or with fingers. This is temporary. The hair returns usually within a week.
2. Waxing: a hot or cold layer of wax is applied and then removed with a fast pull of porous strips from the skin in the direction of the hair growth. This can irritate the skin and at times be painful. It is temporary and the hair returns within a week or two.

1. 1. Shaving: You can shave with a regular razor and shaving cream, or you can use smaller shaving devices such as battery operated shavors or electric shavors. This is temporary and usually the hair returns within a week or two.
   2. Cream Removers: chemicals that dissolve or break down the hair so that it can be “wiped” away with a cotton ball or cloth. They generally have a strong smell of chemicals and sometimes can irritate the skin. This is a temporary treatment as the hair will return in a few days or within a week.

1. 1. Bleaching: applying a treatment that bleaches the color from the hair will not remove the hair but it will make it less noticable. Bleached hair is still there, only lighter. These bleaches can irritate the skin and only lasts for a few days until the hair grows longer.
   2. Electrolysis: This method (after several sessions) produces permanent hair removal. The technician inserts a tiny rod into a hair follicle and an electric shock is delivered to the hair root. The cost of electrolysis is usually charged per hour or half hour, and the average cost is $80 for an hour and $60 for half an hour in my area (you will need to check for the cost in your area). While this is a permanent solution to unwanted hair, it takes at least a year in the same area to get rid of all the hair as it grows in stages. Maintenenance is as needed.

1. 1. Threading: A thin (cotton or polyester) thread is doubled, then twisted. Then it is rolled over areas of unwanted hair, plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing, where single hairs are pulled out one at a time, threading can remove short rows of hair. Cost varies.
   2. Lasers: This treatment is more expensive, but it's considered one of the most effective methods to permanently remove hair. It can be used on any part of your body. The cost for this treatment can be $100 per half hour or $500 plus. Large areas, such as legs, can be done in one session. One side effect for some people is irritation or redness on the area where the hair was removed. Applying ice packs to these areas will ease the pain somewhat. Laser hair removal can remove dark hair, but will not remove lighter hair.
   3. Epilators: mechanical devices that rapidly grasp hairs and pull them out. This is temporary and the hair returns within a few weeks.
   4. Sugaring: hair is removed by applying a sticky paste to the skin in the direction of hair growth and then peeling off with a porous strip. This is temporary and can cause minor skin irritation.
   5. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL): similar to laser with the same effectiveness.
   6. Diode epilation: high energy LEDs. Similar to, but not laser diodes, with the same effectiveness.

If you are plagued with unwanted hair on your body, the first thing you should do is have a doctor rule out an illness or condition. There are some cysts and diseases that can cause hair growth in unwanted places. Get tested and evaluated before deciding on a treatment. The doctor will need to see where and how much hair you have before they can offer a diagnosis.

Let me know if you have any experience with any of these treatments and share in the comments with other readers. I wish I had known when I was younger what I know now, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble and expense.

How do you deal with unwanted hair? Do you use the same treatment for your face as you do your body? What are your thoughts about the treatments I wrote about today? Please share your information and experience.

XOXO