5 Things You Need to Know About Home Hair Removal

1. You Can Shave It

Shaving is the most common method of removing hair. Men have been shaving their facial hair for thousands of years. Women started removing their hair for cosmetic reasons after World War I. Most American woman now shave their underarms and legs daily. For a successful shave, you need a clean razor with a sharp blade. Lathering shaving cream, gel or even soap is important to get your skin ready for a shave. You shouldn't shave dry skin, you're more likely to cut yourself. When your skin is wet, your hair is softer, more pliable and easier to cut. An old wives' tale says that shaving will cause hair to grow back thicker and darker, but that is merely a tale. Shaving doesn't change the color, texture or rate of hair growth.

2. Chemically

Depilatories are basically a chemical razor blade. They come in lotion, cream, gel, roll-on or aerosol forms. They contain a chemical, such as calcium thioglycolate, that dissolves your hair's protein structure which causes it to fall off of the surface of your skin. It's important to follow the directions on the container and do a test before lathering up your entire leg. Test a small section to make sure you don't have a sensitivity or allergic reaction to the depilatory. Depending on the brand, you'll keep the chemical on your skin for between four and 15 minutes. Choose a depilatory that's appropriate for the corresponding part of your body because of sensitivity issues. Some are meant for legs and others for more sensitive areas like your face or bikini line. It's not wise to use depilatories around your eyes or on broken or inflamed skin.

3. Pluck it

Tweezers are considered epilatories because they pluck hairs from beneath the surface of your skin. Tweezing is more painful than shaving or depilatories, but it will take longer for hair to grow back. Hair is plucked out right from the root, so you won't notice hair regrowth for several weeks after treatment. Tweezing is a great solution for small areas, such as between your eyebrows, but isn't practical for large skin surfaces. You may want to numb the area with an ice cube before plucking.

4. Rip it

Waxing is another epilatory. Most women wax their upper lip and eyebrows, but others like waxing bikini area, legs and underarms. Some men also do body waxing, getting their back or chest done. Waxing can be quite painful because you're ripping hair out from the roots. But, at the same time, it eliminates hair that may cause you embarrassment. You can buy epilatory waxes over the counter to use at home. The substances contain wax, fats or oils and a resin to make the wax stick to your skin. There are hot and cold waxes you can buy. Hot wax is heated up, applied to your skin and allowed to cool. It hardens up and you pull it off in the opposite direction of hair growth. Cold waxes work in much the same way. The strips already have wax on them. Simply press them on your skin and pull off in the opposite direction of hair growth.

5. Shock it

Electric current can also remove body hair. Electrical epilators come in two types of devices--tweezers epilator and needle epilator. Needle epilators have a fine wire that's close to the hair shaft. A current runs down the wire and destroys your hair at the root. Each hair is then removed, individually, with tweezers. They are used professionally in electrolysis. But there are home needle epilators available for you to buy. Follow the directions on the label. Experts say you should only self-treat areas that are easy to access, such as legs and arms. Facial hair requires a mirror, which shows your motions in reverse, so leave your face to a professional. Tweezers epilators also use electric current for hair removal but with this device, the tweezers grab your hair close to the skin and send currents down to the hair root. They are supposed to be less painful than needle epilators. You are in danger, with both techniques, of shocking yourself if you touch your skin instead of your hair.