How Do Hair Removal Products Work?

Products That Depilate

Razors and chemical depilatory creams are the most temporary forms of hair removal, removing hair from the surface of the skin but not below it. The most common method of depilation is the razor, which uses a sharp metal blade to shave the hair from the skin. Depilatory creams and lotions, such as Nair and Veet, are simply a method of chemical shaving. These dissolve the hair proteins using a chemical called thioglycolate, according to the cosmetic scientists behind The Beauty Brains website. Shaving and depilatory creams are inexpensive and yield expedient results. However, because the hair follicle is depilated rather than epilated (removed below the skin), results can last only a few hours or up to a few days. Those with dark, coarse body hair may appear to have a "five o'clock shadow" even right after they shave or use a cream depilatory.

Products That Epilate

Products that epilate work by removing hair follicles from the root, ensuring a hair-free zone that can last up to two months, depending on an individual's rate of hair growth. Epilation can be performed using a variety of products and tools. Tweezers are most commonly used to remove hair follicles around the brow area one at a time. Epilators, on the other hand, are electric or battery-operated hand-held devices comprised of rows of rotating blades that yank multiple hair follicles out by the root.
Waxing and sugaring--two common services offered by spas and salons--can also be performed at home through use of drugstore waxing or sugaring kits. To remove hair, a thin layer of warm wax is applied to the skin, a cloth or paper strip applied and quickly removed, taking hair follicles out by the root. Sugar gels are used similarly, but are applied to the hair and peeled off with the fingers. Waxing and sugaring both have a certain degree of difficulty and may not be the optimal choice for DIY-ers with no prior experience using these hair removal products. When done incorrectly, hair can break off at skin level; waxing can result in burning and skin irritation, particularly if done repeatedly.

Home Electrolysis

Home electrolysis devices--not to be confused with electric tweezers, which the scientists at The Beauty Brains assure us are scams--are a viable way to remove hair. In fact, electrolysis is the only method approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that can remove hair permanently after a number of treatments. The process of electrolysis involves slipping a slender probe through the skin's surface next to the hair root and delivering a quick electric jolt to kill the root. Most of the time, electrolysis is performed by a skilled, certified electrologist, as this method of hair removal can result in bleeding, infection and even scarring.
Home electrolysis devices are therefore for those who are steady of hand and sticklers for sterility. They work best on areas of the body where hair can be clearly seen, such as the legs and bikini line, but using them to remove hair on the face requires a reverse hand direction and use of mirrors, making removing facial hair impractical and dangerous. While home electrolysis devices can work, The Beauty Brains cites many downsides of this particular hair removal product, including potential skin damage, heightened pain, and an excessive amount of time to treat a small area of the body.

Home Laser Hair Removal

In late 2008, the FDA approved two hand-held laser hair removal devices, the Silk'n and the Tria, for at-home use. Laser hair removal, according to the FDA, is not a permanent way to get rid of hair, but rather, a way to reduce hair and keep regrowth nominal. A laser beam is directed at a cluster of hair follicles and heats the roots to destroy them without damaging the skin. Laser hair removal is most effective when hair is in the active stage of growth.
While laser hair removal services offered by professionals can yield 80 percent permanent hair reduction in those who are best candidates for this method, home laser hair removal devices purport to remove 50 to 70 percent of hair after five treatments, with ongoing maintenance required. Home laser hair removal devices cannot be used on the face. It must be noted that both professional services and home laser hair removal devices work most effectively in people who are considered best candidates: those with fair skin and dark, coarse hair.

What Products Won't Remove Hair

In addition to electric tweezers, there are an abundance of products that purport to remove hair that make dubious claims. Although there is a prescription topical cream called Vaniqa that does reduce hair growth, over-the-counter creams and lotions that purport to retard hair growth aren't likely to work, nor are dietary and nutritional supplements or special foods. Before you invest in a hair removal product with claims too good to be true, see what The Beauty Brains have to say about it in their Beauty Skepticism blog series (see Resource link below).