Are You A Hairy Girl?

Stop freaking out and learn all you can do to get rid of your body hair!

All the methods described below, actually do four things: cover, cut, remove or permanently stop hair.  Some involve pain, others are easy, some are more invasive while others expensive. You get to choose which is best for you.

But first, has it ever crossed your mind......that you might be a bit exaggerating and worrying too much?

You should be absolutely certain that you see the problem in its actual size and extend. Meaning, that you do have a big hair problem and that you don’t overreact.

That there’s nothing wrong with your hormones that pills can’t fix. That you shouldn’t worry so much because most guys like you hairy.

And lastly,  that whatever you do, you never get rid of hair.

So, save time, money and worries by reading a few important tips before you do anything to stop your gross face and body hair

Having said that, it is time to see what you can do about your body hair. So, let’s:

THE EASIEST WAYS… that might trick the eyes but not his touch

1. Discoloring (or Coloring your hair)

A very popular way to make less visible or even hide your hairy bits is to discolor them by bleaching with peroxide, chemical dyes or -according to the natural recipes lovers - you can also try lemon, german chamomile, chamomile and a few other natural ways that really work. The discoloring or coloring method is mostly used for small parts of the face or the body or for hairs that are not too strong.

Frequency: Every two weeks or more. It has to do with how fast your hair grows.

Pros:

• easy
• costs very little

Cons:

• in case of peroxide or chemicals, they might cause some kind of irritation so make sure your skin tolerates them with a test before you apply to your hair
• in case of chemicals or peroxide, your hair might turn stronger or rougher
• in case of lemon, peroxide or whatever contains acids and chemicals, it might also discolor your skin especially with combination to sun exposure right afterwards

2. Makeup

Many women are using makeup to cover extra - mainly facial - hair. It is a very popular and easy way to deal with hair while most foundation products will do as long as their coverage is sufficient.
Frequency: Every time you wish to cover your hair.

Pros:

• instant and painless
• costless
• very easy

Cons:

• not that successful, especially if your hair is terminal aka too strong or recently cut and sticking out straight from your skin

THE EASY WAYS… that you may need to do all the time, forever but will give you great and instant results.

1. Shaving

Frequency: Most women need to shave once a week or every other week. For a hairy girl though, this is a ritual that you will have to do at least twice a week, especially at summer because the heat helps hair grow faster.

Pros:

• It is instant and easy especially for a short notice call to go swim
• it doesn’t involve pain if done correctly or if your skin is not too sensitive
• it also works as a great scrub removing dead cells and keeping your skin smooth and clean

Cons:

• It could include some pain and irritation if you do it that often or you have a very sensitive skin, so it would be smart to use some body cream instead of a shaving cream or a soap each time you shave. Buy a cheap scentless body cream and you will have no problem
• It might worsen your hair growth and make your hair darker and stronger. Especially in areas that are greatly affected by hormones such as your face, armpits and pubic area
• the sense between shaves is really annoying and sometimes itchy especially at summer with all the sweat
• it might cause you serious infections and skin problems if you share razors with others. Always, always use your own razors

2. Chemical Depilatories

These are chemical creams, gels or lotions that you can apply to your skin and get rid of all hair from the specific area you applied it, in just a few minutes.

The chemicals weaken the hair and you can then easily scrape it off from your skin. The results are exactly as with shaving since this method too cuts the visible part of the hair from the skin.

Frequency: whenever you like!

Pros:

• it is very easy and painless
• it is fast and doesn’t irritate the skin if used often as razors do
• it can be done on the go, like in the office or your car in very urgent cases

Cons:

• some leave a bad scent so check it before you buy
• it might discolor your skin especially if combined with sun exposure right afterwards. Test first
• the chemicals might cause irritations to your skin or worse, so never ever use a chemical depilatory without testing to a small part of your skin first.

THE NOT -THAT- HARD WAYS
...that involve some pain and demand more of your time but eventually the problem may become smaller and the frequency of hair growth may decrease

1. Tweezers

This amazing eyebrow plucking tool is also very handy for all body and face hair as long as we are talking about a hair or two. For more, believe me, it’s exhausting.  :P

Frequency: For a hairy girl it’s almost once a week as long as the hair is long enough for tweezers to pluck.

Pros:

• easy and fast
• can be done everywhere

Cons:

• includes some pain depending of course on the area you are plucking
• if hair is not too long or you don’t do it carefully, you might break it instead of removing it from the roots which basically means that it will grow back faster, if not rougher
• you may easily pull out nearby invisible soft hair by accident and if done often, turn it into terminal hair too

2. Waxing

Either with bees wax or sugar wax, this method is known to women from ancient years. It requires some skill but it is considered to be relatively easy and effective.

Frequency: Once every other week which in time becomes less often

Pros:

• it is the most popular and easy method, especially for bigger areas of your body
• it leaves your skin smooth as if you scrubbed it
• in time it turns hair softer and lighter

Cons:

• includes some pain depending on the area you want to wax but in time, hair becomes softer and it doesn’t hurt at all or at least not much
• it might cause redness and/or irritation
• in time it may cause sagging skin because of the repeated pulling plus the heat (if your waxing method requires hot wax)
• you have to wait until your hair becomes long enough for waxing
• if hair is too short or you don’t do it the correct way, you might break the hair instead of removing it from the roots and it will grow back faster and sometimes stronger
• sometimes, in areas where hair is very very strong - this happens often to men - waxing may cause blood to come out of your pores. Don’t be alarmed, this only happens the first time, your hair gets a lot softer for the next session. Just wax with very clean hands or rubber gloves and keep the  area clean too. You may also apply some alcohol right afterwards although it might hurt a bit. Ice cubes before and after, will help you a lot with pain and redness
• it is considered to be messy because it makes your hands sticky while afterwards you may need to wash or apply specific oils in order to remove the wax

3. Epilators

These are electrical devices which remove hair. They work like a bunch of tweezers that simultaneously pluck hair from any part of your face or body.

This is ideal for large surfaces too and it is less expensive since you have to buy it once, or at least once every 3-5 years depending on the use and model.

Frequency: Just as with waxing you need to do it once every other week which in time becomes less often.

Pros:

• it is not messy. You don’t have to wash afterwards
• you may do it on the go like in your care or in the office

Cons:

• it is fast (depending on the device of course) but not as fast as waxing
• it has an irritating sound and in some cases, it’s loud
• it needs extra hygiene precautions because since it can be used in many parts of your body it may carry germs and cause you infections - be careful about this one, my best friend’s legs where full of huge zits for at least 5 years before she found out it was due to her stupid epilator. Take the plug out and rub it with alcohol before, during (from a body part to another) and after each use!
• some epilators don’t work with batteries so you can’t use them everywhere unless there is a plug nearby
• if the plug cord is short then it can be a big problem

THE HARD AND/OR EXPENSIVE WAYS

...that will help you get rid of your gross hair if not for good then for a very long time.

These methods greatly reduce or permanent remove your hair and you will never have to fight with extra face or body hair ever again. If you are lucky. In case you aren’t, it surely won’t be in the exact same area or it will at least be a very long before you see them again.

Laser or Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

With the use of laser or pulsed light, doctors or specialized professionals target and permanently remove or reduce your hair.

This happens by shooting a single wavelength of light (laser) or a flash of light that contains hundreds of wavelengths (IPL) to your hair that weakens it and sometimes eliminates it.

Frequency: This is something your doctor or medical professional that treats you can say.

Pros:

• it is tolerable but not painless as most ads say. Laser may hurt a bit more than IPL
• it is fast but also in this case, don’t believe the ads. You can’t get rid of your hair in just one or two visits
• if your skin is fair and your hair is dark then you will have the better, fastest and easiest results because these methods target melanin, the substance that colors our skin and hair. Yes, this means that the more melanin on your skin (or less melanin on your hair)  the less the results
• in most cases, during therapies, you can do whatever you like to your hair. Shave, wax, anything

Cons:

• most studies have shown that these methods don’t permanently remove hair but reduce it up to 60% and sometimes a bit more. I have friends that swear their hair totally disappeared and others that are mad with the fact that it did an 20% reduction at most. The choice is yours but I guess reduction is more than great if you are that hairy. As long as you know what to expect
• your results depend on how powerful is the device that is used on you
• both methods are expensive
• do not try laser or IPL in an unregulated environment because it could be very very dangerous
• your results depend a lot on your age, health, hormones, type and color or skin. So, it’s not the same for all people
• don’t expect any results if your hair is white or grey. They don’t work on hair with so little or no melanin

! Note that the electric needle (electrology), an ‘’ancient’’ method for permanent hair removal is not among the below methods because well, although less expensive, you don’t need to exchange your hair with scars and in such a painful way. Just forget about it.

General Advice To Hairy Girls

• Hair most of the times is related to big pores and excessive sweat and sebum that stays longer on your skin due to the thick hair. Be careful of your hygiene because this is the ideal environment for germs and acne.

• Be also careful of your smell due to the excessive sweat. Have always a deodorant into your bag and freshen up at least twice a day.

• Do not plan anything right after shaving, waxing or doing any of the above methods. You might need at least 2 or 3 hours to let your skin calm especially if you are trying a new method.

• Itching is very common at least for hairy girls, right after hair removal or when hair grows back. Try not to touch your skin because it will make things worse but you will see that if your skin is moisturized the itching will be a lot less and sometimes disappear. Apply lots of moisturizing cream or beeswax balsam all the time to achieve that!

Now, who’s the fairest?