Shaving, depilation with sugar or wax, tweezing, hair removal creams, and laser. All of these methods help get rid of hair temporarily. But do they do more good or harm? How do they differ? What happens to our skin and hair? Shaving, depilation with sugar or wax, tweezing, hair removal creams, laser – all of these methods help get rid of hair temporarily. But do they do more good or harm? How do they differ? What happens to our skin and hair?
Shaving
Probably the most popular method of hair removal covered in myths! In particular, there is a widely spread myth that shaving promotes hair growth and thickens the hair. THIS IS NOT TRUE! If shaving promoted hair growth, there would be no bald men and men with beards. Unfortunately, many men have this problem. So where did this shaving myth come from? Naturally grown hair has a tapered tip, and the tip of shaved hair regrows blunt, so visually the hair can look thicker and coarser than it really is, and then the blame is put not on hormones or depilation, but on the poor razor! If you take a good look at the shaved hair that grew back, you can see that it is thinning at the point of growth. Shaving has absolutely no effect on the structure of the hair that regrows, so even facial hair can be shaved if necessary. This method of hair removal is much safer than depilation or plucking, especially in the facial area.
Depilation
Also tweezing, epilation, and all other methods of hair removal that pull the hair out. During the process of plucking, the hair takes longer to regrow than when shaved, usually with a thinner tip that gets thicker towards the point of growth. Whether wax, sugar, or a tweezer are used, this procedure not only irritates the skin but also activates blood circulation, which can wake up dormant follicles in particularly hormonal areas (upper lip, chin, chest, back, abdomen) and start to grow new hairs there, where they never grew, and the plucked hairs get thicker over time (for example, if a woman constantly plucks the hairs that grow on her chin, they will be more and more of them around; if she waxes her upper lip, the hairs will usually start to grow down towards her chin, getting thicker). Also, the plucked hair often grows under the skin as it starts to grow in a direction that is not natural, which can lead to inflammation.
Depilatory creams
This is probably one of the most dangerous methods of hair removal. Hair removal creams contain acids that “dry” the hair. However, it is not only the hair that is affected but also the skin. Frequent use of these creams will dry out your skin and can also lead to allergies over time. There have been cases where the skin starts to bleed during the hair removal process, so I definitely do not recommend this method of hair removal.
Laser epilation, photoepilation
This method of hair removal was approved on the world market in the 1800s, so it is a very new method of hair removal in comparison. The laser works best when the skin is light and the hair is dark. The laser beam produces a heat wave that acts through the dark hair as a conductor to the follicle and weakens it, so the procedure is most effective for fair-skinned and dark-hair owners. In many cases, the hair falls asleep and regrows in stages, so after the course of procedures is completed, repeated procedures are needed to maintain the effect, on average every six months/year, and it does not remove them permanently, at best it reduces the quantity of hair. This method of hair removal works really well in some cases on body hair. For facial hair of hormonal origin, it is often ineffective, too weak heat wave from the laser impulse can trigger the formation of new hairs, so you may get no effect at all, or the opposite of what you expected (more hairs, more peach fuzz).
So which of these methods is best?
This question is very individual. I have clients who have had amazing results with laser and now we only work on a small amount of hair which we finally kill with electroepilation, so if you have dark hair, fair skin and want to reduce the amount of hair and get faster results on large areas like the arms, legs – laser hair removal can be a temporary solution, but it is best to remove the hair that grew back after the laser course with electroepilation, as in the long run you will get rid of all the unwanted hair permanently, and in the long run you will have a completely hairless area, as in larger areas it is often possible to remove all the hair at once in a single visit because there are several times fewer of them than usual. Otherwise, I recommend shaving, trimming with scissors, or using a shaver, as this is the least damaging way to remove unwanted hair. Use a hair conditioner to make the blade slide through the hair “like through butter” and to reduce irritation to the skin. Don’t forget that ingrown hairs are often caused by a layer of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin, so it is essential to exfoliate the skin after shaving and waxing in order to minimize the number of ingrown hairs. Exfoliate your skin regularly – 1–2 times a week. You can find the products that have worked best for my clients here:
Temporary hair removal methods
Electroepilation can remove any hair, whether thick or thin, light or dark, but what would happen if we had no peach fuzz on our faces?
The human body is covered in hair, but we are mammals and genetics and hormones make these hairs vary in appearance. We have to remember that they have a purpose: the hair on the head keeps the heat in and protects the skull, the eyebrows protect the eyes from sweat, and the eyelashes reduce the amount of direct sunlight and protect the eyes from dust. All of our body hair also has a very important protective function against ultraviolet rays.
Very often, women in particular have that “cursed” magnifying mirror, which makes them annoyed by every longer or darker peach fuzz.
When they come in for a procedure, they say that they have very long and thick hair, but when looking closer it is obvious that they are the only ones who see such hair. We have to remember that from the distance we usually look at ourselves, no one else is looking. If you are wondering whether this hair really needs to be removed and whether it is visible to others, stand in front of a mirror at a distance of 1 meter, which is the distance at which we are usually seen by our family.
Well, what would happen if there was not a single peach fuzz left on your face?
Peach fuzz not only has a protective function but also controls the oiliness of the skin, making normal skin look matt and shine-free. Getting rid of all the peach fuzz would result in a much oilier and shiny face, so removing all the peach fuzz is not advisable and is not recommended.
What would happen if not a single peach fuzz on a face was left?
Hair growth is determined by a key factor – blood circulation. Each hair bulb has its own individual nourishment that triggers the growth process, which is why each person’s hair growth rate is different, determined by our genetics.
However, in my career working with electroepilation, I have noticed that very often it is the left side on which hair grows more intensively and densely.
Electrologists’ answer to this question is simple – on the left side is our heart. Its beats circulate blood throughout the body, so that is why a more intense hair growth process is on the left side.
However, this theory is a fun “rumor” amongst electrologists, because everyone’s body is different, so it’s not a fact, but it sounds fun and logical to me, and maybe one day we’ll find out the truth.
On which side of the body does more hair grow?
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormone imbalance that affects some women throughout their lives.
It is now known that there is no cure for this syndrome (unless it is caused by contraceptive pills and is temporary), but there is a way to relieve the symptoms! Since over 80% of my clients have this syndrome, I decided to find out more about it and I discovered a miraculous drink that I want to share with you!
Polycystic ovary syndrome
SPEARMINT TEA!
Suffering from indigestion, nausea, bloating, or gas?
Spearmint tea can relieve these symptoms.
Spearmint contains a compound that reduces muscle contractions in your intestine. For this reason, drinking the tea will calm the rumbling in your stomach.
Do you struggle with high blood sugar or insulin resistance?
Spearmint tea can help! While no official human studies have been carried out several animal studies have shown that spearmint can significantly reduce hyperglycemia for those who have high blood sugar levels. Spearmint contains substances that have a hypoglycemic effect. As we know, this can be particularly useful for women with PCOS, as insulin resistance is often a major concern and the cause of many adverse symptoms.
Feeling stressed?
In South America, spearmint has traditionally been used to treat stress and insomnia. The tea leaves contain menthol, which relaxes the body. Theoretically, it is stated that spearmint stimulates GABA, the brain-calming amino acid. Studies have shown that spearmint can reduce anxiety and improve sleep.
Try to drink 1–2 cups a day to feel calm and relaxed, of course, you can increase the amount of team if your day is stressful enough.
If you suffer from hirsutism – dark, coarse hair on the face, chest, or abdomen – spearmint tea can help.
For centuries, in Eastern countries, spearmint has been used as an herbal remedy for unwanted hair growth, and now we are beginning to understand why. High levels of androgens (male hormones) have been linked to female hirsutism and inflammatory acne, and spearmint tea can help to reduce these androgen levels. One study showed that women with PCOS who drank two cups of spearmint tea a day for 30 days reported a reduction in facial hair. However, it may take more time to see significant changes in facial hair, so I suggest you try drinking 2 cups a day regularly for at least 3 months.
In 2015, another study by the American Academy of Dermatologists stated that drinking two cups of organic spearmint tea daily reduced the appearance of acne by 25% after one month and 51% after three months. Given these results, spearmint can significantly reduce testosterone and DHT levels, it is thought that taking spearmint supplements or drinking spearmint tea is also an excellent way to treat hormonal and PCOS hair loss.
Spearmint tea is one of the key players when it comes to managing PCOS naturally. This is because it can help restore hormonal balance by reducing elevated testosterone levels.
So something as simple as heating a kettle twice a day can have a big benefit for women with this syndrome! Remember that our hormones like consistency, so if you want to improve your hormonal balance, it is recommended to drink tea regularly for at least 3 months.
Sometimes I find comments like these on the internet. I always have questions:
Were the procedures performed regularly?
How many procedures were performed?
How were the hairs removed before?
For a relatively quick result, you need to keep regularity in mind. It is best to see an electrologist every 1-2 weeks. Later, as the hair thins out and regrows much more slowly, visits also become less frequent. Once you have started your course and come for a procedure once a month, you should not expect to have any hair after 8 months.
The eternal question is how many procedures will I need?
The honest answer of every electrologist is “I don’t know”.
Yes, we don’t know, especially when the hairs have been plucked/depilated, we don’t know how many hairs you actually have, because a plucked hair can regrow in 2 months on average. So when you start a course of electroepilation after plucking/depilation, you should expect to see a WORSENING AND THICKENING for the first 2 months, and only about after 3 months the situation starts to stabilize/get better, so obviously, after 5 procedures you won’t feel the effect. Some clients are shocked when they see how much hair they actually have when they do not use a tweezer. If the hair has only been shaved the whole time, you can see the effect after the first few procedures.
The number of procedures is extremely individual. In the most positive cases, 8 to 15 procedures are sufficient. There are such cases, but they are less frequent – when the hair density is not high, when it has been shaved or when it has not been touched at all. In most cases, more procedures are necessary and the whole course lasts from 8 to about 24 months (depending on the area of removal, the patch, the density of the hair, the thickness, and the hormone balance).
There is a golden rule: if after the first 8–10 months of regular visits you see ABSOLUTELY no progress, something is wrong:
* Perhaps the electrologist is using too weak impulse, inserting the needle incorrectly, or choosing the wrong thickness of the needle and just pulling the hairs out.
*Maybe your hormones are “brutal” and medical treatment is necessary.
If the latter is not an option, change electrologist.
I wish you all the best of luck and a lot of patience as you start your electroepilation journey! It will be a long journey, but the finish will bring very sweet fruits that you will enjoy for the rest of your life.