Getting rid of unwanted body hair seems to be a rite of passage, a beauty ritual for the modern man and woman. Doing body hair removal at home is probably the cheapest and most convenient to rid yourself of unwanted body hair. Going to a salon is an option if you have a few dollars in your pocket to spend.
Before we dive into hair removal, there are a few things that we have to know.
We all have our insecurities, it is a known fact that we’ll find hair all over your body, no matter if we are a man or a woman – these hairs tend to cover our legs, forearms, genital area, armpits, parts of our face, head, and even the chest and back for most men and few women.
If you look closely you might notice that the hair on your body will grow faster, thicker, and more visible after you reach puberty, which is on average at the age of 10 or 11 years old for girls and 11 or 12 years old for boys.
Many of us hair folks don’t enjoy having so much hair on our body – for some, it could be a displeasing appearance that ruins their self-confidence, while for others, they may just want to get rid of it for hygiene purposes.
Surprisingly, some of my friends actually love body hair, while others want to get rid of everything, especially, on the legs, arms, underarms and pubic region.
WHAT IS HAIR REMOVAL?
It doesn’t matter what the reason is, hair removal is the deliberate removal of unwanted hair from the body. This means that you will actively take part in a procedure that will purposefully remove the little hairs from whichever region on your body you no longer want them on.
We all have different reasons for wanting to remove hairs from different regions of your body. We most often choose different methods, depending on which is most comfortable or which has the most desired effect.
The removal of hair from different parts of their body, depending on appearance and necessity – you may be okay with hair growing on your legs, while others want it to be as smooth as a baby’s bottom. The trend also differs between men and women, with women tending to seek a more hairless appearance.
HOW DID IT ALL START?
If you think that waxing and shaving is a trend that only appeared in the last century, you would be wrong – it’s been around for thousands of years.
Purposefully removing hair from the body is an activity that goes back as far as Ancient Egypt when people would remove their hair as a solution to the louse infestation problem that was prevalent in that region.
Their method of choice was waxing with the use of caramelized sugar, a method that is now known as sugaring. Another method the Ancient Egyptians used was shaving with the use of a much earlier version of the straight razor, though historians often say they used small, everyday blades.
As time progressed, societies around the world noticed an increase in lice infestations and other parasites living in any area of the body that had hair. This was most common among people who lived in close quarters and with limited access to bathing.
The hair was the perfect breeding ground for bacteria due to the moisture that was trapped in it from perspiration. Therefore, instead of wasting water and soap, people opted for removing their hair as a precautionary step.
Before hair anything else, hair removal was done for the sake of health and hygiene. It was only in later years that it became associated with fashion trends.
However, the idea that hair removal is a modern fashion trend was later debated among historians, because paintings of old showed men and women with very little to no hair on their bodies.
This was not just something that one painter left out, but it can be seen across several great paintings throughout history, examples can be found on red clay pottery from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
WHAT ARE THE CULTURAL ASPECTS OF HAIR REMOVAL?
Different cultures across the globe have their own standards on what is considered beautiful, acceptable, and sacred in society.
The presence or absence of hair plays a major role in those standards, and by extension, their beliefs.
In some groups like the Sikh faith and believers of the Old Testament, hair is a sacred part of the human being as it is the image that God created us in.
They believe that it is a sin to alter our appearance, which includes leaving all the hair on our body unsheared from birth to death.
In other cultures, trimming or completely removing hair is part of a tradition and, therefore, mandatory. For instance, Amish groups do not allow men to grow mustaches as they associate it with the military.
Many Eastern cultures practice head-shaving, which is popularly seen with Buddhist monks, a ritual that is done before they enter monastic life.
Even in Ancient Egypt, priests would remove all the hair on their bodies on a daily basis as a way of presenting a pure body before the gods.
There was even a time in recent history when men would cut their hair and shave their beards as a symbol of their class in society: clean-cuts were considered more presentable, which is an appearance that the rich and powerful wished to maintain.
HOW IS HAIR REMOVAL A FASHION TREND?
In the world we live in today, when we think of hair we think of our appearances, and almost everyone in this world is concerned with how they look.
The idea that hair on visible body parts was considered unfavorable first came to light in the early 1900s and it was specifically aimed at women.
While hair growth is a very natural trait of both men and women, it was considered a manly trait, especially since only men grew beards.
As women began to wear clothes that showed more skin, someone got the brilliant idea of marketing to women a variety of hair removal products due to the notion that visible hair on any part of the body that wasn’t the head was an unattractive quality.
And you don’t need to study history to know that most women care very much about their appearances and they will do whatever it takes to look attractive.
If you look at how women dress today, with exposed legs and short sleeves, then you know that a lot of skin is exposed and so the market for hair removal products and services has grown exponentially.
Most people want to fit into their societies and the way to do that is to go along with the norm.
That norm today is to be as hairless as possible except for the locks on our heads and the little hair we have on our eyebrows, but even those are removed and substituted for eyebrows drawn on with makeup.
With the growing trend of wearing less clothing in order to seem more desirable, women even shave wax or use laser hair removal to have the hair on their genital area removed.
This is so that they can wear bikinis without showing any unattractive hairs growing down there.
In fact, hair removal around our most intimate areas is now considered a sexual trend that is associated with cleanliness and hygiene.
The trends are heavily influenced by mass media and peers, showcasing that a hairless appearance is a beauty standard for most cultures.
This trend is most prominent in Western countries, while Eastern countries don’t need much grooming due to their already hairless genetics.
Many platforms target a person’s self-confidence, saying that no one will desire you if you have so much hair.
But even those who don’t revolve their lives around the standards and opinions of others still prefer to have excess hair removed, claiming that the silky feeling of a hairless body just makes them feel better about themselves, not to mention cleaner.
Both men and women agree that too much hair can increase the presence of body odor, which is neither pleasurable to them nor the people around them.
There is a growing trend for women to no longer need to shave or wax their legs, armpits, and genital area.
This movement came to rise when women no longer wanted to be considered as sexual objects that always had to live up to the beauty standards of men.
They encouraged women to let their natural state be, even going as far as saying that “this is how God made me”.
These women were trying to fight the social stigma that women needed to remove hair, while men didn’t.
WHAT ARE OTHER REASONS FOR REMOVING HAIR?
JOINING THE MILITARY
Most militaries in the world, if not all, require new recruits to cut their hair when they enter the service.
Some militaries even go as far as shaving their heads clean off, with the exception of women who are mostly allowed to tie their hair back. If you think this is a punishment – it’s not.
The military believes in solidarity and they try to create uniformity by removing any characteristics that separate a man or woman from their fellow servicemen.
They achieve this by cutting their hair. Most military personnel only do this once when they enter the service, however, due to the convenience and symbolism offered by a clean-cut, the personnel will continue with this trend throughout their service.
Another reason why militaries insist on short hair is so that they are not at a disadvantage while in the field.
Long hair can easily be grabbed during hand-to-hand combat, and long beards can also prevent an air-tight seal when men need to wear breathing equipment such as gas masks.
And just like the Ancient Egyptians, they do not want to risk a lice infestation, which is very probable when they are out in warm and wet environments.
MEDICAL REASONS
If you ever find yourself in an unfortunate situation where you need to have surgery and the location where your surgeon is going to cut is covered in hair, they may end up trimming it a bit in order to get a better look.
This is commonly seen with people who need brain surgery, as the doctor will need to clear away any obstructions from the surgical area.
It’s already bad enough that you need brain surgery, but imagine getting the worst haircut in the world because the doctor only shaves or trims away the section where they are going to operate.
That means that on top of having a scar, you will be stuck with a bald match for a while.
One of the side effects of cancer is losing most, if not all your hair during chemotherapy. This is a result of the radiation treatments that you will be blasted with.
So, instead of waiting for all their hair to fall out, cancer patients prefer to cut or shave their heads as a way of controlling how they look before they lose that control completely.
SPORTS
Athletes are another example of people who purposefully remove hair from parts of their body, not for the sake of culture or fashion, but for the sake of convenience and advantage.
The most common athletes to remove hair from their legs are the soccer players and cyclists.
These are the ones who commonly run the risk of road rash from a tackle or crash, and due to the fact that road rash tears away layers of the skin, it is best if it is treated immediately and not impeded by first spending time cleaning the area.
Some of the most hairless athletes you will ever meet are professional swimmers who try to be as smooth as possible in order to be quicker in the water.
The removal of body hair is meant to reduce drag in the water, which is why swimmers will remove hair from their legs, arms, and torsos.
Their silky smooth appearance will make them feel like they are slippery and quick in the water.
A variety of professional athletes also receive body massages on a regular basis in order to relax their muscles that undergo strenuous training.
They prefer to be hairless so that there is minimal friction when their masseuse rubs their bodies.
PUNISHMENT
Due to the relation that hair has with appearances and self-confidence, there is no doubt that the lack of hair can be seen as mocking or a punishment.
This is evident when people who are sent to some prisons have their heads shaved upon entry.
Even women in Europe had to suffer this punishment when they were caught helping the Nazis.
Another example is when hippies in the 80s were victims of hate crimes by war-supporters who forcibly cut off their long hair and beards as of form of torture.
For people who value their appearance, the ultimate punishment would be to ruin it so that they can live in humiliation.
This is why shaving the head is a common dare amongst friends, especially those with the prettiest hair. Even if it’s not a dare, it can be the consequence of losing a bet.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF HAIR REMOVAL?
The different methods of hair removal are categorized into two groups: depilation and epilation. Depilation occurs when the hair is only removed from the level of the skin.
These methods have the shortest effects with hairs growing back within hours or just a couple of days. These methods include shaving, trimming, or the use of depilatory cream.
Epilation occurs when the entire hair is removed all the way down to the root by either pulling it out from the follicle or damaging the follicle enough that the hair simply falls out.
Epilation has longer-lasting effects with hair only growing back after weeks or even months. These methods include waxing, sugaring, epilating, threading, laser hair removal, IPL, drugs, and electrolysis.
SHAVING
Shaving is considered one of the oldest and most common methods for removing hair. Almost everyone who practices regular hair removal has tried this method at least once.
It involves the use of a razor or any type of sharp blade.
When shaving, the razor makes contact with the skin and cuts all the hair that is found on the outer layer of the skin.
Almost any part of the body that grows hair can be shaved, though sensitive areas may require more diligence.
This method is common amongst both men and women, with men shaving their beards almost on a daily basis and women regularly shaving their legs, underarms, and other areas.
TRIMMING
Trimming is the act of cutting hair but with the purpose of reducing the length, not to give a hairless appearance.
This method is often used as a first step of removing the excess hair before using another method that leaves behind smooth skin, because the longer the hair, the less the success rate.
By getting rid of the excess hair, the next step in hair removal will be much easier. Trimming makes use of a pair of scissors or an electric trimmer.
CHEMICAL DEPILATORY
Chemical depilatories are cosmetic hair removal products that come in the form of gels, creams, and aerosols.
The products tend to have a pH of 12 that can sort of melt away the hair on the outer levels of the skin in a safe way.
It takes about 10 to 30 minutes for the products to work before they have to be wiped away with a clean cloth or washed off with lukewarm water.
Since this method makes use of chemicals, it would be wise to make sure that you do not exceed the recommended time that the gel or cream stays on your skin, so as to avoid any damage to the skin.
WAXING
Waxing is another one of the most popular methods of hair removal and it involves the application of a sticky substance, which is often wax, that adheres to the hair.
The substance is then ripped off in a quick motion, pulling the hairs that are stuck to the wax out. Some wax requires the use of porous strips in order to be removed, while others harden and can be removed on their own.
Waxing removes hair from the follicle, and it also removes any dead skin cells that are on the surface when they stick to the wax.
SUGARING
Sugaring is considered an alternative to waxing as the same principles apply. A sticky, sugar-based substance is applied to the skin, but this one only sticks to the hair, not the skin like wax does.
The sugar paste is then ripped off in a swift motion, removing the hairs only. This method removes hair from the follicles, providing long-lasting results.
EPILATING
Epilating is another method that pulls hair out from the roots, but this one makes use of an electric device that rotates, grasping, and pulling out multiple hairs as the device is moved across the skin.
Epilators only pull out the hair and not the skin cells from the surface level as waxing does. Some people call them mechanical tweezers.
THREADING
Threading is a hair-pulling method that uses a twisted thread to pull out rows of hairs from the root.
This method is best suited to remove unwanted hair from areas where there is little hair growth, like the eyebrows.
LASER
Laser hair removal uses a device that emits a concentrated beam of monochromatic light (laser) that targets the pigmentation of the hair.
The laser then heats up the hair follicle, damaging it in the process so that hair growth is reduced immensely.
Laser hair removal is one of the few methods that offers a permanent reduction in hair growth, which makes it one of the most preferred methods.
This method requires repeated treatment before visible results present themselves.
INTENSE PULSED LIGHT (IPL)
IPL is an alternative method for laser hair removal using a similar protocol. The device will emit an intense broad-spectrum light that will pulse.
These pulses of light will destroy the hair follicle, resulting in a permanent reduction of hair growth over time. Unlike lasers, IPL devices do not rely on the contrast of pigmentation between the hair and the skin.
This makes IPL a more desired method as it can cater to a range of skin tones. IPL requires a few treatments a week over a period of months in order to obtain the desired effects.
IPL is a method that is becoming more popular today due to the results it has to offer, not to mention it is an inexpensive investment in the long run.
DRUGS
Drugs that are used for the purpose of hair removal are substances that fight hair growth by inhibiting the agents that cause them.
Hair growth is caused by the hormone testosterone, which is present in both men and women, though men produce considerably higher amounts of it.
Certain drugs like antiandrogens hinder the effects of testosterone, thereby reducing hair growth on the body. Most people don’t use this method on its own, as its effects are only minor.
Therefore, people would combine the use of drugs with another one of the hair removal methods.
ELECTROLYSIS
Electrolysis is a procedure that involves inserting a fine probe into the skin and then directing current or shortwave radio into the hair follicle.
The current will destroy the follicle and disrupt hair growth. Electrolysis is the only method that has been said by the FDA to offer a permanent solution to hair removal.
ARE THERE ANY BANNED OR DOUBTFUL METHODS?
If you are wondering whether there are some methods in existence that should not be attempted, well, there are. Over the years, other methods of hair removal have been developed.
However, these methods either didn’t make it past the trial stage or they were never approved by the Food and Drug Agency (FDA) because they were deemed ineffective or dangerous.
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is an experimental method that uses light, chemical substances, and molecular oxygen to invoke cell death. While this method has been successful in treating acne, it did not provide viable results in terms of hair removal.
X-rays have been proven to be an efficient and often permanent method of hair removal, but it comes at a very big cost. Those who use this method had to suffer extreme health problems, with the worst-case scenario being death.
X-rays emit radiation that can be very harmful when you come into contact with them on a regular basis, and in order to see the best results with x-rays as a method of hair removal, you would indeed have to be exposed to several treatments. This method is now an illegal method of hair removal.
There are many who claim that food and dietary substances can reduce or inhibit hair growth. However, there have never been any documented cases that prove these methods work.
Some people even go around claiming that certain topical ointments can solve your excess hair problems, but they were never shown evidence of actually working.
When in doubt, find out if it was approved by the FDA. If not, you would do well to stay away from those products.
Not only would you be wasting money on products that don’t work, but you could also end up risking your health and the appearance of your skin.
IS HAIR REMOVAL PERMANENT?
As much as we would like to get rid of the pesky, annoying little hairs that grow just about everywhere on our bodies, it is something we are stuck with. While electrolysis is considered the only method of hair removal that offers permanent results, it’s not always guaranteed to happen.
Also, it is not an option that is available to everyone due to the nature of the procedure, and the cost can seem a bit pricey to some, especially when you factor in the size of the area of skin that needs hair removal, as well as the fact that electrolysis requires between 15-30 treatments to be effective.
So, you may have to lower your standards a bit – there aren’t really any permanent solutions for excess hair.
However, if you don’t mind settling for the next best thing, then you will be happy to know that there are methods that provide permanent hair reduction.
This means that over time, you will see less and less hair, and any that do grow back will take much longer to do so.
Permanent hair reduction is especially visible with laser hair removal and the use of IPL devices.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HAIR REMOVAL?
Before you go and try removing all the hairs from your body, you’re probably wondering whether the activity will do more good than harm.
Well, while each method has its own list of pros and cons, the general question of whether hair removal in its entirety is worth the hassle, that may depend on you.
Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of hair removal.
Generally speaking, hair removal is not a necessity. It naturally grows on our bodies because we need it.
Hair is meant to protect our bodies from bacteria by trapping it before it enters the body. It is also there to regulate our body temperature, providing an extra layer of warmth when it gets cold.
However, as discussed earlier, hair removal is practiced as part of many cultures, and in the world we live in today, it is also a fashion trend that offers a smooth and clean appearance that can boost our self-confidence.
While having hair can keep us healthy, it can also be dangerous if it is not maintained and kept clean on a regular basis, as hair offers the perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
Unfortunately, there are more disadvantages to hair removal. Most of them are side effects of the different hair removal methods.
For example, most methods run the risk of skin inflammation, bumps, ingrown hairs, and permanent scarring.
Other methods risk burns, skin irritation, and pigmentation, which is the change of your skin color.
Some of these side effects are minor and can be treated, while others may take months to heal. When it comes to scarring and pigmentation, the effects may even be permanent.
One thing you should always remember is that different people will experience different results. What could be a life-changing solution for one person could have completely opposite and negative effects on another.
In order to minimize any side effects, it would be best to take every reaction necessary and to perform each method as instructed.
If you are going to try methods that pull the hair out completely or destroy them all the way down to the hair follicle like lasers, it would be best that you consult a professional instead of trying it at home where there is a greater risk for things to go wrong.
To simply put it – do your research and do it right!
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