Facial hair removal for women: the methods that work

The causes of women’s facial hair vary. With some people, it’s down to hormonal changes, with others it’s genetic and, frequently, it simply depends on individual hair growth factors.

In general, it’s quite normal to have hair on the upper lip and it’s not something that women should be ashamed of. Nevertheless, many women don’t like to have visible fuzz above the lip, which is why many give thought to the best way to remove it.

There are numerous options for reliably removing women’s facial hair. There are pros and cons of each method.

Shaving women’s facial hair is certainly the simplest method. Simply run a razor over the skin above the upper lip and the pesky hair is gone. Admittedly, shaving only cuts off hair on the surface of the skin and it grows back quickly. As the hair grows back at its thickest point, it also quickly looks stubbly. This method must therefore be used daily for the skin to maintain its smooth look.

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Painless
• Quick and easy to do

Cons:

• You have to continue to shave frequently
• The hairs grow back as stubble
• Skin irritation or small cuts can occur

Plucking women’s facial hair with tweezers is another popular method. The hairs are plucked individually from the hair root. This method is highly suited to small areas or just for individual hairs.

Pros:

• Easy to do
• It is possible to remove hair precisely
• The result lasts a relatively long time in comparison with shaving (two to four weeks)

Cons:

• Plucking is painful
• It takes a long time to pluck hairs individually
• Plucking hurts, especially at the start – after a while, you get used to it

An electric device, which has a number of tweezers that pull the hair out of the root at the same time, is used to epilate women’s facial hair.

Pros:

• It is quicker to epilate women’s facial hair than to pluck it with tweezers
• The result lasts three to four weeks
• Over time, fewer hairs grow back, the hair grows back finer, and so it looks as if there is less hair

Cons:

• Epilation is painful, especially the first few times it is done
• There is a risk of skin irritation
• Epilation devices can be expensive

Women’s facial hair can be removed with both cold wax strips or hot wax. The method can be carried out at home as well as in a beauty salon by a professional. The wax is applied to the upper lip and then the hair is pulled out with a special paper strip.

Pros:

• The skin remains hairless for three to four weeks – longer than when you shave women’s facial hair.
• The hair does not grow back as stubble.
• Inexpensive – especially, if you do it yourself at home.

Cons:

• Waxing hurts, especially at the start.
• It can lead to skin irritation.
• The hair needs be a certain length to be able to be waxed (0.5–1 cm) – this bothers many women.

This method is an especially good option for women with dark hair – the hair is bleached with a special cream and therefore looks paler, so it is less noticeable. However, this method is not really hair removal.

Pros:

• The bleaching is quick
• The application is painless
• The hair does not grow back as stubble, as it hasn’t been removed

Cons:

• The hair is still there, as this is only a visual solution
• The bleach can cause skin irritation.
• Not suitable for all skin types.

The permanent removal of facial hair is what many women want who are bothered by facial hair. There are numerous options for this too:

To permanently remove women’s facial hair, laser treatment is the longest-lasting method. The laser destroys the hair follicle, so the hair growth is stopped. A number of sessions are needed to treat all the hairs – however, laser hair removal is the most effective method, especially for dark hair.

Pros:

• Permanent hair removal is possible
• The skin remains smooth and hairless
• This type of treatment is also well-suited to be used on larger areas

Cons:

• Laser treatments are expensive
• A number of treatments are needed to achieve the desired result
• It can lead to skin irritation, especially with sensitive skin. However, this doesn’t last long, as a rule.

IPL is another option for removing women’s facial hair. Similar to the laser method, light pulses act directly on the hair follicles and destroy them. The difference between IPL and a laser is that a different type of light is used. Many devices for home use work with IPL. With this method, the best result is achieved for dark hair and a pale skin type.

Pros:

• Permanent hair removal is possible
• The skin stays smooth
• Larger areas can also be treated effectively

Cons:

• Expensive
• Several treatments are needed
• The treatment is not as precise as professional laser treatments – considerably more applications are needed
• It is not an option for all skin and hair types

With this method, a fine wire is inserted into the hair follicle with a probe, an electrical pulse is triggered and the hair follicle is destroyed forever, so a hair will never grow from it again. The method is very precise, as each hair is treated individually and it works well with all hair types.

Pros:

• It is possible to remove women’s facial hair with great precision.
• The method makes sense for small areas like the upper lip, as it actually takes a lot of time.
• The method works well for every skin type and every hair colour.

Cons:

• The method is expensive
• The method is painful
• The method takes longer than plucking or shaving, as each hair is removed individually.