At Home Hair Removal: All The Deets You Need + Tips & Tricks!

Yes, never thought the day would come when we'd have to take care of our body hair ourselves... and if you're one of those ladies who has to hit the salon once or twice a month thanks to your rapid hair growth, then we are sure you are cursing your genes just a little. Lockdown has made us all a little more hands on, (and adventurous :P), and with everyone cutting and colouring their own hair and tweezing their own brows, we thought we'd do a detailed post on hair removal at home. If you're looking to do your brows, check out A Quick Guide On How To Tweeze And Shape Your Eyebrows In Quarantine, and if you're here for the jungle all over your arms and legs, then read on.

Image via uniquewaxingstudio

Waxing at home

The preferred option for almost every Indian girl, this one has the best results in the salon, but at home, it can all get very messy. If you want to go all old school and get the liquid wax and strips, then do, but know that there are better, easier alternatives available to use at home these days like pre-ready wax strips and applicators with wax. Veet does some super affordable wax strips which you can use easily without making a mess, or you can get the Rica wax applicators and strips, which are more complicated and pricey, but will give a better result. Here is a waxing 101 video with all information you could possibly need!

Video via AlexandrasGirlyTalk

If you still want to use the liquid wax, then try a liposoluble one, or you can also easily DIY one at home using simple ingredients- the tutorial for which is right here. Apply the warm wax in the direction of the hair growth, and pull against it. Just make sure it isn't too hot or it can really burn your skin. 

Also, while you might need help from someone for your underarms, we do not advise you to try and give yourself a Brazilian during lockdown- that's best left to the professionals.

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Icing the areas where it hurts more before waxing can really help ease the pain. Use an ice pack for areas like underarms, upper lip etc. just before you apply the wax and after.

Shaving at home

This one should come as no rocket science, but there are still so many girls who do it wrong. Yes, all those misconceptions that shaving gets back thicker, harder hair or ingrown hair is all because it's being done wrong. If you keep a couple of things in mind, then shaving can be your saviour- with the biggest mistake being shaving against the direction of hair growth. 

A razor made specifically for women's hair like Gillette Venus can help minimise cuts and scrapes. Make sure to not use water that's too hot or cold- use lukewarm water and dampen the skin, then use something nice and slippery- if you don't have shaving foam or cream, then you can use your conditioner or even some coconut oil on dry skin. Glide the razor in the direction of hair growth and remove your hair while washing the razor under water or in a mug time and again. Avoid using the razor on dry skin.

Here is a video on how to do it the proper way

Video via AlexandrasGirlyTalk

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Exfoliating before and after the shave really helps- whether it is with a scrub or a loofah glove as it helps prevent in-grown hair. Use lukewarm water before and colder water after to close the pores.

Epilating 

This one is super easy and the preferred option for a lot of girls who do not have a very aggressive hair growth or thick hair. It's easy, in the long term its super affordable, and gets the job done great without being messy. If you own an epilator, this is the right time to use it. 

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Hold your skin taut to get a more effective epilating experience. Also, icing the areas before and after can really help.

Hair removal cream

The new way to remove hair, but it's not for everyone. Plus, a lot of people HATE the chemical smell and the burning sensation, so try it out on one limb before slathering it all over. Plus, it does get messy no matter what the box says. 

However, that being said, there are newer depilatories are practically odor–free and work faster than ever. These come in the form of sprays, creams, gels, and lotions. There are some which are even water–resistant, so you can use it in the shower while you're shampooing and rinse off with a washcloth. Abroad there are a lot of options, unlike in India.

Veet has an in-shower hair removal foam available in India. If you're ordering from abroad, Nair does some nice ones.

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Make sure to do a skin test before you go ahead, since it's not really great for sensitive skin.

Facial hair removal

So this one is seeing a new trend now- face shaving! Yep, once something done only by men, nowadays women are shaving their faces too, and there are more and more converts. This is the razor they use, and see this video here on how it's done.

Video via Malvika Sitlani

But if you'd still rather use the tried and tested methods for your face, then facial wax is fairly easy to use for the upper lip as it hardens and is then ripped off. Eyebrows are safest with a plucker, or you can even learn to thread like a pro (it's easier than it looks), but you need the right thread for it. 

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There are these cheap springy things you can get off Amazon, which look simple, but they do work well for you upper lip at home! Tried and tested!

Bikini area 

We would highly recommend not trying waxing for your intimate areas at home- not just 'cz of the heat or how hard it would be to do it yourself, but also because of hygiene and ingrown hair. The safest thing for you to do would be to get an electric bikini trimmer like the Veet or Braun one, which can be used for intimate areas, or just use a good old tiny scissor after disinfecting it to trim the hair down there. Shaving is also a good idea, but again, make sure to use a new blade on the razor.

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As weird as it may sound, spread a towel and squat and sit in front of a mirror for best results and less risk of nicking yourself. Never do this while you're in a hurry!

Stay safe!