Body hair getting you down? We’re here to help.
Unwanted body hair can make you feel very self-conscious, especially if you have darker hairs or excessive hair growth. It can affect your confidence and make you feel as if you don’t want to wear certain clothes because you don’t want anyone else to see it. PE and swimming can be especially difficult for people who are self-conscious about their body hair because it’s almost impossible to cover it up.
If this sounds like you and you’re not sure what to do about it, we’re here to help. Thankfully, there are lots of different ways to deal with body hair. Talk to a parent about how you’re feeling and ask them to help you find the treatment that suits you best
Shaving
Shaving is popular with both men and women. You can shave pretty much anywhere on the body and it’s painless – unless you nick yourself! To avoid cutting yourself when shaving, it’s important to invest in a good-quality razor, use plenty of shaving cream to help the razor glide over your skin, and take your time with hard-to-reach places or tricky bits like the ankle.
A good starting point for any teenager is to try an electric razor first. It doesn’t leave skin quite as smooth as a standard razor, but it is safer and helps to build your confidence with shaving.
Waxing
Waxing is popular with many people because it has longer-lasting results than shaving. It typically takes 4-6 weeks for new hair to grow after being waxed. You can buy waxing kits to try at home but you may want to book in with a beautician for your first ever wax.
Waxing works on almost all areas of the body, including the eyebrows, arms, legs and armpits, as well as more sensitive areas such as the bikini line. It can be painful (we won’t lie!) because the hair is pulled out from its root, but many people find the pain fades after a minute or so.
Plucking & Threading
Plucking hair using hand-held tweezers is also popular, especially for the eyebrow area. Plucking removes the entire hair completely because it pulls it out from the root.
The threading technique is especially popular for reshaping eyebrows and removing unwanted upper lip hair. It involves using thread to grab and trap the hair before removing it completely from the follicle. Neither plucking nor threading are painless, unfortunately, but some people may find they have a higher pain tolerance to one over the other.
Hair Removal Cream
Depilatory creams could be a good choice for you if you find plucking, threading or waxing too painful but want a longer-term solution than shaving. You apply the cream, wait for a few minutes and hey presto! The hair is dissolved into a jelly-like state and can simply be wiped away.
Be sure to do a patch test before you use a hair removal cream. It’s important to check you won’t have a reaction before you start slathering it all over your body. Read the instructions included with the cream carefully to make sure you’re using it correctly and safely.
Longer-term Hair Removal
While there are no 100% guaranteed permanent ‘fixes’ to get rid of unwanted hair, there are longer-term treatments, such as laser hair removal and electrolysis. These treatments can be expensive and take many sessions but can last up to many months and sometimes even years.
