One of the many joys of puberty is all that hair starts showing up under your arms, down your legs and even on your face. For many people, getting rid of this new hair is a big concern. Hair removal in the United States is normal and accepted, but in other countries, leaving all the hair exactly where it is is perfectly acceptable too.

Here is an overview of the most common hair removal methods to help you along the way.

Caution: do not remove hair if the areas have cuts, rashes, bumps or sunburn. If you are going to swim or use sunscreen within 24 hours of removing hair, be careful. It can irritate your skin so plan ahead!

Shaving  |  Bleaching  |  Waxing  |  Tweezing  |  Lotions and Creams  |  Threading

Shaving

Shaving is the fastest, cheapest, easiest and safest way to remove hair. Shaving cuts the hair off as close to the body as possible. It is most common (and safest) to shave your legs and underarms. Many people shave their bikini line (along the outside of their underwear), but don't shave anywhere else. The skin on your legs and underarms is tough enough to handle it.

There are two basic types of razors that you can use to shave:

• A blade razor gives you a closer, longer lasting shave. You can cut yourself using a blade razor, but if you use it correctly, it is very safe.


• An electric razor is more expensive than a blade razor and doesn’t get as close to the skin. This means that your smooth legs won’t last as long. The benefit is that you are less likely to accidentally cut yourself.

Drawbacks: Not shaving carefully or correctly can cause ingrown hairs, small bumps of razor burn and tiny cuts. Make sure that you use a fresh razor and shave when you’re in the shower or bath to avoid irritation. Take your time!

Duration: Two to four days -– can last longer if you don’t mind a little stubble!


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Bleaching

Bleaching is a pain-free way to make hair less visible. It doesn’t actually remove the hair but if just don’t want people to notice, bleaching might be a good alternative.

Bleaching is most commonly used on arms and facial hair. Don't bleach very sensitive or large areas like your bikini area and especially not your genitals! If you choose to bleach your body hair, make sure that you are with someone who is experienced and is using products specifically for body hair bleaching. Don’t try it by yourself!

Bleaching works best on thin hair and light skin. If you have darker skin, be careful because lighter hair on darker skin might be even more visible than before.

Drawbacks: Bleaching involves putting harsh chemicals on your skin. You should have supervision or a professional do it for you. Also remember that if you bleach your hair, it will still be there.

Duration: up to four weeks.
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Waxing

Waxing uses hot or cold wax to pull out hair all the way at the root. It also pulls off the top layer of dead skin so your skin will feel softer. Waxing can be done at home or by a professional. Wax is spread over the skin and then given a moment to cool (or in the case of cold wax, your body heat melts it a bit). Then the wax is pulled off and the hair stuck in it comes off too –- kind of like ripping off a band-aid.

Waxing is usually used on the legs, arms, eyebrows, underarms, bikini line and on facial hair.

If you choose have your hair waxed professionally (generally, a pretty good idea), please make sure that your professional is licensed and uses clean, sterile tools.

Drawbacks: Waxing can be pretty painful and uncomfortable. It is often more painful if you try to do it yourself but can be expensive if you have a professional do it.

Duration: Usually lasts three to four weeks.

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Tweezing

Tweezing pulls hair out by the root, one-by-one. Tweezing is most commonly performed on eyebrows and other stray hairs – it is too slow and painful to be used on large areas of hair.

Use caution when tweezing areas like your eyebrows and make sure that you know what you are doing – if you over tweeze you can end up nearly eye-browless which is generally not ideal.

Drawbacks: Tweezing can be a slow, painful process. How much it hurts and how long it takes changes from person to person.

Duration: a few weeks.

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Lotions and Creams

Lotions and creams or depilatories are chemicals that dissolve the hair at the surface. For most depilatories, you spread the cream over the selected area, wait for a period of time, and then wipe off the cream and the hair. Using lotions and creams is a pretty painless way to remove hair.

Drawbacks: The harsh chemicals in depilatories can irritate skin. Make sure that you try it on a little patch, wait 24 hours and then see if your skin is okay. Using depilatories is a pretty smelly and messy process -– it’s best to just sit in the bathtub and wait.

Duration: Two to four days, maybe a bit longer than shaving.
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Threading

Threading is an Eastern art of removing hair in which pieces of thread are wound around the fingers and pulled across the skin. The thread pulls out the hair that it passed over – it’s a bit like a giant tweezer. It is most commonly used on facial hair.

Drawbacks: Threading can be painful and because it is fairly new in the U.S., should be done professionally.

Duration: Up to a month.
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