Home Hair Removal Methods – We Compare Them All

Home Hair Removal Methods – We Compare Them All

A full body waxing or laser session is great, but pricey. You’d also need to book appointments in advance, and who knows when you’re going to land a last minute date, right?

So we looked at popular home hair removal techniques and discuss their level of difficulty, hair re-growth, and cost. Here’s to better decision making when going bare!

Veet wax strips, available at your nearest pharmacy.

SOURCE: veet.co.uk

Suitable for:

All body parts! Except the eyebrows might be a tricky because of the need to shape in that small area. So we’d recommend going to a professional for your brows.

Level of difficulty:

Low – waxing strips do the job quickly and easily. What’s more, most brands carry different types of strips for different body parts. Better still, there are dedicated ones for sensitive skin too.

To use, you simply have to lay a strip on the desired area, then pull the strip from the opposite direction of your hair growth while holding the skin around the area taut. Watch this video for a quick demo:

CREDIT: veet.co.uk

Re-growth:

It takes around 2 – 6 weeks for waxed hair to grow back – relatively slow – as hair is removed from the roots.

What’s more, regular waxing results in more sparse hair growth, reducing your need to wax as frequently.

Cost:

RM15 – RM35 for approximately 20 strips. That’s really good value for money, especially considering the slower rate of re-growth.

Bonus points:

Since it’s quick and easy, it’s best for waxing large areas in a jiffy.

Gillette Venus shavers, available at your nearest pharmacy.

SOURCE: amazon.com

Suitable for:

Suitable for most body parts. There are even dedicated razors for your brows. We recommend avoiding bikini lines as it causes ingrown hairs and possible skin irritation at that sensitive area.

Level of difficulty:

Very low – shaving is pretty fool-proof. Simply place the blade on your skin, then glide the blade in the opposite direction of your hair growth.

Just remember to moisturise beforehand for an easier shave and to prevent nicks.

Re-growth:

You’ll start noticing stubbles in about 3 days; full re-growth takes up to 3 weeks. Compared to methods where hair is removed from the root, shaving simply trims your hair from the skin’s surface.

Contrary to popular belief, shaving doesn’t give you rougher re-growth.

Cost:

Mirror, mirror on the wall, which hair removal method’s the cheapest of them all? Razors.

Disposable ones can cost you around RM2 per razor. The regular ones range from RM10 – RM30 – depending on their features – and razor blade refills cost around RM 5 – RM10 per cartridge.

How many times can you use a disposable razor? About 7 times to 50 times, depending on the blades and how you care for it. Regular razors last longer, but everything comes down to the nature of the razor and how you maintain it.

Bonus points:

Although re-growth happens quickly, this is the easiest and cheapest (one-time purchase) method.

Braun Silk-épil, available at Harvey Norman.

SOURCE: asos.com

Suitable for:

The higher end epilators are suitable for all body parts, including the face, as they can remove even the finest hairs at 0.5mm length. The lower end models, however, aren’t suitable for the face.

Level of difficulty:

Low – if you’re familiar with the shaver and the tweezer, think of the epilator as their technologically advanced hybrid. It’s basically rotating tiny tweezer heads attached to a handle.

Its usage is similar to shaving, except that you glide an epilator more slowly across the skin, to allow the tiny tweezers time to remove hair from the root.

We’ll leave the rest of the how-to to this video:

CREDIT: YouTube channel – Braun.

Re-growth:

1 – 3 weeks.

Cost:

RM100 – RM800. This is the most expensive method, but it’s a lifetime purchase.The epilator will serve you until it breaks down.

Having said that, additional costs might come in the form of cap replacement for optimal efficiency. Braun advises users to change the cap of its Silk-épil model twice a year.

Bonus points:

A good long term investment.

Veet hair removal cream, available at your nearest pharmacy.

SOURCE: veet.ca

Suitable for:

All body parts – there are variants for full body (arms, legs, and back) and dedicated ones for face and bikini areas.

Having said that, hair removal creams are known to sting a little, so be careful with sensitive areas.

Level of difficulty:

Low for usage. It’s fool-proof – you apply it and leave it on for about 10 minutes, then wipe the loose hairs away with a wash cloth, or simply take a shower.

Moderate to high for precautionary measures. As these creams dissolve hair follicles, they can be quite harsh on the skin. This means that you should do an allergy test 1 week prior to usage as people have reported skin irritation from usage.

You’ll also need to be careful of your application time, as leaving the cream on for longer than advised might cause burns.

Re-growth:

Similar to shaving, 3 days – 3 weeks. However, for some people, hair re-growth is slower compared to shaving.

Cost:

RM5 – RM40, depending on bottle size and brand.

Bonus Points:

Convenience: the in-shower creams are meant to be used right before showering. After rinsing off, you’ll have smooth, bare skin!