HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
By Louise Druce (July 2004)

Click here to buy this product

Hair removal is quite literally a sore point for anyone who has had to go through the never-ending cycle of plucking, shaving and waxing. But, unfortunately, unwanted body hair is still something of a taboo in the beauty world - remember the outcry when Julia Roberts turned up to a film premiere with armpits you could put a comb through? It hasn't always been this way. The ancient Egyptians regarded facial hair as a sign of nobility, and on some tomb paintings you'll see pictures of women with artificial beards to signify they were aristocrats.

It's not surprising that men find shaving a chore. A man's chin has anything between 7,000 to 25,000 single hairs, each growing at an average of half a millimetre every 24 hours. Before electric or disposable razors, our earliest ancestors shaved with sharpened flints, while Roman barbers used razors made of bronze or iron applied straight to the person's skin. And some hardened working class Romans were content with rubbing off their beards with pumice stones!

These days, thankfully, methods are less painful. Hair removal creams for women are a fairly cheap alternative and widely available in chemists and supermarkets, but are often quite smelly, and have varying degrees of success - if you do use a depilatory cream, always do a skin test first to make sure you don't react badly.

That's why waxing, electrolysis and laser treatments have become popular methods of removing hair for both men and women, be it on your upper lip, back, arms, bikini line or legs.

"Waxing has always been the most popular treatment, because you can cover large areas such as the legs and bikini line and in some cases the arms," says Paul Archer, director of the Guild Of Professional Beauty Therapists. "The only problem is that waxing stimulates hair growth so, like shaving, it can actually grow back thicker.

"For facial areas, such as the upper lip, electrolysis has been the most popular method of hair removal for about the last 50 years. Unlike waxing, it is permanent because it affects the blood supply to the hair follicle, which means it doesn't grow back as strong." Beauty therapists up and down the UK offer hair removal treatments, and it is always best to have a consultation before undergoing any procedures. But here's a guide as to what to expect:

WAXING

This works best on longer hairs. The wax is heated and applied to the area being treated, and a linen or paper strip is placed on top. The strip is then pulled off against the direction of the hair growth, ripping the hairs out at the root.

REDHOTCURRY RECOMMENDS

Redhotcurry.com has taken out the chore of sorting the plethora of waxing/sugaring products available on the high street and recommends the following salon quality waxing products for home use. Simply click on the links to buy these from us today.

SUGARING

Sugaring has been used for thousands of years, originating in Egypt. The sugar is warmed before being applied and clings to the hairs. It is removed using a flicking motion of the hand.

Irritation risk is low because the sugar doesn't stick to the skin, and the treatment should last for about six weeks.

THREADING

This method is often used in Asia or the Mediterranean, and is highly skilled. A thread of twisted cotton is rolled over the area and the hairs are caught in the cotton then pulled out from the root.

ELECTROLYSIS

This is a more permanent method of hair removal. The most widely used form is short wave diathermy, during which a current is passed into each hair follicle through a probe, cauterising the blood supply.

LASER TREATMENT

A test patch should be done to ensure that you are suitable for this treatment. It usually works best on pale skin with dark hairs.

Again, the treatment is more effective because it damages the hair follicles but this time by the light emitted by a single laser beam, which is turned into heat as it is absorbed. The light emitted is very bright so goggles should be worn.

Because laser treatment works best when the hair follicle is in the growing phase, about three to six treatments will be need. After that, it's just a case of topping up when needed.

Intense Pulsed Light treatment is more comprehensive and better for larger areas of hair growth. It uses the same principal as a laser, but uses more than one wavelength.

Top