There are places that you just do not want to have hair - your bikini line, under your arms, your lips and other facial areas and legs.

Waxing

Hot waxing is very popular. Beauticians use hot wax to remove unwanted hairs. The wax is placed on the area with a thick blunt knife and left for a few moments to harden, and then pulled off (along with the hairs). This process is relatively quick and lasts for up to a few weeks or a month depending on how quickly your hair grows.

Problems can be that it is painful in sensitive areas and some people are prone to ingrown hairs.

You can wax at home and there are products available at our pharmacy for this purpose. You need some patience and time to get the correct technique going. Always test the wax on your hand first as hot wax may burn you. If you don’t get all the hairs out in one go, let the skin cool for a minute before reapplying.

Sugaring

This is a relatively messy technique yet some believe it is less painful than waxing and cleaner. Probably best to see a qualified sugaring therapist. This technique has been used since Cleopatra’s day.

Shaving

This is quick, cheap, done at home and is very commonly used by a lot of women. There can be problems however with cuts, ingrown hairs. Always use sharp razors. Apparently it is a myth that shaving makes the hairs grow back thicker and stronger. The hair will grow back exactly as it always has - shaving or no shaving.

Laser Hair Removal

This is relatively new on the hair removal scene. It involves light energy being beamed from a laser. The melanin absorbs the light energy in the hair follicles and is destroyed. The follicle stops producing hairs. But before you all rush out and try this technique - the hair goes through three phases - growing, intermediate and resting.

The melanin is only present during the growing phase. Therefore not all the follicles can be treated at the same time. Only the visible hairs can be destroyed at any one time.

This technique is best on people with white skin and black hairs. The more colour you have in your skin, the more pain and reaction you can expect to have. See someone qualified to give you a run down on this new technique.