Body hair may be erotic on a man – but not on a woman. Bad luck for them, because the skin is covered with hair except for the face, palms, soles, nipples and lips. Although body hair, at an average of 0.07 millimeters, is almost half as thin as that on the head, the so-called “wool hair” has disturbed hygienic and aesthetic sensibilities ever since it lost its function in the course of evolution: It once protected ancestors from strong sunlight and kept them warm.
The most popular hair removal method: wet shaving.
The most common method of getting rid of hair is wet shaving. Whether bathing or showering: After a few moves (always in the opposite direction of growth) the hair is off. Special blades adapt to the shape of the legs and knees and minimize unpleasant cuts, while a thin lotion-coated surface above the blade cares for the skin while shaving. And shaving foam ensures that the blade slides smoothly over the skin. Manufacturers offer products specifically for women’s legs, but also the shaving foam of the partner does it – unlike his razor! Because beard hair is harder than the delicate on a woman’s leg, so the blade is also sharper and the risk of injury is greater. In addition, his razor is designed for agile curves around the nose, mouth and chin. Woman, however, shaves straight ahead in easy strokes.
Shave without cuts: the dry shave.
The counterpart to the wet shave is the dry shave. It is childproof to use: a grid keeps the shaving blades away from the skin and makes cutting impossible. The devices are also suitable for the bikini area. However, dry shaving has the same disadvantage as its wet relative: after three days at the latest, the skin is stubbly again. By the way: The persistent rumor that shaving promotes hair growth is not true. But the short stubble protruding from the pore is more noticeable than longer hair, rubbed “thin” by clothing. To quickly get rid of forgotten stubble in the armpits or bikini area on the go, a mini shaver is ideal. With the Garda dimensions of two centimeters wide and still length, it fits in any handbag and can also be used before sports or in the swimming pool. Optionally, it also styles and shortens hair down to five or two millimeters.
Longer lasting hair removal: epilation.
Opinions differ on the epilator. One party swears by its reliability: one application and four weeks is peace. Other women disdain him as an instrument of torture. Depending on the type of device, 20 to 40 tweezers grab the hairs and tear them out, root and all. But there are worlds between the first models and the modern ones: Today, cooling pads, massage and “starter attachments” alleviate the pain. The more often you use the device, the more your body gets used to it. And: it hurts less, because not all hairs grow back. The reason is their growth cycle. Only about 30 percent of the hairs sprout at the same time, the rest are in a resting phase and come out only gradually. The only disadvantage is the red pimples that can appear when the hairs are plucked out. However, if you epilate in the evening, they usually disappear in the morning. Treatment with liquid warm wax or the cold wax strip variant is also painful: the wax encloses the hairs; when they are then removed with a jerk against the direction of growth, they get caught in it. Here, too, the effect lasts for four weeks. However, the procedure takes a little time and practice.
Hair removal without tears and pulling
With freedom from pain entice depilatory cream and foam. These products contain keratin dissolving agents, because keratin is the main component of hair. The chemical agents dissolve the protein structure, the hair dies and can be removed with a spatula after 15 minutes. Meanwhile, there are products that advertise an exposure time of three minutes. It takes a week for the hair to grow back. However, anyone with particularly sensitive skin should first test the application on a small area of the body. Women who want to permanently escape the vicious circle of hair growth and shaving can use modern methods such as laser or IPL treatment. Here, the blood vessel that supplies the hair root is obliterated by means of a light or laser pulse. The application is painless, but also lengthy and expensive and is not suitable for all hair types. Particularly light or pigment-free (gray) hair can only be removed with a special laser. There are no long-term studies on the success.The more painful variant has proven itself: needle epilation. Here, the hair root is destroyed with a dosed electric shock. How many sessions are necessary depends on skin type, hair color and structure.
