• A close shave that doesn’t result in nicks, cuts, bumps and dry skin starts with a good razor. Look for a razor with 4 or more blades to reduce irritation and the amount of passes needed to remove all the hair. A pivoting head is also a good feature, particularly for the legs.

• Replace your blades every 5 – 7 shaves. More often if you have thick hair.

• Don’t waste your money on “female shave cream” unless they’re cheap. Shaving creams are all the same for the most part, whether male or female, and the truth is that most of them end up sucking the moisture out of your skin anyway.

• Rub baby oil, olive oil, or coconut oil on the area you’re going to shave before getting in the shower. Oil repels water so it won’t wash off until you clean it with soap, making for great waterproof lubrication. This step will also help to pre-soften the hair and block natural moisture from escaping.

• Fast.

• Easy.

• Can be done at home.

• Possible irritation like dry skin, cuts, bumps, rashes and ingrown hairs.

• Hair starts growing back within hours after you’ve finished – resulting in rough, stubbly skin.

• Cost of replacing blades can really add up.

• Avoid tweezers with pointy ends that have little surface area to actually grab the hair. A good pair of tweezers will have a ¼ inch wide end with a slanted tip for easily grabbing hairs.

• Alway tweeze after (or in, if you prefer) a warm shower. Warm water opens up and softens the follicle, making the hair slip out easier.

• Pull in the direction that the hair grows naturally to avoid ripping or stretching the follicle, which will result in bumps and redness.

• If you find tweezing really painful, dab some Oragel or other numbing agent on the area you’ll be working on a few minutes before you begin plucking.

• Rub a dab of mild hydrocortisone cream on the area right after plucking to reduce irritation.

• Hair remains gone for weeks.

• Inexpensive. You only have to buy tweezers once and they can be used forever.

• Can be done at home.

• It’s difficult to pull the hair out without breaking it above the root.

• Can cause ingrown hairs.

• PAIN!

• Use an exfoliating scrub the day before you wax. Don’t do it any sooner than 12 hours beforehand or more irritation may occur.

• Avoid alcohol, drugs or caffeine prior to waxing – stimulants tighten the pores.

• Trim the hair to one-eighth of an inch. Too short and the wax won’t grip, too long and you run the risk of breaking the hair above the follicle instead of pulling it out.

• Heat the wax only to the temperature recommended on the label, use a digital or mercury thermometer to check. Too hot and you’ll quickly regret it!

• Immediately apply an after wax moisturizer to the area to reduce irritation, then apply some mineral oil generously to the area about 30 minutes after.

• Hair stays gone for weeks and less hair grows back every time you wax.

• Relatively inexpensive, particularly if using a home waxing kit.

• Works on any part of the body with equal effectiveness.

• A very real potential for redness, irritation and even infection around the hair follicles.

• Long prep time heating the wax, applying it and then lots of clean up with strips and wax dripping everywhere.

• PAIN! It doesn’t matter how good you or they (salons) are, waxing just plain hurts every time.

• Buy a brand with a good reputation. Read reviews and look for comments about your hair type (ie., thin, thick, curly, straight).

• Don’t use body/bikini depilatories on your face and don’t waste your time using facial depilatories on your body hair. Those made for leg, underarm and pubic hair have a higher concentration of chemicals.

• Follow the instructions carefully, even airing on the side of caution for your first time using a new product and rubbing it off earlier than recommended. Burns from leaving the cream on too long can take hours to appear and days to heal.

• Hair stays gone for up to a week.

• Fast and easy.

• Inexpensive.

• Timing is crucial to maximize hairs removed while avoiding painful skin burns.

• The smell of most products are absolutely terrible.

• PAIN! This is the price we pay to avoid razor stubble, right?

• Inexpensive.

• Easier to fine-tune the shape of eyebrows over waxing.

• Works perfectly on people with oily skin who find it hard to get the wax to stick to their hair.

• It’s a technique that has to be learned and refined. Can be difficult for people lacking in coordination to master.

• Hard to find a salon that offers it as a service, if you can’t or don’t want to try it yourself.

• Can burn the skin if not done properly.

• Wait around 4 weeks to book an appointment after waxing, tweezing or using a depilatory cream. Some hairs go dormant for longer periods, and you want the Technician to zap the most amount of hairs per visit as possible to avoid costly followup visits.

• Shave the area with a clean razor the day before your appointment. This might seem counterintuitive considering the tip above, but the laser will be able to locate each follicle easier when the thickest portion of the hair shaft is exposed.

• Use the moisturizing cream recommended by your Laser Technician. Follow the application schedule they give you and don’t skip any.

• Avoid skin exposure in the week following your appointment.

• Try to book your followup appointments at least 6 weeks after a treatment.

• It’s permanent. After the 4 – 5 initial procedures, very little if any hair will ever grow back.

• It’s easy, since you’re laying in a chair with someone else doing all the work for you.

• Over all, laser hair removal results in less irritation of the skin long-term, since it has to be repeated rarely, if ever once the hair is zapped and gone.

• Minor irritation during the procedure (often referred to as a “zapping” feeling on the skin).

• Can cause burning and may lead to infection if post-procedure moisturizing instructions aren’t followed.

• It’s expensive, costing well over $100 per session, with several followup visits required for complete removal.

• Make sure to have a shower before going for the procedure or performing it yourself at home. Consider that a “needle” is going to lightly pierce each individual hair follicle in the area where the removal is taking place. The chance of infection is increased ten-fold with this method over others.

• Also, use an exfoliating scrub to ensure there’s minimal dead skin cells on the surface of the area being done.

• Don’t use any skin creams or perfumes after showering. Again, infection is a big reality with electrolysis treatments.

• It is a painful procedure, consider taking an Advil or two Tylenol before the procedure.

• This is one of the most physically and mentally demanding hair removal methods. Ask your Electrologist if they need a break or two during the procedure, take breaks when offered as it’s likely their way of saying “I need a rest.”

• Be patient with your expectations. It can take up to a year and a half of monthly treatments to fully eliminate all the hair.

• It’s permanent for the most part. Once a month goes by without any hair growth, you can pretty much expect to never see any hair again.

• Electrolysis is by far much cheaper than Laser; the only other permanent hair removal method.

• Can also be done on the eyebrows, while Laser Technicians aren’t able to safely get close to this area.

• Takes several more appointments for complete hair removal than laser. Lasers take 4 – 5 visits spaced 6 weeks apart. Electrolysis can take up to a year and a half of monthly visits.

• Strong possibility of infection, if you don’t clean yourself well before the procedure or the technician uses dirty equipment. Reputation of the facility you use is crucial to avoid infection and/or disease.

• PAIN! Sorry, I can’t be less blunt with using this word. Not everyone feels pain during all the procedures I’ve detailed, but for the most part, you will feel it. The good news is that the pain does dull after a few minutes for most people.

• Some women find a razor works just fine for them, but of course the hair doesn’t stay away for very long either.

• Tweezing and threading are great for fine-tuning the eyebrows or bikini line.

• Depilatory creams work, are effective at removing hair anywhere on the body and give you a smooth silky finished result, as long as you don’t torch your skin by leaving the cream on too long!

• Laser and electrolysis both offer the same advantages of eventual permanent removal. Laser is faster but more expensive. Electrolysis costs less overall but will require more lengthy office visits to achieve permanent results.