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Body hair is natural and beautiful. You should never feel ashamed of it. It’s also incredibly personal. And for me, I sometimes feel uncomfortable with it. Whether it’s a beach day or a hot day out, body hair affects what I wear or even what I do. I’m self-conscious if it’s showing.
After years of shaving, I wanted to try alternatives to get rid of body hair. I had a few goals in mind: it needed to be long-lasting, painless, cost-effective, and easy. Everybody has different hair types and goals. With that in mind, I wanted to test the best solutions on the market and how they fulfilled my personal goals. Which one reigned supreme?
Shaving
As a woman, shaving has been a part of my weekly routine since I was a little girl. But after years of going through endless razors and tedious routines just to not fully get rid of body hair, I am tired.
Shaving has always been a go-to method. And it does come with benefits. It’s convenient. I can do it in the comfort of my own home and when I want to. If I have a last-minute pool day, shaving is there. It’s also virtually painless (except for when I accidentally nick myself). There’s no better feeling after freshly shaving. My skin is smooth and shining.
Though shaving has always been an almost foolproof method for me, there are some flaws when it comes to shaving. To get rid of body hair, I must carve out time in my nighttime routine. Just like women have hair-wash schedules, we also have shaving schedules. I’m lucky enough that I don’t have to shave every day, but some women might have to. Shaving can be tedious and cumbersome. Especially because the results of shaving only last 1-3 days then you have to do it all over again.
Compared to other methods, shaving is relatively cheaper. A pack of three disposable razors averages around $10. Research says disposable razors last about 5-10 shaves, but in my experience, a razor can be used for way longer till it becomes dull. If you’re shaving quite often, the razors dull out quicker. Meaning, that you have to buy razors more often, increasing the cost long-term.
With the cheap price, you do get what you pay for. Shaving is good to get the basic areas like legs and armpits, though it is hard to get every hair. If I only use a razor for my bikini line, I feel self-conscious at the pool or beach. Body hair is normal, but as a personal preference, I don’t want any hair to show, which shaving doesn’t do.
Waxing
Maybe I have low pain tolerance, but waxing terrified me when I first tried it. The thought of hot wax on my body didn’t seem pleasant. But, I was looking to switch up my routine, so I gave it a go.
I started off small. I got my upper lip and eyebrows waxed. I have gotten eyebrow threading done before, so I wasn’t completely immune to the pain. Waxing was a sharp stinging sensation that only lasted a few seconds. I feel that threading was way more painful. For both my upper lip and eyebrows, it was around $50.
OK, now it was time for the big guns. I was about to go on a cruise, so I wanted a Brazilian wax. Waxing has many benefits when it comes to appearances. There are fewer ingrown hairs, you’re able to remove more hair than shaving, and hair grows back finer and less.
Maybe I live under a rock, but I had no clue the bikini area was the most painful area to be waxed. I learned quickly. If you’re getting waxed, don’t go into expecting a painless experience. However, I will say the pain was tolerable and only lasted a short amount of time because the strips were removed quickly.
For a Brazilian, it was around $55. This price was worth it because the results of the wax lasted around a month because it removed hairs at the root. My skin was smooth and I felt comfortable in my bikini during my trip. But, if I were to get this done often, I can see how the cost can rack up long term. There were also side effects that I experienced that I don’t typically experience with shaving. I have sensitive skin, so when I got my upper lip and eyebrows done, my face was red and slightly burning for the whole day after that. Note to self: don’t plan to get waxing done if you have errands to run that day. It was humbling, to say the least.
Waxing is good for every once in and while, but personally, it wouldn’t be my go-to option. It saves me time and is better at removing hair in sensitive areas better than shaving. But, it’s more of a process. You have to schedule an appointment, have to be consistent with it every month, and you have to get it done when you have nothing planned that day due to side effects.
Crystal Hair Eraser
I’m a sucker for trends. So when I saw crystal hair erasers were the new thing in the shaving realm back in 2023, I had to try.
Crystal hair erasers are similar to epilators. They have a smooth top with a crystalline glass button. It’s a handheld device that is rubbed in circulation motion. As it rubs, it clumps hair together and removes it from the follicle opening like shaving. Crystal hair erasers remove hair from the surface of the skin, rather than roots. This was my one point of hesitancy because I was trying to swap out shaving because the results don’t last me long, but I wanted to give crystal hair erasers a try nonetheless.
The crystal hair erasers were hyped up for their ability to exfoliate dead skin cells, leading to smoother skin. Well, when I hear exfoliation, I think of my face. Rookie mistake. I used the eraser on my face to remove the peach fuzz. It was effective in removing the hair and my skin was left smooth and there was minimal pain. However, to get optimal results, you have to apply pressure. Saying that, crystal hair erasers are rather abrasive. For someone like me who suffers from acne, this exacerbated my issue. Crystal hair erasers are not suited for sensitive areas, but they work well for areas like the arms and legs. It’s not a device that can be used in a lot of areas.
Crystal hair erasers eliminate the need for refills, which makes them cost-effective. You can get one for as low as $10. Though it’s cost-saving, it’s not time-saving. Similar to shaving, I had to carve out time in my routine to do it. It’s not good for people with thicker, coarser hair because you have to go over areas multiple times in order to fully remove the hair. The results do last slightly longer, around 2-4 weeks, but it’s not a long-term solution.
Hair Removal Creams
Using a hair removal cream for the first time is a cannon event, and not for the better.
Hair removal creams are great if you’re looking for a painless option that doesn’t require razors and painful substances. Hair removal creams don’t remove hair at the roots. Instead, they use thioglycolic acid to break down the hair structure. Because of this, results only last for about a week.
Nair is one of the most common hair removal creams, so I knew that was the one I wanted to try. Nair has a variety of choices from body hair removal cream to upper lip hair removal cream. I chose the body cream to see if it would be quicker than shaving. The first upside of hair removal creams is the price. You can get a bottle for just $6. Second, hair removal creams are easy to use. All you have to do is put a layer over the area you want to remove hair and it does the work for you.
That was the extent of the benefits. The results were inconsistent and patchy. Some areas of skin were still left with hair while others were smooth. Hair removal creams are time-saving in the sense they aren’t as tedious as shaving, but they don’t have results that last you a while. The worst part of hair removal creams? The smell. I swear the smell of the Nair body cream lingered for days. It’s a smell you can’t get out of your nose.
You have to be careful with hair removal creams. Due to the presence of thioglycolic acid, if the product is left on too long, there’s a risk of chemical burns.
Professional Laser Hair Removal
From waxing to shaving, I’ve tried it all. After experimenting with different levels of hair removal, I knew what I was looking for. I wanted something that was painless, long-lasting, and efficient. Over and over again, laser hair removal was recommended to me as an option that would check all my boxes, but I was skeptical.
I had a lot of questions. Mainly to do with the pain level of the laser aspect. It was all new to me. But, when I heard it was one of the only options that gets down to the roots and deep hair follicles, I had to give it a try.
I found a medspa in New Jersey, Rewind Bar, that offers laser hair removal, or as they call it Gentlelase. Typical laser hair removal uses Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) to target hair pigments. Rewind Bar’s method uses a medical-grade laser called GentleLase, stopping hair growth permanently by targeting the melanin in the hair follicles.
Rewind Bar is very upfront about the effectiveness of their products depending on hair types. They said the Gentlelase will work best on brown hair, black hair, and dark blonde hair. As someone with brown body hair, I felt like the perfect candidate.
Laser hair removal is a bit of a commitment to get the full results. You have to attend multiple sessions to permanently remove hair. However, Gentlelase requires fewer sessions. Typical IPL treatments require around 2-6 treatments to see a noticeable reduction in hair growth. After one session of Gentlelase, my hair growth was noticeably reduced and it grew back finer and lighter.
My first session went way better than anticipated. I would describe the pain, if you even want to call it that, as a flick of a rubber band. It was virtually painless, eliminating all my fears. What immediately attracted me to Rewind Bar’s treatment is that you could do your whole body. This is a drastic difference from shaving or hair removal creams where the areas are limited. I decided to start off small with a Brazilian.
The Brazilian option was $89. This is slightly more expensive than other options, but was worth it because it is the only option that targets deep follicles. The session only lasted 10 minutes. It was fast and easy — a win-win. I loved the laser hair removal so much that I went back. After about 9 sessions, there was a permanent reduction in my hair. After years of shaving and trying endless solutions, this was a breath of fresh air.
The Bottom Line
Body hair is completely natural. It is purely preference. As someone who feels self-conscious about my body hair, it’s important for me to find a solution that makes me feel comfortable in my own body.
Shaving works to remove the most present body hair on my body, but it isn’t long-lasting. Results only last 1-3 days and costs can rack up overtime when you have to constantly buy razors. Waxing works more effectively than shaving, but it’s a commitment because you have to go back often. Crystal hair erasers and hair removal creams were just not for me point blank. Though the results last longer than shaving, the abrasiveness of hair erasers was painful and the inconsistency and smell of hair removal creams was something I couldn’t get behind.
Ultimately, Rewind Bar’s laser hair removal was the best option. For once, I didn’t have to worry about hair coming back thicker. It permanently stunted hair growth, allowing me to feel comfortable in my own skin. It was painless and easy, and the staff made the process so accommodating.
