Like clothing or hairstyle, maintaining pubic hair is a matter of individual preference. If you’re keen to try other methods beyond your usual bikini hair removal repertoire, here’s a quick look at different options to help you weigh things better!
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Table of Contents
Shaving
For most of us, we first dabbled in hair removal with a razor in hand, and for many times it became our fallback option if we’re looking for a quick cleanup. While shaving has a lot going for it with its convenient process, it’s also high maintenance. You can’t expect razors to provide long-lasting results as hair often grows back within one to three days after shaving. It can also leave you with prickly stubbles in between shaves. Because of that, you’re left to shave repeatedly, exposing your skin to potential downsides like nicks, infection, ingrown, and darkening.
So, if shaving is an option for you, either by choice or as a last-minute solution, it’s better that you follow the right steps to achieve smooth results while it lasts! Here are some quick and easy tips that your lady bits will thank you for later!
It’s better to trim the hedges first to make the job easier and to avoid razor bumps. To loosen up the follicles, it’s best to take a warm shower before shaving. Gently exfoliate the area using a loofah or a washcloth and apply shaving cream. For this area, a regular razor with a fresh blade is safer than an electric one because it gives you better control. And just a safe tip, avoid storing your razor in the shower as this can be a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
After you’re done, you can apply a cortisone cream or aloe vera gel to avert a razor burn. You can also try a serum, oil, or cream to stop ingrown hairs. To keep your pubic area smooth and hairless, you’ll need to shave regularly.
Hair Removal Creams
Over-the-counter hair removal creams, also called depilatories, are formulated to sever the hair at the skin level. It can penetrate to and through the follicles but spares the root. These products can be used on the face and the body. But you need to be careful when applying it too close to your genitals to avoid nasty burns.
Depilatory creams are alkaline-based products that include ingredients such as strontium sulfide, sodium thioglycolate, and calcium thioglycolate. When applied on unwanted hair, it breaks down the protein bonds and turns it into a jelly-like substance that you can just wipe off, all within 15 minutes.
Compared to shaving, the effects of hair removal creams tend to last longer because it removes hair below the skin. Regrowth is softer because instead of a squared-off edge which occurs in shaving, the new hair will have a tapered end.
The downside with hair removal creams is that they can be quite messy, depending on your application technique. It also comes with a strong chemical scent, that if you’re sensitive to strong smells, the fumes can cause reactions. Leaving it on for too long can also cause burns, blisters, stinging, itchy rashes, and skin peeling.
A quick word of advice: it pays to do a little planning when you use hair removal creams. Experts recommend that you skip keratolytic products (compounds that break down the outer layer of the skin), for at least three days before using depilatory creams.
Depilatory creams are great in-home alternatives to hair removal, just be sure to use it with caution to prevent irritation. Should there be any negative reactions that last for more than a day, check in with a board-certified dermatologist to assess the severity of your reaction.
Bikini Waxing
Waxing offers smoother and long-lasting results compared to shaving and creams because it removes the hair from the root once it’s pulled off. This can be uncomfortable, especially for areas with coarse and thick body hair, which is more stubborn to remove, but it allows hair to grow back thinner and finer.
To prepare for a bikini wax, you need to wait until your pubic hair is at least ¼ inch long, which is about the length of a grain of rice. Anything shorter than that and the wax won’t properly attach to the hair. However, hair that is too long can also make the process more painful, so it just must be the right length.
The extent of hair removal will depend on your preferences—from simply trimming hair that peek through the sides to a full Brazilian wax that goes one step further to include the hair on your buttocks.
Usually, these waxing appointments can take about 15-20 minutes to complete. Initial appointments may take a bit longer, but each subsequent session may take a shorter amount of time since there will be thinner hairs to remove.
If you choose this method of bikini hair removal, sanity is key! Since you will be doing this regularly, you must choose a place that doesn’t double dip! In the waxing industry, this is when a therapist uses a spatula to apply wax on a client’s skin and then reuses that same spatula after dipping it in the wax spot multiple times. This unhygienic practice can infect anyone whose skin comes in contact with the wax inside the jar.
Waxing is a great option, albeit a painful one, but it can clean your bikini area better than the first two options. It may need some getting used to, but a professional wax job can last for about a month, so this can be high maintenance.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is a hair removal treatment that involves a thin wire inserted into the hair follicle under the surface of your skin. An electric current moves down the wire to the bottom of the follicle to destroy the root of the hair. This process can take a while because the procedure destroys a single follicle at a time instead of targeting follicles in patches. Hence, it will require several sessions to destroy a significant portion. The thicker and denser the hair, the more sessions you’ll need to remove hair and disrupt hair growth.
Since it involves a small electric current, this treatment may not be the most comfortable. It can leave the skin red, swollen, and tender. However, it is generally safe for sensitive areas like the bikini line. There are electrical devices that exist on the market today, but it’s best to go to a trained electrologist to get this done safely and properly.
Laser Hair Removal
Laser hair removal works by heating the hair follicles so that it stops new hairs from growing. Treatment typically requires 6-8 sessions and can lead to hair removal without the need for waxing, shaving, or plucking.
Laser treatments emit intense, energy-filled light beams that gently enter the skin cell tissue to remove hair by a process called selective photothermolysis. That means it heats the hair follicles enough to damage them while it spares the surrounding skin.
This treatment causes minimal pain compared to other treatments like waxing. Many patients claim that it feels like the treatment area is being snapped by a rubber band, but your personal pain tolerance will also dictate the level of discomfort associated with your laser experience. There are several devices available today that provide tolerable sessions. However, they’re not created equally.
The effectiveness of each laser depends on the system that it runs on, and for us at The Aesthetics Centre, we use GentleMax Pro by Candela which is an Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet) laser. It’s a long-pulsed medical-grade device that emits a single wavelength to maximise penetration to the targeted area. It also delivers efficient results with minimal pain without undermining its effectiveness.
You can’t expect lasers to zap hairs out of existence in a snap. In fact, you’ll continue to see hair during your laser treatments. Some of these are regrowth and some are hairs that haven’t been treated yet. Once you’ve completed your sessions, you may not see regrowth for many years. Over time, any hair that grows back should be very sparse and fine and you may need touch-up sessions when necessary.
Laser is a good option for bikini hair removal because it’s thorough, gentle, and effective. It hits right at the root and it doesn’t subject your skin to repeated trauma with every session. This may not be the cheapest alternative around, but it can give you your money’s worth!
Read: 12 FACTS on LASER HAIR REMOVAL: Results, Costs, and More!
So, which option are you using now? and which among these has caught your interest?
If you want long term results through laser treatments for bikini hair removal, we would be happy to walk that journey with you! Start with a consultation today so we can map out a customised treatment plan. You can book one today by calling +65 6820 3308 or +65 6820 3309.
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