As you age, facial hair changes. We produce less oestrogen, meaning that testosterone causes hair to grow on female bodies where men tend to have it – on our face. From the single black hair under the chin to facial ‘peach fuzz’ peach hair across the face, if you become conscious of it, there are a range of options for removing or reducing it. It is possibly the least favourite of beauty treatments but removing facial hair is often a priority for many people. Everyone has facial hair although it tends to be lighter in colour and finer in texture. But that doesn’t mean you are any less conscious of it. Thankfully, there are many easy at-home facial hair removal tools and techniques, including painless options. Here, we explore the options.
REMOVING FACIAL HAIR BY SHAVING
This is ideal for:
- Larger areas of the face
- Easy, at-home quick facial hair de-fuzzing
Facial hair removal can be taboo, but it need not be with the Finishing Touch Flawless facial hair shaver. Designed to look like a designer lipstick, keep the Flawless in your handbag without it drawing attention. Suitable for removing hair from lips, chin, cheeks and even ‘peach fuzz’, the discrete little shaver can be used dry, without water or gels. Plus unlike other methods, removing hair with the Flawless is painless.
Some people are more prone to facial ‘peach fuzz’ hair than others. This is a layer of facial hair that extends out from when your head of hair starts, such as around the ears, spreading across the face and down the neck. Some people don’t mind it at all but others are conscious that a ‘fuzzy’ face doesn’t give them the smooth complexion that they want.
Another way of quickly and easily removing facial hair (and dead skin!) is dermaplaning. With beauty parlours closed for the forseeable, you can get salon-ready results at home with the Finishing Touch Dermaplane Glo.
SHOULD YOU SHAVE YOUR FACE?
Shaving is painless but, for too long, women have been put off shaving because of the belief that hair will grow back thicker and coarser. This doesn’t happen, a fact that dermatologists are keen for people to know.
The hair is sliced at the follicle when you shave and so as the hair strand grows back, it can feel prickly.
If you prefer a wet shave for your facial hair, these tips will help:
- Like all hair removal, shaving your facial hair works best when the skin is warm. Shave in or just after the shower.
- A good razor is essential. Choose one with one or two blades are these tend to be better when using on sensitive areas, such as the face. Razors with three or more blades have the potential to agitate sensitive skin, leaving an uncomfortable and painful ‘razor rash’.
- Lubricate the skin with shaving cream so that friction between the razor and skin is minimised.
- Don’t pass over the same spot several times with the razor as this is likely to inflame and agitate the skin.
- When you have shaved, using a light hydrating moisturiser to help soothe the skin.
There are various tools that you can use to minimise facial hair without using a razor.
REMOVING FACIAL HAIR WITH TWEEZERS
Plucking facial hair is something that you will be familiar with. As well as plucking your own eyebrows, you have probably had them shaped by a beauty therapist using tweezers too.
Using tweezers to pluck facial hair is ideal for:
- Small areas such as stray chin hair, eyebrows or wiry hairs
- Great for precision, such as shaping eyebrows
- Battery operated alternatives can keep eyebrows in shapes easier and painlessly
A trusty pair of LED tweezers, with a slanted edge, is a must when it comes to tweezing – or plucking – facial hair.
PAIN
Removing hair including the root leads to much slower re-growth but like waxing, plucking hair from some areas of the body can be painful. Plucking your eyebrows, for example, may not be overly painful but using tweezers to pull larger strands of hair over the lip, a more sensitive area, can be.
Whilst tweezing is not normally very painful, some people find that it is on the wrong side of uncomfortable:
- Warm the area before you pluck is proven to reduce the painful sensation and so tweezing eyebrows or stray chin hair after a shower should reduce the plucking sensation. Using a warm compress on the area also helps.
- Grab the hair at the base and pull in the direction they grow
- Buy new tweezers or a similar eyebrow shaping gadget as old tweezers may be blunt and not grabbing the hair firmly before you pluck
Opening the pores reduces the discomfort but using a tool that removes stray hairs without the pain is ideal for keeping brows in check.
HYGIENE
Tweezers are relatively inexpensive to buy but you need to take care of them, especially in terms of hygiene.
After each use, wipe the tweezers over with an alcohol wipe and allow them to air dry before placing them back in a protective pouch.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR REMOVING FACIAL HAIR
- Skin that is plump and hydrated is more robust when it comes to hair removal, both with tweezers, other gadgets and shaving.
- Exfoliate before plucking or shaving as this helps to remove dirt and grime from your pores. This can stop waxy ‘lumps’ appearing after you have shaved in particular.
- Warm skin also responds better to plucking, shaving and waxing. Use a warm compress to open the pores for easier plucking and better shaving result.
- Aftercare is also important but don’t opt for a heavy or greasy moisturiser. A light, barely-there face moisturiser is ideal but if you have sensitive skin, leave the skin to ‘calm’ after hair removal for an hour or two.
THERE’S NO ONE SOLUTION – OR IS THERE?
Tweezers are ideal for small areas, with a razor, followed by a light moisturiser ideal for larger areas on the face. But for one range to cover it all, the Finishing Touch Flawless Range really delivers. With these amazing home facial hair removal solutions, grooming won’t be a chore!