The face and underarms are two common areas where hair grows in both men and women. Hairs that are soft and fine are known as vellus hairs, and ones that are thick and dark are known as terminal hairs, according to KidsHealth.org. There are several methods of removing hair from the face and underarms if you have an abundance of hair in those areas.
Shaving
Shaving is a cheap and easy form of hair removal, but it is also short-lived: expect to be hair- free for no more than three days. If you are a man and your hair is thick, first trim the hair with a pair of electric clippers or scissors.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is a type of permanent hair removal. According to HairRemovalForum.com, the most effective areas for electrolysis treatment are usually facial areas like the upper lip, chin and cheeks. In this procedure, a trained electrologist inserts a tiny needle into each hair follicle and sends an electrical current to the tip. The follicle gets destroyed and the hair falls out. The procedure can also be costly and take several hours to do a small area.
Depilatory Cream
Depilatory creams contain chemicals that dissolve the keratin found in hair. This causes the hair to weaken and break off. The hair gets softened with a warm washcloth first, a liberal amount of cream then gets applied and is left on the skin to set up. While the cream sits on your skin, it dissolves the hair which then gets wiped off with another washcloth. Set-up times vary depending on the manufacturer, but they are generally between five and 10 minutes. If you use a cream on your face, make sure to keep it away from your eyes and mouth. Before using a depilatory on a large area of hair, do a small test patch on your forearm to make sure you do not have an allergic reaction. Hair removal with this treatment can last anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks.
Waxing
You can wax your hair at home with a kit or go to a salon and get waxed by an experienced technician. The procedure is the same either way. Hot wax is applied to the skin, a durable cloth strip is flattened out over top and is then ripped off forcefully, taking the hair and skin cells with it. Waxing can keep you hair free for several weeks, but it can be painful.
Plucking
Plucking is a technique reserved for small areas of hair on the face and underarms, and is done with a pair of regular or angled tweezers. Hold the skin around the hair taut with the fingers of one hand while you grasp a single hair with the tweezers and pull it out in a steady motion. This technique can keep you hair free for one to two months. When plucking out your hair, do not yank hard with the tweezers. This can cause hairs to break off under the skin.
