Waxing has long been many women's go-to hair removal method and in recent years, threading, the ancient Arabic/Indian technique has gained popularity in America. Good news: Both methods remove hair at the root so the hairlessness lasts longer than shaving, and the process doesn't take long.
Bad news: They can both be painful and leave you with red skin or ingrown hairs. Also, Kauvar cautions against waxing if you use a retinoid because the hot wax can burn your newly sensitive skin or even remove a layer or two! Plus, with both options, you'll have to contend with stubble, which, since it's on your face, might get maddening.
Some advice: Do not attempt waxing at home unless you know what you're doing. It's very easy to misjudge the temperature of the wax and cause some serious damage. This is your face we're talking about. These days a professional wax can be had for a very good price (usually between $10-20).
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Depilatories
Remember those "who wears short shorts?" commercials? That was when depilatories were something new fangled and meant for your legs and bikini area only. These days there are many to choose from and they're designed for all parts of your body. Good news: You can do it to yourself in the comfort of your own home for a very reasonable price.
Bad news: They don't smell great and can sometimes take longer than promised to do a thorough job.
Some advice: Follow the directions to a tee because timing can be tricky. If you don't leave the product on long enough you'll be stuck with stubble, but if you leave it on too long it may burn your skin.
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Tweezing
While many of us have clocked hours plunked in front of a magnifying mirror with a pair of our favorite tweezers in hand, this age old method has its pros and cons. Good news: Grabs hair at the root and doesn't cause any irritation. (Can also be immensely satisfying in a very strange way.)
Bad news: Time consuming and not practical for contending with a large amount of hair growth.
Some advice: Use tweezers that have a slanted tip, they grip onto slight, hard-to-see hairs and don't let go.
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Vaniqa
The prescription-only cream blocks hair growth from deep within the follicle. Good news: Slows hair growth so you'll have fewer removals to deal with.
Bad news: It requires a doctor's prescription.
Some advice: Vaniqa can take up to eight weeks to reveal results but don't give up -- it will be worth it when it does. In the meantime, continue your preferred method of hair removal.
Now you know the options for hair removal, see the next slide for how to (gently) suggest that your friend think about removing her facial hair.
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How to break hairy news
We've all been there � having to tell a friend something they don't necessarily want to hear. It's never easy, but, as a friend, you believe that it's your duty to be honest with her.
To find out the textbook way to go about such a thing, we consulted etiquette expert Lizzie Post (her great, great grandma Emily Post's eponymous etiquette book is considered by many to be the bastion of all that's mannerly) and asked her the best way to let a friend know she should probably contend with her facial hair.
When it comes to telling someone something they don't want to hear, know that knowledge is power. As Post explains, "it helps to have advance insight about whether or not they want to know those types of things [so], I try to make a mental note when friends say things like, 'If I ever have blank, please tell me.' Broaching the subject ahead of time can really save a lot of squirming about what to do."
If you don't have any advance insight as to how to proceed with a friend, do it gingerly or not at all says Post. "Take her aside and let her know you're telling her because you're her friend. Turn it into a 'girl power' moment." And, maybe even suggest that you both go take care of it together. "I'm going to get my chin waxed on Saturday. Want to come?" Strength in numbers -- works every time.
There's just no sugarcoating an issue like women's facial hair removal -- no matter how you slice it, it's not going to morph into a happy, feel good topic.
Yes, we know that there's a strong contingent of women out there who resent the fact that society wants to dictate what's acceptable and what's not when it comes to their facial hair, but be that as it may, as a woman in America, having facial hair is not considered a good thing -- for now anyway.
And, unfortunately, because of the stigma sometimes associated with facial hair, you can become self-conscious, suffer from self-esteem issues and/or become reluctant to enter into a romantic relationship. But, don't despair! First of all, you're not alone. 10 percent of American women contend with facial hair removal two or more times a week. Plus, we're lucky to live in a time when hair removal options abound. Trust us, Laura Ingalls was not nearly as fortunate.
So, let's get proactive and see what your best options are. As with solving any problem, the first thing to do is suss out the root cause -- you want to be sure that your hair growth doesn't signal a medical issue that needs to be addressed. Once anything serious has been ruled out, you can get to tackling the problem head on. To that end, we've brought in the big guns. We consulted with dermatologists Dr. Heidi Waldorf and Dr. Arielle Kauvar to find out the best ways to combat excessive facial hair and learn all about the hair removal options available today. (Psst � we also have some hints from famed etiquette expert, Lizzie Post, about how to, gently, tell a friend that she may want to consider some of these hair removal options.)
Anxious to get plucking? OK, maybe not the best choice of words, but let's begin.
