What is body hair?

Your body hair is like a bunch of tiny roots planted in your skin. These roots are called follicles, and they're like little anchors holding your hair in place.

Why do we have body hair? Well, the main reason is to keep us warm. When it's cold outside, your body hair acts as insulation, trapping heat close to your skin and keeping you cosy.

But that's not all—body hair also helps protect your skin. It acts as a shield, blocking out stuff like dust, dirt, and even harmful UV rays from the sun.

Body hair is natural! It serves a variety of purposes and is present on everyone after puberty. Whether you choose to keep your body hair is up to you, like the hair on our heads its up to you how long or short you want to keep it and how you style it. There’s no right or wrong way but if you are going for a shorter look these are a few tips and information to help!

We will also give a discomfort level rating out of 5 stars based on the discomfort in comparison to the other hair removal methods.

Facial hair

If you choose to remove or alter your facial hair there are a variety of methods.

The easiest to do at home is simply using tweezers to pluck the unwanted hairs, you can also get at home facial wax strips which are mainly for use in the upper lip area, if you are choosing at home waxing it is important to get specifically facial wax strips as the skin on your face is more sensitive than the rest of your body and these strips accommodate for that (you can also get strips specifically for sensitive skin if needed). Another easy at home method are facial razors, far less painful than tweezing or waxing however shaving only trims the hair rather than removing it from the root so it will grow back faster than the other methods.

Alternatively, threading is also commonly used to remove facial hair by pulling the hairs from their roots by trapping them in string, this acquired skill can be self-taught and used at home or by a professional.

discomfort level:

Body hair

Shaving:

Shaving is the most common method of hair removal as it is usually the cheapest and definitely the least painful. By gliding the razor across the skin the blades painlessly trim the hair without disturbing the follicles. However this does mean it will grow back faster than other methods.

Shaving doesn’t come without its risks though as when not done well it can cause razor burn or cuts, it is always important to shave using either shaving cream (hair conditioner works too!) and shave with a clean and sharp razor. Ironically, you are actually more likely to cut yourself with a dull blade as its harder to get the hairs, also if you cut yourself using a dirty razor it could lead to infection.

Tips for a smoother shave:

Always exfoliate before and moisturiser after to take care of your skin and avoid ingrown hairs

To see about ingrown hairs and how to avoid them click here

Discomfort level:

Waxing:

There are many different methods of waxing eg. Hot wax, waxing strips, sugar wax. The wax removes the hair from its roots, resulting In a smoother appearance and slower regrowth.

Hot wax vs was strips.

Hot wax is applied to the desired area the hardens as it cools, once hardened it is pulled off to remove the hairs

Wax strips can either be bought in stores or done by applying warm wax (different to hot wax) to the body then removing by applying paper/cloth onto the wax and ripping it off with the hairs as the wax acts like a glue. Store bought was strips usually come with the wax already on the paper making them easy to apply straight onto the skin by following the simple instructions.

Any residue left from the wax can be cleaned away using an oil eg olive oil, coconut oil or an oil-based cleanser

Discomfort level:

Hair removal cream:

Hair removal cream is applied to the area like normal moisturiser but it works to weaken the hair follicles by breaking down the protein bonds that hold hair together under the skin's surface. After application the cream can be wiped away along with the weakened hair. As the cream contains these chemicals to break the hear down, it can irritate the skin so its important to always do a test patch when trying a new brand for the first time and avoid leaving the cream on too long.

Discomfort level:

Laser:

Laser uses a powerful laser or intense pulsed light (IPL) to remove unwanted hair. This laser heats and destroys hair follicles in the skin, preventing hair growth. (NHS)

Laser is best done by a professional, although you can get at home devices it is important to be careful of not burning yourself from the intensity if the laser.

Discomfort level:

Epilators:

Epilators work similar to the tweezers as they grab the hair and remove it from its root, however epilator devices cover more area at once and is easy to use with at home devices.

Discomfort level:

Pubic hair:

types of waxes: the purple shows areas of hair removed

• Bikini (1)
• Landing strip (2)
• Brazilian triangle (3)
• Half / mini Brazilian
• Full Brazilian / Hollywood (4)

How to shave the pubic area:

The Pubic area is more sensitive than other areas of skin so its important to be extra careful whilst shaving these thicker hairs.

You could use an electric razor trimmer to trim down the hairs however for a bare with no / little stubble and razor can be used. Its usually easier to trim down the hairs first with a trimmer or scissors then shave the area with a razor and shaving cream.

Start by shaving in the same direction as the growth (downwards) then shave in each direction (right to left the left to right) then finally shave up against the growth to get any remaining hairs then apply an oil or pubic aftershave cream to sooth the area and prevent itchiness.