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Body hair doesn’t discriminate. It likes to grow just as freely on our legs, heads, and under our arm pits as it does in places that really don’t require hair, thank you very much. The last time we checked, neither our toes, nor our chins, needed to be kept warm and protected from the elements–yet, the hair keeps growing. And growing.
Before you grab hold of your razor and go to town on your entire body (and please don’t do that) consider more effective options that won’t promote additional hair growth or leave you with a patch of stubble, which is just as bad as the hair it replaced. We turned to beauty and hair removal experts to give us the scoop on the best way to remove hair from the most awkward places.
Toes, chin, ears, & other small areas. When you spot a stray black hair or two on your face, ears or toes, it’s tempting to want to pluck and be done with it, but you aren’t always your own best aesthetician. Unless you are extremely patient or have a great magnifying mirror, you’re likely going to miss a spot. “These hairs are best removed by threading, which allows for a more precise hair removal for these small, hard-to-reach areas,” says NYC brow guru Hibba Kapil of Hibba Beauty.
Buttocks and below the belly button. The last thing you want to do is irritate your backside or the skin beneath your belly button, so Kapil offers a more gentle solution. “Sugaring is best for happy trail and buttocks as these areas are sensitive and often covered by clothing,” she says. “Sugaring is natural and drastically reduces hair growth in these awkward places.” What, exactly, is sugaring? Instead of using hot wax, a paste or gel is made from ingredients like sugar, water, and lemon juice and applied to the skin. It is then gently flicked off in the opposite direction of hair growth. The results last up to six weeks.
Back and forehead. Some women have dark hair on their backs or even a thin, dark strip of hair along the forehead (Kim Kardashian famously had hers removed with laser treatments). If lasers aren’t an option, Kapil says hair on the back and forehead can easily be removed with waxing. “One strip usually does the trick,” she explains.
Laser hair removal is a procedure that uses an intense pulsating beam of light, which heats the hair follicle and ultimately destroys it entirely, preventing future growth of any hair, says Dr. Jill Waibel a dermatologist at Miami Dermatology & Laser Institute. “This is the one option that will target these tricky areas and get rid of hair once and for all.”
Another reason why laser hair removal is better than waxing or shaving? “It’s done by someone that has a better angle, a better view, and a better shot at targeting those hard-to-reach hairs,” Waibel says. “Choosing to undergo laser hair removal to remove your stubborn hairs will save you money–and lots of frustration–in the long run.”
For more beauty tips, check out dandruff 101: what it is, how to prevent it and, most importantly, how to get rid of it and 6 makeup mistakes that actually make you look older.
