I saw the ads for Smooth Away Hair Removal on the television and it peaked my interest.   What it is is a hair removal hand pad with a crystallized surface on it which exfoliates your skin.   The price is very cheap, so I decided to head to the local corner store and buy a set of pads to try it out.

From what I had seen of it in online commercials, it looked to me like a little mitt with sandpaper on it. Looked kind of painful actually.   I was a little apprehensive about using some kind of pad that was going to rip my hair out as if I where waxing.

I took it out of the box, there where two different sized pads which I assume are for treating different areas of your body.  I have slightly thicker than fine hair on my arms, so I decided that this would be the litmus test — I started rubbing one of the pads on my arm as recommended, in a circular pattern. Sure enough, it certainly hurt a bit. It basically rips the hair out of your arm and exfoliates at the same time. I had tons of dead skin along with hairs that collected on the pad. YUCK!   Though I can see how this would work well for people with fine hairs, if you have thicker hair, this product is a definite no-go.

Another thing that I didn’t like about these pads was that when I was done, even though I was meticulous about treating my entire arm, there where still patches of hair that remained on my arm.  This was after rubbing my arm for minutes!   In my opinion, it would have been a much better use of my time to simply use a razor or any other hair removal device.  Yes… I said razor! The hair on my arm seemed to grow back even faster and more stubbly than if I simply let the hair grow out and shaved it with a disposable razor. Not only that, but I had a nice little red rash on my arm after I was done using the product.   Even though the pressure I used was gentle to moderate, it looked as if my skin had some kind of reaction to the pads for about an hour and a half.   I dont recommend using this if you are going to be going out in public directly after.

On the positive side of this, I hear that this pad works wonders for people who suffer from keratosis pilaris — you know, those red, raised bumps a lot of people get on the backs of their arms.

Smooth Away Hair Removal System would be better marketed as a skin exfoliator in my opinion.  Ill stick to sugaring, waxing — even shaving!

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If you are planning on getting laser facial hair removal, you need to be aware that it is important to honor the suggested time intervals or time gaps between treatments.  If you are spending the money to use this form of hair removal, you may as well make sure to do things the right way in order to ensure that the hair removed from your face stays gone for as long as possible without having to pay for extra, unnecessary treatment.  When it comes to hair removal systems, there are no shortcuts.  Doing things the right way the first time around IS the shortest path to your desired goal: smooth, hairless skin!

While different laser hair removal clinics may offer slightly different suggestions in regards to the time you need to wait between treatments in order for optimal facial hair removal, the general consensus is that you should be waiting approximately 2 months in between each laser facial hair removal treatment.  The reason for this is so that the hair roots stay close to the surface of the skin.  This allows for a greater effect with each successive treatment.  After each treatment, the hair will become thinner and thinner.  Even though you may not see the use of continuing treatment once your hair appears to thin to the point where you feel happy, know that it is often important to continue with treatment afterwards to ensure that the hair removal remains permanent and as long lasting as possible.

If you find that for some reason you need to take some time off in between sessions, longer than what is suggested by the laser treatment clinic, know that you should hold onto most of the ‘gains’ you have recieved from your laser treatment in regards to how thin it has made your hair.  Laser hair removal can push the limits of some people’s budgets.  Though it isn’t the most optimal way to go about doing things, this sort of thing happens all the time.  Be aware that this may mean that you might have to go in for an extra treatment or two when you are done as interupting the process may make the treatment less effective.

Another thing to consider both during treatment, and if you end up having to interupt the treatment time interval between laser hair treatments for your face is that if you end up using some other form of hair removal system during this time period that waxing should be avoided as well as any other form of epilation such as sugaring, mechanical epilation or anything else that is used to remove the hair from the root.  The irritation caused by waxing and other forms of epilation can cause the hair root to retreat away from the surface of the skin.  For laser hair removal to be most effective, it needs to have access to the hair root.  The closer the hair root is allowed to remain towards your skin, the greater the effect the laser will be able to produce.  If you take a break from your laser treatments and decide to wax in between, you should wait at least two months before resuming your treatment regimen.

So there it is — you will be waiting somewhere around 2 months in between each laser treatment for your face.  During that time, you are to avoid epilation or waxing.  If you need to take longer than 2 months in between treatments, it is advised that you avoid epilation or if you do, wait 2 months before resuming treatment.  When you decide to spend the money on a permanent form of hair removal such as laser treatment, follow the recommended guidelines as close as possible, and you will enjoy smooth, hairless skin for a long time to come!

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Facial hair removal for women is a different issue than it is for men.  For one, women should not shave since the appearance of stubble is arguably worse than a fine mustache in terms of aesthetics.  Secondly, facial hair on most women is finer than it is on men, this allows women the ability to attempt permanent hair removal as opposed to the more temporary fixes that men are limited to.  A final consideration for women is the fact that they usually put more effort into sculpting and grooming their eyebrows though there is a current trend among metro sexual men for this as well.

Women should use caution when using depilatories, specially when it is on their face.  Using chemicals to dissolve the hair shaft can be a painless way to remove unwanted facial hair provided the cream is being used according to instructions.  If you are going to use one of these on your face, it is strongly recommended that you use one that is not as caustic and designed specifically for use on the face.  Taking caution to test these out first, when you find one that works well for you, this really is the most convenient and painless method of hair removal.  Pain free methods for female facial hair removal are usually expensive or painful.  Depilatories are the main exception to this rule.

Using tweezers is a painful but effective way for managing stray hairs.  Some will use this as a way to sculpt their eyebrows.  There are a few things you should keep in mind when using tweezers to remove facial hair:

• avoid tweezing just before your period as it will likely be more painful at this time
• pull the hair ‘with the grain’ meaning along the direction of hair growth
• make sure you are tweezing in good light and that there aren’t any shadows being cast upon your face
• it is best to tweeze when the skin has been previously warmed by a bath or a shower
• use ice after tweezing in order to reduce redness and inflammation
• use good, CLEAN tweezers
• pull on nearby skin in order to create a slight stretch and take out any slack in your skin
• grip the hair close to the root, but be careful not to grip any skin
• when pulling, grip the tweezers firmly and make sure to make an even pull rather than a sudden yank as this may promote ingrown hair

Waxing and ’sugaring’ are probably the best methods of facial hair removal for women, specially around the upper lip.  The use of wax or sugary paste allows you to grab larger areas of hair and remove them close to the root.  When using wax for your face, make sure to use it at a slightly lower temperature as the skin is more sensative in that area.  Here are some considerations for when you are using these methods to remove hair from the face:

• when you apply the cotton onto the wax, make sure to leave a tag large enough for you to grip so that you can securely pull on the wax without losing your hold on it
• make sure the skin is pulled taught before ripping the wax off of your face
• you should use a single, fast pull close to the skin straight back as opposed to several light tugs or pulling in an upward or outward direction
• on the face, you should make sure to spread the wax or sugaring paste thinly and in smaller patches than if you where using it elsewhere on the body
• clean the skin with a warm, moist towel after you are done in order to remove any residual paste or wax, if there is a creme or ointment that came along with your wax, it would be wise to use this as this will often help restore the pH of your skin and help to prevent unsightly rashes

Hair inhibitors can be used with waxing or sugaring to deliver a powerful one-two punch.  In many cases, this will make for some near permanent hair removal.  Make sure to follow instructions.

As you can see, removing facial hair for women is a bit more complex than it is for men.  Make sure to test the waters when trying a new method or technique on a non visible area other than your face to make sure you wont have an adverse reaction.  Take into consideration  the sensitivity of your skin, find a method that you will feel comfortable using, and then enjoy your smooth, hair free skin!

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