I've got some hair growing on my upper lip as well as some peach fuzz type hair on the sides of my face. I had my lip waxed one time and it hurt like h*** and I still ended up having to pluck some of it which hurt even worse and would prefer not to do that again so I was thinking about trying some of the facial depilatory products.

My question is, has anyone tried any of the facial hair removal products like Olay or Nair and if so do they work good and did the hair grow back dark. Right now it is very light and I don't want to do anything that would make it stand out worse than it already does.

Any advice/personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. PM me if you would like cause I know this can be a sensitive subject.

i know nair smelled like butt when i used it on my legs once. i cant imagine putting it right under my nose. but that was years ago so maybe they changed the formula on that to make it smell better. idk, i just use a razor. i know, not the best option, but hey, good enough for my legs, good enough for my upper lip and or fuz on the face if i happen to grow some. i pluck the eyebrows if they need those. and for the razor suggestion, ive never had razor burn if thats the worry. skins not that sensitive. hope this helped some what.

Oh, geez... just wait until you get to be MY age and go through that menopause thingy!!

I have the most lovely silver hairs growing on my darn chin, so shiny! And long!! And obtrusive, at least to me!

I tweeze the darn things. I tried that wax stuff that they sell that comes in sheets, and it really didn't work worth a darn, cuz it doesn't form around the chin too well, y'know? So, as soon as I see one or two long ones, I'm in front of the mirror with the tweezers. Hurts like a beast, but it definitely gets rid of them for a while!

I am sooooooo hoping that our business takes off and I can get laser treatments!!!

~~Wiccan~~

Hey Amy- I'm sure every girl has that problem (be glad yours blonde and barely noticeable!)

I've tried a lot of things: wax, shaving, laser, epilady machine (tiny held machine) and theading. I went with laser first---then I started threading my own hair now. (I get my eyebrows threaded too)

Threading is a middle-eastern method that you take thread and pull the hair right out (it's not shaving where the hair grows back thicker) you can probably find a store at the mall or in town. Maybe there's a Youtube video, or a video online you can watch.

Hopefully I might be able to explain: Take regular sewing thread, cut it and tie it into a circle, wrap the middle like a rope(Just so the middle is like one) take the sides of the thread in your thumb,middle and pointer finger and using it like a scissor yank the hair straight out (with the middle part!) just make sure you are holding the thread close to that hair strand/ your face.

It's going to hurt at first. Since your skin will be aggravated, follicles open don't put any product on your skin for a while.

Its too bad I can't just show you myself!

WiccanMethuselah wrote:
Oh, geez... just wait until you get to be MY age and go through that menopause thingy!!

I have the most lovely silver hairs growing on my darn chin, so shiny! And long!! And obtrusive, at least to me!

I tweeze the darn things. I tried that wax stuff that they sell that comes in sheets, and it really didn't work worth a darn, cuz it doesn't form around the chin too well, y'know? So, as soon as I see one or two long ones, I'm in front of the mirror with the tweezers. Hurts like a beast, but it definitely gets rid of them for a while!

I am sooooooo hoping that our business takes off and I can get laser treatments!!!

~~Wiccan~~

LOL Wiccan, I'm already hitting menopause I've been reading some about the creams, but I'm so afraid that the hairs will grow back even worse than before and I refuse to shave because I've seen what that does to woman's faces.


Lady Nefertiti wrote:


It's going to hurt at first. Since your skin will be aggravated, follicles open don't put any product on your skin for a while.

Its too bad I can't just show you myself!

I'm a wimp and am trying to avoid anything painful. I think that waxing and tweezing the hairs above my lips was one of the most painful things I've ever experienced.

I do appreciate the advice though. When you read the review found in google searches nobody ever mentions the hair growth afterwards. If I decide to try it I'll be sure to share my results.

insomnia_amy,

Hello, I actually have a lot of personal experience with this. I am cursed with very light skin, but very dark hair. And just like my mom, aunt, and several other female relatives, I had a very big problem with facial hair. I had dark hairs on my upper lip, under my chin, and on the sides of my face. I tried everything from the hair creams, to waxing, to laser, to threading, to actually plucking every single one! I spent 12 years battling unwanted facial hair, so believe me when I tell you that the only way to get rid of it is to take the plunge and get electrolysis. Electrolysis is the ONLY way to permanently remove unwanted hair. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON LASER! Laser might remove most of the hair for awhile, but it will grow back! Laser clinics will actually lie to you and tell you that they can remove the hair permanently, but that is exactly what it is! A lie! You will waste hundreds, if not thousands of dollars getting painful laser treatments (that can cause some very bad scaring!), and then two years later you're right back to fighting unwanted facial hair.

Electrolysis is time consuming, and it is expensive, but for me being able to wake up every day and not having to stand in front of the mirror for a half hour removing any unwanted hair is a life saver! The key is finding a good electrologist. Poorly done electrolysis can be just as wasteful as laser hair removal. So make sure you find a good one.

Sincerely,

Texanlady

I have black hair, not really pail skin but it shows, I've plucked, and that leaves me with a pink lip-stash which SUCKS btw, and tears lots of lots of tears, actually made my whole face numb there once for about 4 hours. talking was VERY fun

either way, easiest and fastest way? find one of these: i have one that came with something else, kinda like a free gift thingie? works great on all small hair areas, i use mine every other day and it takes like 10 seconds! it's the size of a thick pen! and fits into purse takes a AAA battery ^_^

www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-Micro-Touch-Max-All-in-one-Personal-Trimmer-With-LED-Light/625090643.html
www.aliexpress.com/item/Eyebrow-Face-Arms-Legs-Body-Hair-Trimmer-Shaver-Remover-Wholesale-Free-Air-Mail-ONLY/317305635.html

some websites so you can see the different kinds, as far as i know you can get a decent to nice one for $4 - 10!

There is a special nair for your face and it works fine (no pain, since that is one of your concerns), the regrowth is not any different than what was originally there. Make sure to stick to the suggested time (if you go over you'll irritate your skin) and just like your experience with waxing it doesn't get every hair but you can redo the procedure the following day to clear it out. It doesn't tell you on the bottle but it loses strength (probably contamination from the applicator and air exposure) so you end up having to buy a new bottle every couple of months even though the bottle is still half full. Hope this helps you.

p.s. like Texanlady I finally gave up on all that stuff and went with electrolysis,it is expensive, time consuming, and yes it is painful (at that moment) but the results are worth it

Thanks everyone for all the great info and advice. It's so nice to be able to discuss little problems like this with other women who have dealt with the same problems.

Texanlady thanks for letting me know about the laser treatments. I would love to have electrolysis but it's just not in the budget right now.

r0o does that thing make the hair grow back darker like shaving does? I have very fair skin and right now the hairs are blonde and baby fine with only the occasional black one.

I think I'm going to try the nair stuff on the upper lip and find one of the little clippers for the side of my face, unless r0o says the hair will grow back darker.

insomniac_amy,

Yeah, electrolysis is very expensive. I actually took out a loan to pay for mine, and I'm still paying it off. But still, totally worth it to me. Having the hair completely gone forever has boosted my confidence level, and I feel so much more comfortable with myself. I no longer feel like people are staring at the hair on my face. Because there is no hair!

The little hair trimmer that Sugaroo recommended? I used it for years. Eventually, yes, it will make your hair grow back darker. Using the facial hair removal cream is your best bet. As long as your skin doesn't have a bad reaction to it. Plus, with the cream it takes longer for your hair to grow back.

Sadly, the hairs might be blonde right now, but the more often you remove them the darker, stronger, and more noticeable they will get. It might take a few years, but facial hair gets worse and worse every time you remove it. There is no way to prevent it from happening. When you remove facial hair it causes the root to come back even stronger before. Creating darker, coarser hair. My hair started out much like yours, light fuzz. But with every trim, every cream removal, or every pluck, it got worse and worse. I would avoid plucking entirely as it can actually stimulate dormant hair follicles and cause more hair to grow! Throw your tweezers out and never pluck again! It is one of the worst things you can ever do when it comes to facial hair!

Your best bet is to find a way to afford electrolysis now while you don't have much hair to remove before you make an annoying hair problem into a major hair problem that will cost you 3x as much to fix. And if you do decide on electrolysis? Definitely invest in LidoCream 5%! Best numbing cream on the market and if you use it right you can cut down on the pain of electrolysis significantly!

Sincerely,

TexanLady

insomniac_amy wrote:
r0o does that thing make the hair grow back darker like shaving does? I have very fair skin and right now the hairs are blonde and baby fine with only the occasional black one. Honestly? i dunno. My hair is BLACK all over, it's always dark, if you mean thicker? sometimes, BUT keep in mind i use this every other day so it's never long enough to have issues any more. I mean it, takes 10 seconds. It's part of my morning routine even, i dont even think about it when i grab it. it's like brushing my teeth, i just do it.

I think there are times when it seems "darker" but I'm a brow plucker, so i tend to just pull those dark beauties, and it's actually what i do to wake myself up in the morning, the yelping pain is enough to shake sleep like 2 cups of coffee only it takes a second.

I'm weird?

I'm actually really glad Amy brought this up becuase I've been having a really similar problem under my chin. At first I had no problem plucking the little buggers, as it was only 1-2 every few months, but now there are even more of em and it drives me crazy to have to pluck them. And I refuse to get them waxed because then it's something I'm going to have to do for the rest of my life, and not something I want to have to worry about every week/2weeks.

So R0o, that thing you recommended, I've seen them, but never used them. Is it kind of like a razor? Is it possible to easily cut yourself? That's what I'm worried about most. XD

Okay...

If you go the chemical depilatory route (ie: Nair, Olay, etc) you should always do a patch test first. The reason being, is that ammonium thioglycolate is the main active ingredient and can cause skin irritation to actual lesions depending on concentration and skin sensitivities.

Hair growing back thicker/darker is a misnomer. It will seem that way with shaving/trimmers because the hair grows back with a blunt edge as opposed to a tapered edge. Darkening of the hair just happens as you grow older and hormones change.

Waxing/tweezing/threading/sugaring will actually thin the hair as it does lasting damage to the follicle, sometimes even destroying it Also the more you do it the longer the effects last and it becomes less painful.

If you wax or thread, it's better to go to a professional, simply because they have better wax, will know which is better for your skin type (certain parts of the body do better with hard wax, others with soft, etc) and can build a rhythm and speed to help keep the pain and damage to the skin down. The drugstore products are just overpriced torture devices.

Waxing and threading can last up to a month.

I've never understood the appeal of sugaring. Specialists in it have tried explaining it to me, it just feels like they're sandpapering my flesh off.

Threading is arguably the least painful and damaging method for depilatory hair removal.

Laser hair removal and electrolysis can both be scarring if not done right, and are no guarantee for permanent removal. It all depends on the heartiness of the hair follicle. They both also take multiple treatments to see any permanent results and are painful.


Cosmetology is my day job, btw.

I use that little trimmer gizmo, too. It works great on the thicker, darker hairs that pop up on my chin and upper lip as well as on the blonde peach fuzz on the rest of my face. It's really easy to use, and it is designed like any other electric shaver, so you are not going to cut yourself with it. Some of them also come with a light built in just next to the razor part, which I find to be very helpful. You may have to make a few passes over an area for it to get all of the hair, but as long as you're not pressing it hard against your skin and move it at a slow, steady pace, you will get a nice result.

Lady Kirara wrote:
So R0o, that thing you recommended, I've seen them, but never used them. Is it kind of like a razor? Is it possible to easily cut yourself? That's what I'm worried about most. XDNever cut myself with it once, ever. If anything it's more like a pinch if you get yourself nothing harmful from the one i use. Basically it's like a tiny set of clippers, the blades are abotu 1 mm long and a set of 10 "teeth" that scissor, making the clipper's "head" about 1cm long

see in the detailed pic? either way, i've had mine for like 5 years, replaced the battery once so far, and it still works fine. As i said it's a day to day thing and i never notice anything darker coming in, takes care of unwanted chin fuzz and everything if plucking is not an option.

Inali,

I have to disagree with you about electrolysis. If done correctly, it is the ONLY permanent hair removal method. Laser is never permanent. It is also the only method that the FDA recognizes as being a permanent hair removal method. Laser is listed by the FDA as a reduction method.

Here are some links that will be helpful. I struggled with unwanted hair for over a decade. I was also foolish enough to fall for the hype around laser treatment and wasted $2,200 before coming to the heartbreaking realization that laser only reduces the hair for a short time. AND! no matter what the technicians say, laser WILL NOT REMOVE PEACH FUZZ! It is completely incapable of removing light hair! I spent months researching electrolysis after my laser fiasco. I didn't want to throw any more money down the drain. The key with electrolysis is finding an electrologist that is skilled enough to give you the bang from your buck. Poorly done electrolysis can be just as harmful as laser. I went to five different electrologists before finding one whose skill is excellent! You need to make sure they are certified, licensed, and that they keep up to date with all the current technology. I would also suggest an electrologist that works with the blend method. I find it removes hairs faster than the galvanic or thermolysis methods, but that is just my personal preference.

Anyways, here are the links that give great information about hair growth and treatments.

This one gives brief descriptions of reasons for unwanted hair, as well as descriptions for each method to remove the hair.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_removal#Permanent_hair_removal

This is a place where people with hair problems discuss them. You can talk to electrologists and laser technicians on this site. As well as connect with many other women who are having this problem. Very in depth analysis.
www.hairtell.com/

Helpful information.
www.electrology.com/consumer/faq.html

More helpful information.
www.ieg.net/images/Electrolysis%20FAQ.pdf

Amy,

Be careful how you take care of that peach fuzz, because like everyone says, it will grow back thicker and become harder to take care of. Been there, done that. I too have very pale skin and very dark hair. I've used the epilady machine, various depilatories, shaving, waxing, threading, etc. Many times I've heard that if you use one method or another, it thins the hair out and comes back less frequently. DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT! You also have to be careful that whatever you use isn't going to give you ingrown hairs because I have that problem as well. If you pick at the swollen hair follicle to remove the hair, it leaves a little purple scar, so what's worse?
I would take the advice of doing permanent hair removal. I don't know who's right about electrolysis or laser, but research carefully and find a reputable person to do it. I am researching now, because I'm convinced it's just going to get worse for me.
Anyway, long story short. Don't touch the peach fuzz right now. It'll just come back worse.

Oh for a note on sugar waxing!

I make my own wax with Sugar and lemon. 2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup of water and lemon juice, respectively. Youtube it, there's a lot of good recipes out there for this "Sugar Waxing" and I wouldn't say it's PAINLESS.

(This sugarwax has to be heated on an element or stovetop, it is not just the granules!)

But compared to other synthetic waxes that attaches to your skin, sugar wax doesn't stick to your skin but only onto the hair. The downpart of this is that you need strips of muslim cloth, or other porous strips of cloth if using a more watery, type of sugar wax. But there's also companies that sell premade sugar wax that you don't need a cloth to use.

I've tried the other "painless" waxes that they sell on Amazon, but they always hurt more than my sugar wax. If the sugar is cooked right, you only need one application per area so irritation is at a minimal. Not to mention, it's just sugar, lemon and water-- there are no other irritants unless you're allergic to those 3 ingredients.

And finally, if you make a mess, you only need warm water to clean it up. No need for chemicals and stuff. It works for hair as short as a cm, maybe shorter-- I haven't tested that out yet.

~ About Menopause, I'm still far from it, but I suffer from severe, severe vaginal atrophy. I found this cream "Smokey Mountain's Estriol Cream" on Amazon, and it works wonders. The cream can be used for menopausal symptoms, regardless if you have it or not. I use it for my conditions, and I survive on it! There's also a paraben free one, for those who doesn't like preservatives or carcinogens. I've bought mine with paraben before they released their new and improved formula.

Just to let you guys know, facial hair (and other unwanted body hair) can be a sign of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), especially if you also have a tendency to gain weight easier than you lose it and/or get cysts. It's fairly common (~1 in 10 women), but it can be a pain in the butt to have. It is also associated with a decreased sensitivity to insulin, which leads to the weight issues, and an increase in testosterone, which leads to the unwanted hair growth and potential fertility problems.

I'm not sure about that applying near menopause, since your hormones are out of whack anyway at that time.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask . I'd like to think I've learned quite a bit about PCOS since I was diagnosed with it.

I'd like to address a comment, a piece of advice, to you young ones out there. The facial hair you DON'T want will come back stubbornly, no matter how many times you pluck or lase or whatever. But the hair that makes up your eyebrows is not so resilient. My father's mother had those 1950s-era, perpetually-surprised looking semi-circles penciled on in auburn crayon halfway up her forehead. Not a good look, and they were nowhere near her natural browline. My mom, not her biggest fan, told me that she had plucked out her brows when that was in fashion, and they never grew back. I've seen it numerous times since then. My boss' beautiful daughter plucked her brows to the current, very thin line a few years ago, and they WILL NOT GROW BACK. So I suggest that you view plucking eyebrows the way you should getting a tattoo- Do it for beauty, but never, never for fashion. If you have Groucho Marx eyebrows, tame them. But don't pluck a hair that you might someday regret.

@Knifethrower,

I've a lot of friends who love the pencil eyebrow look... I hate it. And I have a few older ladies who I'm classmates with, have tattoo'd eyeliner... on their waterline! Talk about pain! What I have to say about tattooing eyebrows/eyeliner is that facial bones NEVER stop growing, even if we're not getting taller. It may look pretty for a decade or so, but skin sags when we get old...

I guess I'm naturally super hairy or something, because everytime I shape my eyebrow by plucking the "out of the way" hairs, they always grow back, without fail. I've never liked going to the salon and doing my eyebrows... the whole point of beauty is to make yourself feel better in your eyes... not to appease others. At least... that's what I think.

I think my eyebrows are usually a tad bit thicker than my fellow friends. Natural is good right?

I really do think natural is best. You can prove this to yourself by looking at old wedding pictures or old high school yearbooks. Some of the fads just do not look pretty! If it does not make you look pretty, why do it? I am really wondering this now, with the popularity of plastic surgery. I'm seeing a lot of bad, bad lips. They are not pretty at all, they look like something went wrong. It is very fun to experiment with makeup and fashion, I have heard the cosmetics aisle compared to a grown-up woman's candy store, but things that could be permanent, scary...

I've learned that the hard way! About the cosmetics aisle that is. I'm in my early twenties now, but I've been a rebel when I was in my early teenage years... and I do regret what I did!

I think I was 12 or 13 before I started to use a boatload of makeup on my face. The whole works, foundation, primer, mascara, eyeliner etc., thinking it would make me feel better about myself.

But my goodness! After spending hundreds of dollars on those crappy items, I ended up with a severe case of seb dermatitis and it developed into eczema when I turned 14.


A hard hard hard lesson learned. Don't slather yourself with cosmetics!
I can only keep my eczema under control with Honey, Sweet almond and avocado oil. Anything else will make my facial skin flare up into scales, rashes and hives!

sorry got off topic a little...