Methods Of Hair Removal
NVQ Level 3 Beauty
Therapy
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Waxing and sugaring
These products are designed to remove
hairs at root level working against the
direction of hair growth. They come in
different formulations, each of which
has their own specific benefits.
Waxing/sugaring treatments are very
effective at removing large areas of
hair growth and are suitable for use on
most areas of the body. Clients will be
hair free for approximately 2-4 weeks.
Waxing removes the hairs in the
opposite direction of growth, which
results in some hair follicle distortion.
This should be taken into consideration
when selecting a treatment as blend or
galvanic currents are most effective at
treating distorted
follicles.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Shaving
Shaving cuts the hair off at skin level; therefore the
hairs will not be visible for the next few days. Shaving
is only suitable for use on terminal hairs as it can
topically stimulate further hair growth.
Some experts believe that shaving an area a few days
prior to an electrical epilation treatment is beneficial,
as it will indicate to the electrologists, which hairs are
in anagen stage.
The longer hairs can then be treated resulting in a
more effective treatment. Shaving and the products
used can sensitise an area, therefore special
considerations will need to be made if treating an area
that is commonly shaved.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Depilatory creams
Depilatory creams use chemicals to dissolve the
keratin in the hairs to just below skin level and, as
with shaving; the hairs will be visible within a few days.
These products often have an offensive odour, which has
been improved slightly over recent years. It is worth
noting that the skin has a very similar composition to
hair and therefore it is also affected by the chemical
action of the cream. For this reason, these products
can often cause an allergic reaction or sensitivity of
the skin.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Depilatory creams continued
Establish how long the client has been using the
depilatory cream for and when the last treatment
was. Discuss if any soreness, irritation or infection
has occurred. If the treatment was recent, it may
be necessary to wait until the skin has desensitised.
Depilatory creams can also make the hairs brittle;
this makes the hair difficult to release during the
epilation treatment without causing breakage.
Depilatory creams are not recommended for use on
facial areas.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Tweezing and threading
Tweezing/threading removes the hair at root level
therefore; the hairs will not be visible again for 2-4
weeks. Tweezing is not recommended on facial areas
except for the eyebrows or on large areas because it
would be very time consuming. You should never tweeze
hairs that are not terminal - this is because tweezing
can stimulate topical hair growth, resulting in darker,
coarser and more numerous hairs. If the client has
been tweezing the area, look for any nips on the skin
and make a note on the record card. The client may
have been using incorrect technique when tweezing,
removing hairs against the direction of growth and this
would result in distorted follicles. In this instance,
blend or galvanic currents are most effective.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Cutting
Scissors can be used to trim the hairs to just
above skin level. This is particularly useful for
hairs growing from moles as no other method can
be used. Hairs will obviously still be present but
less obvious.
The procedure will need to be repeated regularly
and is not recommended for large areas. Cutting
is the best method to manage hair growth inbetween electrical epilation treatments as it does
not interfere with the treatment in any way.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Abrasives
These can be an abrasive mitt or disk, and are
rubbed over the skin using a circular motion until the
hair is broken off, level with the skin surface. This
method is really only useful on the legs, as other
areas would be too sensitive and skin is often
removed in the process. Abrasives are not
recommended for use on facial areas. This is not a
suitable method to use in-between epilation
treatments as at makes it difficult to follow the line
of the hair into the follicle.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Epilators
These small, hand held machines
electrically tweeze hairs from root level.
Hairs will re-grow as with tweezing. It
can be quite painful and a timeconsuming procedure and they cannot be
used on hairs longer than a centimetre in
length.
Epilators are only suitable for use on the leg area, although
some people use them on the underarms and bikini line. They
should never be used on facial areas. This treatment can result
in distorted follicles, sensitised skin and in-growing hairs,
which will affect the epilation treatment.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Bleaching
This is an effective way of lightening unwanted hairs by
stripping them of colour. It is suitable for use on facial hairs
and the forearms, however would be too costly and time
consuming for use on larger areas.
This is an effective way of disguising the appearance of
unwanted hair growth in-between epilation treatments.
However, it can make the hairs brittle and therefore liable to
break off during removal.
Bleached hairs are more difficult to see than darker hairs, so
recommend that the client allow a little re-growth to make the
insertions easier for the electrologist and allow the skin to
desensitise.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Laser
Laser hair removal is a non-invasive method
that treats hundreds of hairs in a single
treatment session. Large areas such as the
back, shoulders, underarms, bikini line, arms
and legs can be efficiently treated. Legally,
laser manufacturers can claim permanent hair
reduction but not (to date) removal. This
method works because the laser light is
converted into heat as it passes through the
skin and is absorbed in the target pigment
melanin found in the hair follicle. When the
temperature reaches a high enough level in a
hair follicle during its active phase, the hair
structures are disabled, thus inhibiting hair regrowth.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Laser
Although permanent hair removal is the aim of the
treatment, some patients may experience hair regrowth that is usually finer and lighter in colour. In
addition, long-lasting laser hair removal typically
requires multiple treatments, which can make it a
more costly hair removal alternative. Possible side
effects, though very rare, may include damage to
the surrounding healthy tissue in the form of scars,
burns, redness and swelling. Special considerations
are important when lasers are used on darker skin
tones to allow for safe and effective treatment.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris
Tweezer epilation
This method of electrical epilation is useful for
treating a client who has a fear of needles. A
much more powerful machine needs to be used
as there is more opportunity for the current to
be lost. A conductive gel is first applied and
then each hair is gripped by the tweezers
allowing the galvanic current to travel
downwards, via the moisture film that
surrounds the hair.
As the connective tissue is also moist, the
current can travel down to the dermal papilla
where the chemical reaction starts to take
place. The lye produced by the chemical
reaction destroys the dermal papilla. However,
treatment with this method takes much longer
than with traditional methods of electrical
epilation as it has a lower success rate.
Clare Hargreaves-Norris