There is no doubt that all of us sensitive people out here are eternally grateful to the person who invented hair removal cream.
It is the easiest and pain-free method of hair removal. If it is not the holy grail for hairy girls, then what is?
However, as all good things come with a price, hair removal creams are still a step away from the perfect method. And there’s only one reason why we feel this way. We cannot use it every day.
After years of research, we finally found a pain-free solution to all our hairy problems, but the only downside is that our hair growth rate still finds a way to win the race.
So today, we have decided to help you tackle this small glitch in the silky smooth project. Let’s get right into finding how often we should use the hair removal cream.
How Often Should I Use Hair Removal Cream?
So, you have decided to take the pain-free route and go for a hair removal cream to get rid of unwanted hair?
That’s a great choice. However, you need to take care of a few things before you make that switch.
It could be a tricky question to answer when determining how frequently one should use hair removal creams.
There is no universal answer for this. How often you should use hair removal cream varies from person to person.
Typically, it would be best if you used hair removal creams not more than twice a month.
Using depilatory creams too often can have repercussions. Hair removal creams contain some strong chemicals that should not be exposed to the skin too frequently.
Besides this, several other factors come into play when deciding how often to use hair removal creams. Keep reading further as we explore them in detail.
Factors Affecting the Frequency of Using Hair Removal Creams
How long does using a hair removal cream several other factors dictate last. The most important one of them being your hair growth cycle and which body part you are removing hair from. Let’s dig deeper and review all these factors in detail:
Hair Growth Stages
A typical hair growth cycle is divide into three broad stages called anagen, catagen, and telogen.
How often should you use hair removal creams heavily relies on your current hair growth stage? The results for each hair growth stage are different.
When it comes to the anagen stage, you will notice new hair growth. Whereas in the catagen stage, your hair growth is somewhat temporary, which means that they will grow at a slow rate.
And finally, in the telogen state, your hair has completely grown out by now and reached a resting phase. Removing hair in a telogen state can get a little difficult to handle.
If you wish to get the best hair removal results, it is recommended to use hair removal creams in the catagen or anagen state.
This means that you can use a hair removal cream 2 to 3 times a month, depending on how your hair growth cycle pans out.
Hair Growth Rate
The hair growth rate is another essential factor that will help you decide how often to use hair removal creams.
Everyone has varying hair growth. Moreover, the hair growth rate is different for different parts of your body.
Your arm hair may start growing back after a week, while your upper lip hair may pop out the very next day after removing them.
If you have slow hair growth and you can easily spend a month without long hair prickling out on your skin, then you can easily get away with using hair removal cream once in two months.
Ideally, it is recommended that use hair removal creams once a month only because of their strong nature.
However, if you have faster hair growth, you can increase this to 2 to 3 times every month.
Hair removal creams can be used every week for particular body areas where the hair starts to regrow quickly.
Keep in mind that the skin around that area is not too sensitive, like your upper lip or underarm area.
Unlike waxing and epilation, using hair removal too frequently does not slow down hair growth. So keep in mind that you phase out your hair removal sessions according to your hair growth.
Hair Thickness
Your hair thickness plays a major role in determining the frequency of using depilatory creams.
If you have thick hair growth, you cannot go around for too long without removing them. Coarse body hair is more easily noticeable.
The good news is that you do not have to wait for your hair to grow out a certain length if you are a depilatory cream user. You can remove hair of all lengths, any time you want.
Body Part or Area
As discussed earlier, the hair growth across your body is different for different body parts. How often you should use hair removal creams is first dependent on where you want to use them.
Some body parts may grow hair in a week, like your upper lip, while some may take up to a month, as your tummy area.
As facial hair can grow rapidly, it is ideal that you remove your upper lip hair every week, but
not with a hair removal cream. It is recommended that you avoid using it too often on the upper lips as it could mess with your skin and cause chemicals burns of reaction.
Similarly, for hair on other areas like your legs or calves, you can use depilatory creams every week too, as long as it is not damaging your skin or thickening your hair.
Skin Sensitivity
How often you should use hair removal creams also varies based on your skin type is.
If you have extra sensitive skin, you cannot use hair removal creams too frequently because of the side effects. Sensitive skin is more susceptible to allergic reactions, ingrown hair, rash, and burns.
If you are sensitive skin, it would be best to space out your hair removal sessions for at least 3 to 4 weeks.
You need to give to your skin to breathe and get used to hair removal creams. That is why it is best advised to do a small patch test before removing hair from a larger body area.
On the contrary, if your skin isn’t a tough cookie to crack, you can use hair removal creams more frequently.
Hair removal creams suit some people and even helps slow down their hair growth in the long run.
If you are one of these fortunate people, you are good with using hair removal creams 3 to 4 times a month for varying body parts.
Also don’t forget to checkout how long does hair removal cream last?
Pros and Cons of Using Hair Removal Cream
Using hair removal creams to get rid of unwanted body hair has several benefits. However, you need to be aware of some side effects of using hair removal creams.
Here is a list of pros and cons of using hair removal creams that will help you make that switch:
Pros of Using Hair Removal Creams
- Pain-free method
- Quick and easy option
- Easy to do at home
- Cost-effective
- Multiple product options are available
Cons of Using Hair Removal Creams
- Harsh on the skin
- Unpleasant odor
- Not ideal for sensitive areas
- Can cause a skin reaction
- Hair grows back quickly
Tips for Using Hair Removal Cream
If you have recently switched to using hair removal creams, you can use the following tips to enhance your experience and get smooth and effective results:
Tip 1 – Keep Your Skin Moisturized
This is the holy grail of using hair removal creams or any other hair removal technique. Keeping your skin moisturized and hydrated is essential for getting smoother results.
Moreover, regular moisturizing also helps make your skin and hair softer, reducing the chances of ingrown hair and skin bumps.
Tip 2 – Patch Test Before the Final Go
If you are new to using depilatory creams, you should not take any risks. Depilatory creams tend to be harsh on your skin and may cause allergic reactions if your skin is extra sensitive.
Therefore, you always recommend that you do a small patch test before going for the big fish.
This way, you can get an idea of how to properly use the cream and also figure out if it is working out for you or not. It is best to wait 12 to 24 hours after doing a patch test for the safe side.
Tip 3 – Make Exfoliation a Habit
Just like moisturizing, regular exfoliation is also essential to keep your skin smooth and supple.
In addition to this, regular exfoliation works like a charm for people with undergrowth hair problems and strawberry skin.
Make sure that you use a mild and organic oil-based scrub to avoid over drying your skin. Do not use exfoliation brushes on their own as they could damage the top layer of your skin.
A day before your planned hair removal session, exfoliating your skin will give you silky smooth results, with lesser chances of ingrown hair.
Tip 4 – Use a Microfiber Towel
Although all hair removal creams come with a spatula that makes hair applications easier, using that spatula or other wooden stick on your skin is not such a great idea.
When you use a spatula to remove the layer of cream from your body, it scratches your skin. This could cause redness or soreness if your skin is sensitive.
It is best to use a soft fabric or microfiber towel to clean off the excess cream or hair remnants from the skin.
Using microfiber to smoothen your skin may also help reduce ingrown hair growth. Microfiber is gentle on the skin as it uses less pressure and can easily pull out stubborn hair from the roots.
Tip 5 – Stay Away from Sweat and Sun
One of the most important post-hair-removal steps is to ensure that you stay away from the sun for at least a day.
Give your skin time to breathe and avoid direct sunlight exposure as the harmful UV rays can react with your skin.
In addition to this, it is also important to ensure that you are not sweating yourself out. Excessive sweating is caused by work out or any other intense physical activity. Wait for 24 to 48 hours, at least after using hair removal creams.
You should also avoid touching your skin right after using hair removal creams, as this could make your skin red and bumpy.
Tip 6 – Keep it Cool
It is common for your skin to get a little red and bumpy after using hair removal creams. If you notice slight irritation or burning sensation, do not use any commercial lotion on it.
The best way to ease skin irritation is by using aloe vera gel or cucumber gel. It is a natural and safest way to get rid of redness on your skin. You can store these gels in the refrigerator for extra smoothness.
In addition to this, you can also directly apply an ice cube over the bumpy area to get instant relief. It also prevents ingrown hairs and strawberry skin conditions.
It is strictly advised not to use any commercial body cream or lotion post using hair removal creams.
The reason being that these products contain perfumes, etc., that can severely damage your skin if you use them right after a hair removal cream. This goes for all hair removal methods, not just for depilatory creams.
The Bottom Line
We hope that after reading this blog, many more people would love to shift to this pain-free hair removal method.
Hopefully, we have solved the conundrum regarding how often one should use hair removal cream.
It is different for every individual, and we have catered to almost all types, so it is the one-stop for all the issues surrounding hair removal creams.
Stay tuned to this space for more valuable guidelines and hair removal tips. Happy skin to you!