Hair removal from the face is delicate because the skin is more sensitive than on the rest of the body. What are the right actions to adopt for optimal results? Here are all the tips to know!
Whether it is to define the line of your eyebrows or to remove a few annoying hairs on the upper lip, sometimes you have to resort to facial hair removal where the skin is particularly delicate. Shaving? Waxing ? To the electric epilator? Or even laser or pulsed light? There are many methods to get rid of facial hair depending on the area. But which techniques to adopt? What are the right beauty habits to adopt? Pauline Grimpard, product manager at Acorelle, gave us all his tips for a perfect facial hair removal.
Can you shave your face?
While hair removal is preferable to shaving for the body, it is the same for the face. Indeed, shaving does not remove the root of the hair, but the cut leaving a bevel at the end of the remaining hair which creates this unpleasant stinging effect. Using a razor on the face, we also remove the fine and very clear down which will inevitably become black and thick with regrowth. In addition, shaving tends to irritate sensitive skin. It is then reserved only in the case of laser hair removal or pulsed light so that the hair is more visible and more easily removed during the different sessions. " The problem with shaving is that it will not remove the little hairs that bother us, but a lot more hairs, which will expand the area to be waxed and which will promote even more hair on the face over the course of waxing. ", explains Pauline Grimpard.
How to properly prepare your skin for hair removal?
The skin of the face is particularly sensitive. So to prepare it as well as possible without attacking it, we use a gentle small-grain or enzymatic scrub, which can be done about once a week. By exfoliating the face, dead skin is eliminated and the appearance of hair under the skin or possible scars is avoided. This then allows epilating on clean, healthy skin for optimal results, while reducing the risk of a skin reaction. This scrub is carried out the day before waxing so as not to attack the skin too much. "My little tip before epilation is to anesthetize the area to be epilated by passing a glove of cold water, because this cleanses the skin and brings an anesthetic and refreshing side to the skin", advises Pauline Grimpard.
Warning, if the facial skin is irritated, waxing is postponed. This could cause severe skin reactions.
Wax or tweezers for facial hair removal?
Wax and tweezers remove hair at the root. They are complementary for perfect facial hair removal. The tweezers allow more precise hair removalhair by hair, without going beyond the area of the face that you want to wax, especially the down. Wax, on the other hand, helps depilate larger areas, but can remove more hair than expected.“The downside to tweezers is that you tend to pluck more regularly, it won't grow back in one phase. By removing a hair here, a hair there, they will not grow back at the same time. We will therefore tend to use the tweezers more often, and find ourselves tracking down any hair every day, which can create pimples or skin irritations. », Specifies Pauline Grimpard. Not to mention that it can border on obsession.
It is then recommended touse a wax, preferably cold, to remove most of the facial hair, then remove the most irreducible with tweezers. Cold wax doesn't require a lot of technique. It is easier to use and less irritating than hot wax. In addition, it limits the risk of burns. "For someone who has never shaved before, I do not recommend hot wax, in particular sugar wax which will be used more for large areas like the legs. Hot wax is more complicated to use on small ones. If you really want to use hot wax, I recommend a peel-off wax without a strip, which allows you to draw thin strips that are easier to tear off.", Emphasizes Pauline Grimpard, adding that it may be good to go to a beauty salon so that a professional can teach us the right actions.
For optimal depilation of the different areas of the face, the two strips, generally glued together, between the hands are heated. They are separated and applied to the area to be depilated by smoothing it in the direction of hair growth. It is then removed with a sharp blow against the direction of hair growth. That's it !
How to take care of the skin on your face after waxing?
It is important to take good care of the skin on your face after waxing. We do not forget to hydrate and soothe the skin with appropriate care."I recommend using aloe vera gel which has cooling, soothing and healing properties, which helps prevent skin reactions such as redness and irritation. You can also use a soothing vegetable oil which, in addition to soothing the skin, removes any residue of cold wax that may remain on the chin, upper lips or eyebrows. ", says Pauline Grimpard. Best ? Sweet almond, pomegranate, camelina … the choice is not lacking.
After waxing, it is advisable to wait at least 24 hours before exposing yourself to the sun. After waxing, the skin is irritated and UV rays could promote skin reactions. After this one-day period, we still apply a sunscreen of 30 to 50 SPF to the skin depending on the type of skin.
What alternatives to wax?
There are several alternatives to waxing, including thread hair removal, which is frequently used for the eyebrows, but which can also be used on other areas of the face, including the top of the lips and the chin.
Threading is particularly precise, since each hair is individually removed at the root. This method is recommended for people with heavy hairiness who would like to get rid of their hair for several weeks.
You can opt for the electric epilator method. There are some for the face, which are smaller than those for the body, to allow more precise hair removal.
Pulsed light or laser hair removal can also be used. Be careful, however, the eyebrow area is to be avoided, because it could damage the retina. We also avoid passing the appliance over the down in order to avoid the risk of burns and increase the risk of paradoxical regrowth (regrowth of hair in greater quantity). The laser is the method guaranteeing the most lasting result. We prefer to carry out laser or pulsed light hair removal sessions with a qualified practitioner for better results and not to take any risks. The price for laser or pulsed light hair removal is around 40 euros on average per facial area per session.
There is also depilatory cream specially designed for the face, whose alkaline active ingredients destroy the hair at the root. Before using this technique, it is important to check the composition of the product . "A depilatory cream cannot be organic, since the active ingredient that allows the oxidation of the hair is not natural. There are still active ingredients that you have to be careful of when trying to find as many natural ingredients as possible in the hair removal cream and check that there is no mineral oil or paraffin. », Warns Pauline Grimpard, adding that hair removal cream leads to the same results as a razor. Regrowth will be much faster than waxing, although the hair will grow back slightly finer after shaving.
Finally, bleaching cream is a very good alternative to hair removal, especially if the face does not have thick black hair. Once again, it is important to choose the most natural bleaching cream possible.
How to avoid ingrown hairs?
Ingrown hairs can form both on the body and on the face. To avoid them, the best way is to make a scrub about once a week to thoroughly exfoliate the skin. It is chosen soft, with small grains, so as not to attack the particularly sensitive skin of the face.
We can bet on chemical scrubs such as micropeelings based on fruit acids to deeply and gently exfoliate the skin. This solution will prepare the facial skin for hair removal. If an ingrown hair has formed, alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) will help remove the layer of skin that has formed above the hair. Be careful, however, the peel is not recommended for reactive skin, sensitive skin or irritated skin.
You can also use a konjac sponge to gently exfoliate the skin on a daily basis. It eliminates dead skin while regenerating cells, cleansing pores and stimulating blood circulation.
If an ingrown hair has formed, you should definitely not go after it. "When you can't get a hair out, don't persevere over and over again, as it can create irritation. It's best to stop and apply soothing cream or aloe vera.", advises Pauline Grimpard.
If the hair is really troublesome, disinfect the tools you are about to use to remove the hair with an alcoholic solution. Once the hair is removed, the facial area is disinfected well so as not to worsen the irritation.
How to slow down hair regrowth?
Above all, it is important to prefer hair removal to shaving and to favor waxing so that all the hairs grow back at the same time. Overuse of the tweezers can promote hair growth and potentially lead to more hair growth on the face.
You can also use special anti-hair regrowth products, concentrated in active ingredients which act directly on the factors involved in the hair regrowth process. Organic nutgrass oil, well known for its action on hair growth, as well as wax tree extract and organic black truffle extract, help slow the regrowth of facial hair. The hairs are then finer and less numerous. For a good result, the secret is in the regularity of the application of the treatment.
Where to find the products ?
Organic anti-regrowth serum, € 34.90, Acorelle
Mono-strips of cold face wax, € 5.99, Nairavailable at Monoprix
AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution, € 7.50, The Ordinaryavailable onAmazon
Melting face scrub, € 17.90, Guérande Cosmetics
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