Why excess hair ?

Unwanted hair on the body or face does not necessarily indicate a hormonal imbalance. Prevalent in a large number of perfectly normal women, especially as they get older, it is frequently an inherited characteristic common to either specific families or races. Women are particularly prone to develop hair where they don’t want it during the glandular changes connected with fertility. Most girls can trace the beginnings to the onset of puberty, pregnancy or menopause. Occasionally excessive hair can be the result of a physical ailment or a glandular disturbance resulting in an imbalance of the male and female sex hormones. It could even develop as a side effect of steroid creams or hormone pills prescribed to treat other conditions. But these disorders are infrequent causes of excessive hair.

Ways of handling unwanted hair

For some women, excess hair can be cunningly concealed by bleaching. Mix six per cent hydrogen peroxide with 20 drops of ammonia per 28 grams of peroxide. Either household ammonia or ammonia water can be used.

Apply immediately after mixing and leave it on for about half an hour. If the hair is not bleached enough with one application, repeat in a day or so. If the freshly mixed bleach does not perform properly, the cause may be inactive, old peroxide or insufficient ammonia.

Waxing

One of the oldest methods of temporary hair removal, it is also the least popular. It is most often used for the removal of hair from the upper lip or chin. As the hair is plucked beneath the surface, relatively, just above the root, the results of waxing are reasonably long lasting. Usually it takes several weeks for new growth to become evident.

Depilatories

Chemical depilatories are used primarily for the arms and legs. They should not be used on the face unless specifically stated on the product label. And they should never be used if there are breaks in the skin.

Although a few quick-acting depilatories are now available, a depilatory generally takes 10 to 15 minutes to work on some areas like the underarms or legs. Many women consider this inconvenient, for shaving can be faster. Also, some products may have an unpleasant smell. On the other hand, using a depilatory does not have the masculine connotation of shaving.

It is claimed that the results of depilatories last longer than those of shaving because the hair is removed closer to the skin surface, but the difference is probably only sight.

Chemical depilatories are usually in cream form, and their effectiveness various according to the type of hair growth. A thin hair is destroyed in a shorter time than a thick one. They may not be effective on some people and on some parts of the body.

The first time you use a depilatory, try it on a small area to see if the product causes a skin reaction. If this happens, discontinue using the product. Follow the directions on the packet carefully. The manufacturer has included them to ensure maximum safety and efficiency. Pay attention to the length of time the preparation is to be left on your skin.

Pumice stones

Among the oldest devices used for temporary hair removal, they are used most often for removing rough skin on heels and elbows. Rubbing pumice over the skin generates mechanical friction, which wears off hair at the skin surface.

The device is inexpensive, easy to use and not as likely as chemical depilatories to cause skin irritation. It is, also, slow and tedious to use and impractical for large areas. If the abrasive is rubbed too vigorously, your skin will feel irritated.

Once the hair is removed, regular treatments afterward may be less time consuming since the hair will be short. Hair growth may become less coarse or dense after years of using a pumice, but this method will not remove hair permanently.

After using a pumice, gently massage oil or body lotion into the area to lessen skin irritation produced by the abrasion.

Shaving

This can be done by electric razor or by hand. The secret is to use a sharp blade every time. There are throwaway, curved razors that give the equivalent of two or three dozen smooth shaves.

Be sure your skin is wet. Wet hair is easier to shave because it is soft and pliable. Lathering with either soap and water or shaving cream will help further.

Use lashings or body oil or moisturiser on your legs after shaving because the procedure can make your skin very dry.

Electrolysis

A safe way to remove hair permanently is by destroying the hair root with an electric current. This method electrolysis destroys the hair root at the bottom of the follicle and loosens the hair, which is then removed from the follicle with tweezers.

If you buy depilatory creams, or mitts, or wax, you will use them forever because hair never stops growing until late in life, and that is when you are too old to care.

So, what age can you begin electrolysis at ? Like everything else, it is getting younger all the time. Children start to shave and pencil eyebrows earlier on, their bodies develop sooner.

To mothers, experts say : "If you have a daughter 12 years old and she is developing superfluous hair, she should have it seen to now, and not left until she is made miserable and perhaps psychologically hurt."

Electrolysis is very simple. A needle so fine it is like a hair itself, is inserted into the follicle where the hair comes out. This is charged with electricity and zapp – the cells are destroyed. No more hair should grow there.

Now sometimes this mild current causes discomfort. It depends on which part of the face or body it is being applied to. On the things and the breast, it is not very bad, but on the knees and the ankles, it can be painful.