However and whenever you choose to remove your hair—if you do at all—you should go into it with all the facts. Waxing and shaving are easy and relatively cheap ways to remove the hair on your body. To learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of each, I turned to Dr. Karan Lal, a dermatologist at Affiliated Dermatology, and Dr. Joshua Zeichner, a New York City-based dermatologist. Ahead, they break down everything you need to know about waxing vs. shaving so you can make the best choice for your routine.
Shaving is maybe the most common at-home hair removal technique. You can find everything you need to get going—including razors, bikini trimmers, and shaving creams—at your local drugstore. (PS: If you’re just looking for a guide to how to shave your legs or how to shave your bikini line, Marie Claire already has guides to both.)
First things first—do you actually know how shaving removes the hair on your body? “Shaving removes hair at an angle on the surface of your skin,” says Dr. Lal. The closer the shave, the shorter your hair is being trimmed. Shaper, newer razors are the most hygienic way to do this and will provide you with the smoothest results.
TYPES OF RAZORS
While you may already have a classic razor in your arsenal, there are several other types that you can add to your rotation, like electric razors or safety razors. “Electric razors are very safe,” says Dr. Lal. “They rely on protected oscillating blades and they can be used anywhere.”
And if you’ve been seeing the term “safety razors” all over the internet lately, here’s a quick breakdown: "Safety razors are single blade razors,” he says. “They are more powerful as one blade does the job of a multi blade razor.” However, he does note that “It is way easier to nick yourself” with a safety razor.
LENGTH OF HAIR
Shaving will remove any length of hair, from stubble to hair that hasn’t been touched in a while. Electric razors may be better at trimming down hair before using a manual razor.
AREAS OF THE BODY
While you can shave practically anywhere on your body, there are a few areas where shaving is preferable to waxing. For instance, it's better to shave your face at home than use wax strips because shaving causes less irritation. Both shaving and dermaplaning both lightly exfoliate the skin, so it’s important to hydrate your skin immediately following shaving.
PREPARATION
Turns out, when you shave is just as important as how you shave. Consider this to be a formal service announcement to never dry shave. Dry shaving can cause more irritation and will put you at higher risk for cutting yourself as you go. Instead, Dr. Zeichner recommends “shaving at the end of your shower, or after your shower, when the hair and the skin is softened from the water," and says to always use a shave gel or cream before you start.
Shaving creams act as a barrier between the skin and the blade, so using one will help you avoid cutting yourself as you go. One more dermatologist-approved shaving tip: “Try not to tap the blades against the sink as this can disrupt the polymers that caught the blades themselves,” Dr. Zeichner says.
RISKS
“The biggest side effects of shaving are cuts or nicks in the skin, as well as razor burn,” says Dr. Zeichner, who defines the latter as “a condition where the skin becomes irritated and inflamed, because of the blade causing trauma to the outer skin layer.” However, he also says that both of these problems can be “can be minimized with proper shaving techniques.”
RESULTS
Because shaving just trims down the hair rather than removing it from the follicle, it will take less time for the hair to grow back and become visible again. Dr. Lal says that results from shaving generally last “three to five days.”
Waxing
If you’re sick of razor burn and bumps, waxing can provide hairless results that last longer. However, waxing anywhere on your body comes with its own slew of side effects. Ahead, Dr. Lal and Dr. Zeichner explain everything you need to know about the process.
HOW IT WORKS
Unlike shaving, which trims the hair down to the skin or close to it, waxing removes hair by pulling the each strand out from the follicle. You can use either larger or smaller wax strips for your desired level of precision.
PREPARATION
As with shaving, there are steps you should take before you start waxing. “I generally recommend exfoliating the area to be waxed before the treatment to remove any dead cells that build up on the surface of the skin,” says Dr. Zeichner. Finally, always make sure to carefully read the instructions on the product you’re using.
LENGTH OF HAIR
Unlike shaving, hair needs to be a particular length for waxing to be effective. Dr. Kenneth Howe, a dermatologist at UnionDerm in New York City, previously told Marie Claire in a guide on how to use wax strips that “this sweet spot is six millimeters, or about the length of a grain of rice.” If the hair is shorter than that, Dr. Howe says that the “wax fails to grab the hair.” He adds that if the hair is longer than that, "the hair shafts often break instead of being pulled out at the root."
AREAS OF THE BODY
While shaving might be great for your face or legs, waxing is better for other areas on the skin that require more precision or are more prone to razor burn or nicks. Think: hard-to-reach-places. “The private areas and skin folds—armpits, bikini, buttock—are best for waxing,” says Dr. Lal.
RISKS
When it comes to the risks of waxing, there's one big thing to be aware of: Waxing generally hurts more than shaving does. Dr. Zeichner says that waxing “can lead to skin irritation from the wax strip against the skin, especially if you’re using hot wax.” And while issues like mild infections in the hair follicles (folliculitis) and ingrown hairs can occur with any hair removal technique, Dr. Zeichner says that the latter can be more common when waxing a certain area of the body.
“When waxing, the new edge of a hair needs to clear the outer skin layer. Because of this, there is a higher likelihood that this does not happen properly and you develop an ingrown,” he says.
RESULTS
Because waxing requires you to pull out the hair from the follicle, it will take longer for that hair to grow back again. Dr. Lal says that results can last “up to three weeks.” However, take into account that you’ll have to wait longer once the hair grows back—until the hair reaches that ideal grain-of-rice length—until you should wax again.
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