It wouldn’t be inaccurate — a little silly, maybe, but not inaccurate — to say we are living in a golden age of at-home bikini hair removal. Never have there been so many effective, user-friendly and painless DIY hair removal methods available. Performed correctly, these treatments will leave your bikini area smooth and hairless while avoiding razor burn, ingrown hairs, rashes and other common pubic hair grooming-area woes — and all without a trip to the Brazilian wax salon.
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We want to emphasize: Whether you choose to go hairless or to let your bikini-area hair grow free and proud is totally your call. But if you do decide to keep your bikini region bare, you’ve got lots of options beyond the standard razor.
The Most Common Methods of Removing Bikini Hair
First, let’s go through a quick rundown of the most common methods of removing hair down there:
Shaving: The time-honored hair removal method involving a razor is reliable, but can put you at risk for razor bumps and irritation.
Waxing: Waxing involves the use of a resin-based wax that strips the body hair out by the root to remove the entire follicle. The popular Brazilian wax removes all the hair from the front of the pubic bone and surrounding areas. Often involving the use of hot, potentially scalding wax, waxing treatments are generally best left to the professionals.
Sugaring: Similar to waxing, sugaring yanks the hair up from the root. The ancient Egyptian technique involves using a sticky, gel-like paste made from sugar, water and sometimes honey to pull out the hair in the same direction it grows. Similar to waxing, sugaring carries the risk of burning and error, so it’s best left to professionals.
Epilation: Epilation involves an electronic machine called an epilator, which plucks hair toward hair growth to remove it from the root.
Laser hair removal: This in-office, medical procedure uses highly concentrated light to penetrate hair follicles and inhibit or delay new hair from growing. It’s semi-permanent, and hairs grow back less thick and finer.
Depilatory creams: A DIY hair removal option, depilatory cream — sometimes called bikini hair removal cream — uses chemicals to dissolve hair off the skin.
How To Prepare for Bikini Hair Removal
No matter which method you choose, there are a few universal tips on how to prepare that can help you avoid bumps, irritation and ingrown skin.
- Bathe: Taking a warm bath or shower can help soften your hair.
- Exfoliate: Use a body scrub — we like this yummy-smelling Moroccan brown sugar scrub — to remove dead skin and prevent ingrown hair.
- Do a patch test: This one is critical if you’re using any kind of bikini hair removal cream, paste, wax or scrub. Test out the product on an inch of skin — ideally on a less-sensitive area, like your lower ankle — to determine whether you are allergic to any of its ingredients before slathering it all over your bikini region.
- Follow manufacturer instructions: This is probably the number one step for reducing ingrown hair, burns and other unwanted side effects.
- Moisturize: After hair removal, always moisturize with a sensitive skin-friendly product like Fur Skincare Fur Oil to keep the area clean, smooth and free of razor bumps.
The Best Bikini Hair Remover Products To Buy Right Now
If you’re prepped and ready to whisk away your bikini hair, here are a few of our favorite products.
1. Veet Leg and Body Gel Hair Removal Cream
This one wins points for smelling like fruity vanilla — and not ammonia, like traditional bikini hair remover creams. The gel-cream formula infuses soothing aloe vera and vitamin E, and is designed to remove hair at the root to delay regrowth. Plus, it’s ridiculously easy to use: Just pump a few drops into your hand and smooth them on your bikini line. Leave on for seven minutes, then rinse.
Price: $8.47 at Amazon
2. Simply GiGi Shower-off Hair Removal Cream
Designed to be rinsed off in the shower, the Simply GiGi Shower-Off Hair Remover is basically mess-free. Apply it to damp skin and leave it on for no more than eight minutes before rinsing it off. Not only will you be hair-free, but your skin will be silkier thanks to skin-friendly ingredients like aloe vera and lavender.
Price: $18.71 at Amazon
3. Philips Beauty BikiniGenie
This versatile device comes with two attachable trimming combs: a wide-tooth one for thicker hair and a precision blade for shorter, finer hair. It even includes an attachable mini shaving head for going totally bare. The Bikini Genie also comes with a handy travel pouch and a cleaning brush, and is powered by an included AA battery — making it safe to use in the shower.
Price: $19.99 at Amazon
4. Braun Epilator Silk
Are you curious about epilation? The Braun epilator is a good beginner device, since it includes interchangeable heads: one for shaving, one for trimming and one for epilating. The epilator works by using a 20-tweezer system that you graze upward against your skin to pull the follicles out by the roots. Compared to other epilators, this one is extra gentle and minimizes pain, thanks to its high-frequency massage cap.
Price: $89.99 at Amazon
5. Flamingo Pubic Hair Wax Kit
OK, we know we said that waxing was a bikini hair removal method best left to the professionals, but the Flamingo Pubic Hair Wax Kit is an exception. It features heat-free, easy-to-use gel wax strips in three distinct shapes and sizes for hyper-specific hair removal. With its step-by-step illustrated instructions, it’s a good choice for waxing newbies.
Price: $10 at Flamingo
6. Tria Beauty Laser Hair Removal Device
If you want to splurge, the Tria Beauty Laser Hair Removal Device is a high-tech, FDA-approved at-home laser hair removal device that is worthy of your hard-earned dinero. It’s designed to target pigment in your hair follicle and disable your regrowth overtime, which means frequent use can cause permanent hairlessness.
Price: $499 at Amazon
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