Carly is back!  After reading the advice we gave her (no pressure people), “Hair Removal Woes: Let’s help Carly out,” she had her upper lip waxed, but still has some concerns.

well i did it and got it waxed……but I’m worried each time it will grow back darker? will it grow back darker and more noticeable between each time i wax it???  – Carly

Jen’s two cents:

Hiya Carly!  I haven’t noticed darker and more noticeable hairs growing back after waxing, but I might be a weird exception to the rule. The hair that grows should be the same shade as before, unless you were bleaching it.  So, the big question is, “Carly, for the time being, how did the waxing experience go overall, can you keep it up, and are you enjoying being hair-free right now?”  Waxing will be something that needs to be done continually, so I sure hope you will stop worrying for a moment.  Facial hair is just facial hair, and you are so much more than that!

And I hope after writing all that, I too can take my own advice to stop and smell the roses!  Thank you so much for sharing Carly, even though we are just cyber-friends, we all adore you!

Unwanted facial hair woes keep popping up, literally!  Let’s give Carly some good facial hair removal advice.

Okay you ppl are all older than me, you see i am only 13. I have some facial hair above my upper lip and i bleach it like every 4 days. It made my hair look a little lighter, but still VERY noticeable. So my mom bought me one of those “smooth away” products, you know where u like rub the hairs away. Again the hairs are lighter then before but still VERY noticeable. No one at my school has this problem, I’m the only one and i feel so ugly Plus, sometimes ppl say something like OMG u have a moustache! I just look away, but secretly cry so much when i get home! I am sick of this….please i need help, what can i do????? comment back soon plz, thx -Carly

My two cents?  Sweet Carly, giving you all the support and positive energy I can.  Let me reinforce with you that many people struggle with this issue, including those that are 13 (you can ask my two teenage daughters and they will verify this).

Waxing and shaving are probably your best bets for temporarily removing unwanted facial hair.  Although, let’s ask others and find out what other brilliant solutions we can come up with!

Many hugs!  Jen

“Unwanted Facial Hair:  What’s a gal to do?” remains the most popular and poignant post at Mythbuster Beauty.  If there is one point I can emphasize with all women on the subject of hair removal is simply you are NOT alone!

HisWifey understands our plight:

Wow- although it is upsetting that we as women have to go through this, it feels kind of good to know that I am not alone in this. I am 36, and until 2 months ago, was pretty happy in my skin. I have always been a little hairy (controlled with waxing) but I have noticed this dark line above my upper lip that won’t go away with waxing. Went to the Dermatologist and in her wisdom, she diagnosed me with Melasma and prescribed me with a bleaching cream containing Hydroquinone. I was hesitant to use it as I have read not so good things about it. Well, I caved and finally used it. What a mistake! All it did was lighten the upper lip area, making the dark hair below my skin more visible than before! I am devastated and not to mention extremely depressed. Makeup helps it but I just want my skin back. It is embarrassing to say the least. (more…)

One of the most frequently visited posts at Mythbuster Beauty is on the topic of unwanted facial and body hair:  Unwanted Facial Hair: What’s a gal to do?

Feel free to share your advice and tips about hair removal at this post, and know that you are not alone! Here is an additonal link to an article that I found particularly informative: Total Beauty hair removal tricks.

Razor burn. Ingrown hairs. Those ouchy little nicks you get on your kneecaps. Does hair removal have to be such, like, medieval torture? Turns out no. So here’s our guide to getting better results with shaving and alternative hair removal.

I know, I know, a shameless promotional discount to bid adieu to the 43rd President of the United States, Bliss is offering a 20% discount on several of their hair removal products, such as: 

• bliss ingrown hair eliminating peeling pads (I’ve been wanting to try these babies for a while now)
• bliss get out of hair
• bliss waxing kit

To receive the 20% off discount enter “BUSH“  in your online shopping bag at checkout. 

So, if you are in need of some hair removal supplies, take advantage of this offer, and celebrate the most exciting and historical Inauguration of President Barack Obama!

Find the right process for your skin and hair type

Waxing, tweezing, lasering … part-torture, part-godsend. But with so many choices, which method works best for you? Your skin tone, hair texture and pain threshold are all major factors we’ll weed through to get your strategy set. Answer the following questions to find your ideal procedure.

Hair removal quiz

This is my facial hair dilemma.

As a younger woman, I dealt with thick eyebrows and upper lip facial hair.  Now, those hairs aren’t as prolific, matter of fact, my eyebrows are thinning and graying.  Come back my thick, dark eyebrows, come back!

Chin hairs are my biggest issue nowadays. I almost daily pluck these obnoxious stray hairs on my chin. The amount of hair isn’t enough to warrant waxing or shaving (thank goodness), however, they keep coming back, and sometimes the the plucking causes an irritation or inflammed bump around the hair follicle.

I looked into a laser hair removal treatment of my chin and upper lip hair, and it isn’t cheap. The hair removal clinic also informed me if the hairs are light that the laser will not be effective. And since about 50% of my facial hairs are blond or gray, and I wonder if the cost would still be worth it and would achieve the desired result.

In general, laser facial hair removal works best in those with dark hair on lighter skin, however newer technologies have made the procedure safe and effective in those with darker skin as well. Blonde, red, or gray hairs are generally less responsive to laser hair removal treatment. Coarse hair (terminal hair) responds much better to laser hair removal treatment than fine hair or “peach fuzz” (vellus hair). – Vaniqa website

I have also wondered if anyone here has used Vaniqa with any success? Vaniqa is the prescription strength cream that was developed to remove unwanted facial hair.

VANIQA (eflornithine HCl) Cream, 13.9% doesn’t remove hair like other products you may be using. Instead it actually reduces the growth, and complements your current method of hair removal, which you should continue to use.

The Vaniqa site also suggests a slight improvement in permanent hair removal if  you use this cream in conjunction with the laser hair removal treatments.  Makes sense to me, but between the cost of the cream and the laser treatments, I bet it will end up costing about $500. Ugh! I would rather try one, and see if the other is still warranted. The question is, which one?

I would love to hear about your experiences with facial hair removal.  Any successes or horror stories are welcomed.