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HIRSUTISM
How does one get rid of Superfluous Hair Cosmetically?
Hairy legs may upset a female but it need not cause worry. You may get rid of this problem by cosmetics or home-made preparations. What you can do about it depends on the time and money you want to spend. If it is necessary to remove the hair, depilation or epilation are the time-honoured methods. Depilation removes the hair at skin level or sometimes just below the skin level. Epilation, on the other hand, removes the full length of hair.
a) Plucking – threading
If there are one or two unwanted hairs on the face, then it can be pulled out by a tweezer. This method is known as plucking. If there is a lot of hair, then do not use a tweezer, because the roots of the hair get hardened and the repeated pulls may result in injury to the roots and subsequent growth of pimples and acne. Before using a tweezer , apply cold cream on the area to soften the roots. In case the roots are hard, then soak a swab of cotton wool in hot water and keep it on the hair for sometime. This will soften the roots. When thread is used t remove hair, the process is called threading. Threading does not make the roots of hair hard. It should be done after two or three weeks. Never use a razor to remove the hair. It hardens the roots of hair and also encourages rapid regrowth of hair.
b) Shaving
Shaving is an unacceptable method of dealing with facial hair among women in our country. At the same time, it is probably the most commonly used method of dealing with superfluous hair on the legs and underarms. It is a total fallacy that hair grows faster and becomes coarser after shaving. Of course, the hair does reappear with great rapidity, but this is not because hair growth has been stimulated, but because shaving cuts the hair just at the surface, leaving the hair with blunt tips. Another disadvantage with shaving is the risk of nicking the skin. This can be reduced by using a swivel –head razor. For best results, use a sharp blade razor slowly and carefully. Electric razors give best results, though the initial investment is expensive. Wetting the hair makes shaving easier and soaping keeps the hair wet for a longer time. Remember, avoid using an anti-perspirant or a deodorant for at least 10 to 12 hours after shaving.
c) Using a Pumice Stone
Abrassives, in the form of pumice stones and special emery covered mitts and pads, are frequently used to remove superfluous hair.
This method is very cheap and its effects are very temporary. But it is good for the skins which tend to suffer reaction quickly. Use gentle circular movements and apply a moisturizing cream after the use of abrasive. If the skin is rubbed too vigorously, it will become tender and sore. This method is used for coarse hair of the legs and arms, and is not suitable for use on the face. After waxing, the regular use of pumice stones can delay the regrowth of hair.
d) Waxing
Waxing is the most useful and one of the oldest methods of removing unwanted hair, but it should be only used for removing hair from the hands, arms and legs, by waxing , the skin of the face gets stretched, resulting in wrinkles. The wax used is usually of two types : cold and hot. A cold wax can e used without being heated. It is readily available in market, but is expensive. You may prepare home-made wax yourself.
Take eight parts of sugar syrup and add one part lemon juice, one part mustard oil and two parts water. Brew it on medium heat for about 45 minutes. When the mixture turns brown in colour, remove it from the flame and add a little glycerine. Let it cool. Honey can also be used to make hot wax. For this take five spoonfuls of honey, and add one spoonful of lemon juice and heat for 30 minutes on a medium flame. Remove it from the heater and add a little glycerine.
Waxing is a method commonly used in beauty parlours. The skin must be cleansed by a cleansing cream before waxing. You must use unheated milk in case cleaning cream is not available. A creamy milk should not be used because it further accentuates the growth of unwanted hair. Use a clean towel to wipe the skin, and while spraying talcum powder, massage it very gently. If the thick roots of hair cause pain, then use cold cream for massage before waxing. This will soften the roots.
Apply hot wax on the skin with a knife towards the direction of the growth of hair. Use a thin cloth as a bandage on it so that the cloth sticks to the skin. Now pull the cloth with a jerk in opposite directions of the roots of hair. The hair will stick to the cloth and come out with the root. The container of wax should be kept in another utensil full of warm water so that the wax remains hot and melted during the process. Waxing should preferably be done in an air-conditioned room or under a fan, otherwise the wax will not sick to the hair due to sweat. Even a cooler does not help as the moisture from it prevents proper waxing. Immediately after waxing, the skin should be lightly massaged with lanolin-cream or a skin tonic. This will make the skin smooth and silky.
e) Chemical Depilation
Depilation is the method commonly used for removing superfluous hair on the arms, legs and underarms. Specialized preparations have now been produced by certain cosmetic manufacturers for exclusive use on the face. Depilatories are generally thioglycollate-based and sulphide-based. They weaken the hair protein – keratin – by reducing the hydrolysis in an alkaline pH. The hair breaks just below the skin surface. The time required for depilation depends on the coarseness of hair, varying between 5 to 15 minutes. Use of soluble alkalis, like sodium hydroxide, reduces the depilation time. Depilatory agents are available as creams, lotions and sprays ( aerosol spray are the latest methods of applying depilatories). Lotions are easier to apply over a larger surface. Irritation and dryness of the skin may occur, because the chemicals act on the keratin of the skin, dryness becoming evident after about 04 hours. To counter the dryness, two-stage products are available in the market. The second stage emollient soothes the skin and enhances the smoothness of the skin. It is buffered at acidic pH to ensure the neutralization of any residual alkali. A similar effect can be achieved by swabbing the area with a home-made neutralizing solution.
Mix one part lemon juice or vinegar to seven parts of cold water and apply immediately after the depilatory cream has been removed, followed with an application of cold cream. Remember not to use depilatories on broken skin, since it may develop an allergic reaction.
f) Bleaching Superfluous Hair
Bleaching is one way of making existing hair less conspicuous and is good for down, rather than for thick coarse hair. It is the most commonly used method for camouflaging facial hair. A simple bleaching system consists of hydrogen peroxide containing ammonia to give a pH of 9 to 10. Bleaching is also very useful in revitalizing the paleness of the skin due to heat, dryness and superfluous hair and prevents growth of unwanted facial hair. It colours the thin and fine hair and keeps the complexion. Fair by hiding tiny hairs. Waxing sometimes causes wrinkles and threading hardens the roots of hair, thus bleaching has been considered the safest process of the roots of hair, thus bleaching has been considered the safest process by leading cosmetologists. The only problem with bleaching is irritation, which happens either when too much periods. The reaction usually subsides after a few hours. When the reaction is severe, seek your doctor’s help. You may go for a skin test, if your skin is too delicate. Apply bleach on a delicate part and observe its reaction for sometime. If the skin feels itchy, avoid going for a bleach. Do not bleach, in the following conditions:
1) During menstruation
2) During pregnancy.
3) After childbirth, if the baby is breast-feeding.
4) If your skin is too sensitive and delicate
5) If you are suffering from some skin disease.
6) If you have asthma, heart of kidney trouble.
7) If you feel a burning sensation when bleaching.
g) Electrolysis
Electrolysis, as a means of permanently removing unwanted hair, was introduced by Dr. Charles Michael in 1857. in the year 1916, this treatment acquired prominence among the various methods of enhancing the beauty. In this process, the roots of hair are weakened by subjecting them to electric currents and repeated treatment stops their growth. There are two methods of electrolysis to burn the hair. One is the “Galvanic multiple needle method” and the other is the “short-wave method”. In India, the short-wave method is much in vogue. A single needle is used to remove hair by this method. Remember, always go for this treatment to a qualified and experienced beautician only. In order to make the area insensitive or dead, Zylokin is rubbed as an anaesthesia and then the slanted needle is pricked to reach the root of the hair, the thickness of hair deciding the depth of the needle. Then the roots of the hair are burnt by using electric currents. Electrolysis should not be used to remove hair from eyelashes, the inner side of the nose and ear or from pimples.
Do not go for electrolysis in case :
1) You are suffering from diabetes.
2) You are being treated by a doctor for hormone deficiency.
3) You have a pimply skin
4) You suffer from skin problems.
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