Waxing and shaving are common body hair removal methods. Each of them uses different techniques to remove hair and have their own pros and cons. Their difference basically lies in how they remove hair. Waxing removes hair from its follicles under the skin, while shaving cuts it at the surface of the skin.
The better choice of the two methods depends on a number of factors and your personal preference. Your skin type and hair texture mainly determine which hair removal method you opt for. Before going for either one of the methods, let’s explore a bit more about each of them.
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Table of Contents
Waxing
Waxing is removing hair by applying warm wax to the desired area, placing a strip over the wax after carefully spreading it in the direction of hair growth, and quickly pulling it off in the opposite direction of hair growth. Waxing removes hair from its follicle which results in smooth and soft skin for up to two weeks that lasts longer than shaving.
There are two types of waxes; hard wax and soft wax. Soft wax uses strips to pull the wax off your skin, while hard wax needs no strips since it hardens after it’s applied on your skin and you pull it off with your hands.
Waxing is an effective hair removal method for both large and small areas of your body. It can be done at a professional beauty salon by an expert beautician or you can do it at home with inexpensive home waxing kits. Home waxing is much less costly and saves you money but might take some time to master the technique.
Here is a video that shows soft wax done in a beauty salon.
Shaving
Shaving is the most convenient, pain-free, and common hair removal method for both men and women. It is simply removing hair from the surface of the skin by cutting it off with a razor or blade. Shaving is the most inexpensive, painless, quick, and easy hair removal method. The most common shaving tools are disposable razors and electric shavers. Shaving is done only at home.
Shaving Or Waxing – Which One You Should Go For?
The answer is it all depends on your situation, although; there are some comparison points;
Which one is convenient?
Shaving is easy and painless and doesn’t need much preparation. Bring up your good quality shaver and favorite shaving gel/foam. Then, hop in the shower and shave your legs, arms, bikini, or armpits without a mess. After you are done, clean your shaver with running water and you’re all set. Enjoy smooth skin for a couple of days, and repeat the whole process twice or three times a week.
Waxing needs preparation. You need a whole pack of waxing kit (wax, spatula, wax strips, and wax warmer) if you are doing it at home. Your hair should grow at least a quarter of an inch which takes time and a growing-out phase. Then go on with your waxing session which might be painful and a bit more time consuming, and enjoy smooth skin for up to 3 weeks and do the process again after a couple of weeks.
Shaving is easy and less time taking but you need to repeat the process twice or three times a week. Waxing needs some practice to master the technique and might take a bit more time, but you will enjoy long-lasting results. If you have thick and dense hair that grows back quickly, waxing might be your option to enjoy smooth skin for a longer period of time. If your hair is light and thin that doesn’t grow back quickly, shaving might be a good option.
How much does it cost?
Top of the line and high-quality disposable razors like Venus Gillette razor or electric razors like Panasonic Electric Shaver cost about $20 to $35 including changing blades. At home waxing kits like Gigi Brazilian Hard Wax Kit cost about $45. Depending on your frequency of use the cost may go up to $80 considering the cost of a wax refill. A professional full body wax cost about $150-$300 per session, which will be spending several thousands of dollars in a year if done twice a month.
At home waxing costs
Venus Gillette Women’s Razor
This Venus Gillette disposable razor is designed for the delicate woman’s skin. It is a three-blade razor with flexible moisture bars. When wet, the moisture bars release butter over your skin to let you shave smoothly. The razor features a pivoting head and a soft-grip handle to follow your skin curves and shave hard-to-reach areas. It comes with two gel bars/replacement cartridges.
Panasonic Electric Shaver ES2207P for Women
Panasonic ES2207P is three blades and one thin foil electric razor. It has three independently floating heads to follow your skin’s contours and give you perfectly smooth skin. The shaver is a rechargeable and cordless shaver that you can use in the shower for comfortable wet shaving or on completely dry skin. It features a pop-up trimmer to trim and stylize your bikini hair. You can also trim long hairs on legs and arms and shave them after. The razor has a compact design that fits your makeup bag to take it anywhere you travel.
Gigi Brazilian Hard Wax Kit
The trusted and well-known waxing brand Gigi is a complete home hard wax kit that includes wax warmer, hard wax, pre-epilation oil, post-wax cooling gel, and thirty wax applicators. It is a strip free, painless hard wax designed especially for people who have sensitive skin, and for waxing delicate areas of the body, like the bikini and armpits.
The kit works for whole body wax, and it comes up with all the necessary tools you need to make the process professional and easy to do. The wax is a vitamin-rich formula that contains olive oil and soybean to moisturize your skin while waxing. With the pre and post waxing treatment gels and oils included in the package, your skin will be well protected from irritation and damage.
Which one is more painful?
Shaving is cutting the hair at the surface of the skin which is almost painless unless you do it incorrectly. If you use a good quality razor that features a pivoting head and ergonomic handles to shave hard-to-reach areas like the bikini, it is very much less likely that the process is painful.
Waxing is pulling hair out from its roots and painful, especially for the first few sessions or if you are waxing delicate areas like the bikini or armpits. After repeated sessions, you will get used to the pain and the process feels natural.
If you have sensitive skin and less pain tolerance, you should opt for shaving. If you have normal skin waxing will be a good option.
The time it takes?
One time full body shave might take about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the amount of hair you are removing, however, you might need to shave twice or three times a week since shaved hair grows back after a couple of days. That means spending 20 minutes three times a week will be an hour of hair removal session every week. A full body wax might take up to 30 to 40 minutes and you only need to wax once in two weeks. Overall, shaving takes up 4 hours from a month, while waxing only takes 1:30 hours from a whole month.
How long you enjoy smooth skin?
There are factors that determine hair re-growth; area of the body, your hair growth cycle, broken hair, and the frequency of hair removal sessions are some of the factors that determine the period of hair re-growth. Hair in smaller areas like the bikini or underarm grows faster than larger areas like arms or legs. Our individually unique hair re-growth cycle determines how fast we see re-grown hair. You may also see faster re-growth if there are broken hairs that have not been removed from their follicles or from the surface of the skin. The frequency of hair removal sessions also determines hair re-growth period. The more frequently you wax, the slower the hair re-growth will be.
Given the circumstances above, waxing gives you smooth stubble free skin for up to two to three weeks since it removes hair from its follicles. With regular waxing (up to twice or three times a month) you will slow down hair re-grows which results in more weeks of smooth skin. Shaving cuts hair at the surface of the skin which results in only a couple of days of smooth skin.
The skills needed
Modern shavers have come up with angled heads, multiple precision and trimming attachments, and comfortable handles. These features make shaving an easy process that doesn’t need extra skill. Waxing needs some experience. Preparing your skin for the treatment, choosing the right type of wax for the specific body part, applying the wax, removing the wax strips or the hard wax, and doing the aftercare, all need a little bit of practice. Incorrect waxing may lead to ingrown hairs, skin irritation and unnecessary pain.
Which One is Healthier?
Waxing is pulling hairs out from their follicles that are firmly attached to their roots. This process leaves a tiny wound under the surface of the skin, and opens the pores on your skin, leaving them to be vulnerable to infections. It also damages the hair bulb over time which makes the hairs to grow back less dense and thinner. This might be a good thing if you want to reduce your body hair. Burns are also another issue that happen during waxing, till you master how to keep the wax hot enough not to hurt the skin.
Shaving might irritate or burn your skin putting it at risk of infection. It can also cause ingrown hair; hair that curls back in the follicles. Every time you shave or wax you are removing a tiny layer of skin. Too frequent waxing or shaving is not recommended since it could damage your skin and strips away its protective outer layer and makes it open to irritations and infections.
The moral of the story, every time you shave or wax follow the proper procedures to make your experience healthy. It is recommended to use new disposable razors every time you shave or change the blades of electric shavers at the first sign of dullness. Always keep your skin nourished and do not shave or wax too frequently. Keeping your body hair is the healthiest according to dermatologists; however, if you want to go through hair removal processes, do them correctly without causing damage to your skin.
The body part you are removing hair
Both waxing and shaving might be options for removing hair from larger areas of your body. However, when it comes to those sensitive and smaller areas like the face or bikini area, you should be careful which hair removal method you should go for, as the skin in those areas is super sensitive and delicate.
According to studies, 87 percent of women in the USA remove their pubic hair, and 60 percent of them had one health complication or infection from pubic hair removal. Ingrown hair and infection are the most common problems while shaving or waxing bikini hair. Experts recommend bikini trimmers might be better options for pubic hair removal as ingrown hairs or infections are not an issue with them.
Facial hair removal is also careful procedure. As ingrown hairs are more of an issue of waxing than shaving, shavers might be better options for removing hair from the face.
