Page 26 - Cosmopolitan - UK (April 2020)

g l ow

How to deal with it

W H AT T HE V ER D I C T W OR K S F OR A V O ID IF

HAIR I’ve been removing my upper lip hair since I was 14 years old, You have
REMOVAL after raiding my mum’s beauty cupboard and finding her Veet. any active
The pros of removal cream are that it’s quick, painless and gets
breakouts,
CREAM rid of every last hair. The cons? It breaks down hair using alkaline Most effective or your skin
chemicals, which, despite being skin-safe, can cause irritation, on smaller is prone to
depending on how sensitive your skin is. So without wanting to areas of redness and
sound like your mum, please, please do a patch test first. fine hair. sensitivity.

Waxing’s best done by a professional, as salons can select the
WAXING gentlest formulas for the face, but it’s efficient – one tug of the strip You have
sensitive,
and you can kiss goodbye to those Elvis-style sideburns for up
to three weeks. But, as the wax has direct contact with the skin, it Hairs longer acne-prone
can lead to irritation if you’re sensitive. And some hairs just don’t than 3mm, skin or
seem to want to come out, so instead of being pulled clean from brows, upper lip, suffer from
the follicle, they snap, which can lead to ingrowers. Ouch. sideburns. rosacea.

THREADING Threading and tweezing are actually quite similar when it comes You’re looking
& TWEEZING to the mechanics of hair removal – both grab onto hairs and pull to remove a
them out from the follicle in one swift motion. While we’ve all
heard the myth “if you pluck one hair, 10 will grow back in its Peach fuzz, larger patch of
place”, that’s just not true. What is true is that, like waxing, brows, upper hair, or if the
threading and tweezing can sometimes lead to broken hairs but, lip, chin hair. hairs are shorter JOLANDA COETZER
as there’s minimal skin contact, they’re less likely to irritate. than 2mm.

MAKE-UP

Whether it’s a single-blade facial razor, a battery-operated shaver AND
SHAVING or a professional dermaplaning treatment, I’m a fan of shaving You have
sensitive,
– it’s probably the easiest, most pain-free option of all. But it’s HAIR
not without its issues. Regrowth happens quickly, and because hair Any hair type acne-prone MODEL.
is cut off at the surface, it regrows blunt, not tapered, so it can at all – thick skin or
appear thicker. You’ve also got to be super-careful to avoid those or fine. suffer from IMM
annoying cuts, and keep blades clean to avoid follicle infections. rosacea. AT
G
ABBIE

LASER Laser hair removal is the only treatment I’ve found for minimised Certain types MODEL
of laser hair
HAIR growth that lasts. It takes four to six sessions to see a significant removal are
difference, but it doesn’t work for every skin tone or hair colour.
REMOVAL “[It targets] the dark pigments in the hair, so the better the contrast Dark hairs, unsuitable for HITANDRUNMEDIA.COM.
between the hair and the skin (eg dark hair on fair skin), the better particularly those deeper skin AT LHA REPRESENTS, USING TATA HARPER AND GLOSSIER. PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT MICHELLE MORGAN. JEWELLERY, MODEL’S OWN
the outcome,” explains Dr Williams. Oh, and it’s not permanent: that are thick tones, so book a
“Maintenance sessions are expected,” Dr Williams adds. and coarse. consultation first.
ILLUSTRATIONS

Electrolysis is currently the only method that permanently gets rid You have a
ELECTROLYSIS of hair, but it’s not a walk in the park. “A fine needle is inserted larger area of DIGITAL
into each hair follicle. It then emits an electric current to damage hair to remove
the follicle,” explains Dr Williams. You’ll need two to three – this is only RAE-LEE.
treatments to stop growth, and it can be painful (you’re having a All skin tones suitable for
needle repeatedly inserted into your face, after all). Only book in and hair small clusters TARYN
with an experienced therapist who has great recommendations. colours. of hairs. ◆
PHOTOGRAPHS

26 · COSMOPOLITAN