If you’re a woman or a femme, that hint of shadow over the upper lip may not jive with your fantasy. And yet, as it turns out, facial hair is absolutely part of womanhood, like it or not. 

If you fall in the “not” camp, the good news is that there are a lot of ways to remove facial hair. The question is, which will be the best method of facial hair removal for your unique situation? 

In this article, we’ll explain how to remove facial hair at home instantly or at the salon over time. We explain the pros and cons of each of the major facial hair removal tools, to help you figure out which situation each one is best for. 

Tweezing

When it comes to at-home eyebrow grooming, tweezers are the most popular tool. These tiny, ergonomic pincers grab one hair at a time and then pull it from the root. 

Because of this, tweezers are the best hair removal method for eyebrows, at least if you’re doing it at home by yourself. They allow you to work with precision. As long as you don’t get too tweezer happy, you can keep your brows looking a little clean without losing their bushy charm.

They’re also great for tweezing out just the one or two coarse hairs that pop up where you don’t want them - usually the chin or cheeks. Since tweezers pull the hair from the root, their results last for around two weeks. Repeated tweezing over time may even reduce hair growth in the future, which can be a blessing or a curse depending on how confident you are in your tweezing skills.  

The main drawback to tweezing is that it’s a slow process and it hurts a little. If you’re tweezing your brows from scratch, expect to spend 10 to 20 minutes just tweezing away errant hairs. They’re entirely inappropriate for dealing with peach fuzz or hair on the upper lip, as well.

Eyebrow Razor or Dermaplaner

If you’re the low-tech type, a dermaplaner might be the best hair removal tool for you. Also known as an eyebrow razor, it’s a simple but sharp little tool that removes hair safely, painlessly, and gently. As a bonus, it also gives the face a gentle exfoliation, for a smooth, glowy look. 

To use it, you hold it on a slight angle against the skin and scrape away at the hair and the dead skin. If you want to remove facial hair at home instantly, it’s the best method. It works especially well for removing hair from the upper lip or for cleaning up the hairs that grow above the brows. 

Brow razors offer enough control to shape the brows in general. Just remember that the results only last for 3-5 days, as the hair grows back. This is great if you want to experiment with a trendy look, like Fox Brows or eyebrow cuts. 

Those with sensitive skin must exercise some caution when using eyebrow razors. While removing the hair, eyebrow razors also take with them a lot of dead skin. For most skin types, this exfoliation is very beneficial. For those with sensitive skin, it might be irritating if you’re not careful. 

Facial Electric Shaver

A facial shaver is a little more high-tech. Like the little dermaplaner, it’s a shaver, so it removes facial hair painlessly. The difference is that it’s electrically powered, so it doesn’t scrape the skin or exfoliate as much. This makes it the best hair removal method for sensitive skin.

Facial shavers can come in all shapes and sizes, but at Almost Famous, we’ve designed two essential types: The Buzz-It Shaving Wand is larger, so it removes peach fuzz quickly and easily, but also works well against coarser hairs. 

The Precision Brow Shaver is a smaller design made specifically to help groom the brows. The results are not as long-lasting as with tweezers, but touch-ups are quick and easy so in the long-term, it’s still a convenient choice.  

The wider wands make these shavers an incredible option for those with mobility issues. Gripping them is easy, so they’re the perfect hair removal method if you can’t pinch tiny tweezers. 

Waxing and Sugaring 

Now we’re getting into more long-lasting hair removal methods that take quite a bit of effort. Waxing and sugaring are ancient techniques that rely on either hot wax or a hot melted sugar blend to pull away facial hair. Like tweezing, waxing and sugaring keep hair away for two weeks or so. 

The main benefit of these methods is that they pull out a lot of hair at once, and they work on both peach fuzz and coarse hairs (although they struggle with short hairs). This means a lot of pain at once, but it gives instant and somewhat long-lasting hair removal. 

There’s a lot of room for error with waxing, so more often than not, it’s better left to the professionals. Both wax and sugaring mixtures are very messy and hard to clean. If you get the temperature wrong, you can even burn yourself. Finally, they’re harder to control, so if you’re not a pro, there’s a real risk of misapplying them and removing too much hair from the brows.  

Threading

Like waxing, threading is another old hair removal method. With this method, the esthetician twists and spins a piece of string like a game of Cat’s Cradle. Once the twisted string is moved over the skin, it wraps itself around hairs to pull them out from the root. It offers the same multi-week results as tweezing and waxing, so it’s another nice semi-permanent solution. 

When done professionally, threading gives remarkably clean and groomed results. The method is faster than tweezing each hair individually, but it’s a little slower than waxing. It does hurt, but the pain level differs greatly from person to person. Some people find that it’s more comfortable than waxing or tweezing, while others find it much more painful. 

It’s possible to learn to do threading at home, but it requires a lot of practice and incredible hand dexterity. 

Laser and IPL 

If you’re looking for truly permanent hair removal options, Intense Pulse Light (IPL) and laser are the classic choices. They don’t give fast results, but over time, they can prevent the hair from growing back. 

Both of these services are usually done at salons or spas by professionals. In recent years, some brands have introduced at-home IPL devices which are generally not recommended for facial hair removal. 

Overall, we recommend you avoid IPL and laser for eyebrow shaping. Eyebrow trends change so it’s better to be conservative when grooming them. They’re okay to try for the center of the brows, but where they’re fantastic is to deal with chin, jawline, or upper lip hair. 

Since they’re best done by pros, the service can be expensive. Over time, the long-term results are worth it if you have the cash, but if you prefer an affordable, at-home option then tweezers or a shaver might be better. 

Smooth and Free  

In conclusion, the best methods for facial hair removal range pretty widely. Some devices, like brow razors and shaving wands, remove facial hair instantly with minimal pain. Others, that offer long-lasting results, can hurt a little, like tweezing or waxing. 

There is one final thing to mention - you can combine all of these methods! Pick up a set of tweezers for your brows, a shaver for the upper lip, and visit an esthetician every month or so to deal with stubborn chin hairs. As long as you feel good in your skin and confident in your tools, that’s all that matters.

Do you have any special facial hair removal tools that you love or a hack you came up with? Tag us on Instagram @almostfamoushaircare to let us know all about it!