Waxing

Waxing is a method of hair removal for the upper lip, chin, and eyebrows. (It is also great for legs, bikini lines, and underarms - if you can bear it - because a couple of waxes will get you through an entire summer.) After waxing, the hair grows back finer, because, unlike shaving, waxing pulls the hair out below the surface of the skin. It also requires less maintenance, because regrowth takes from 3 to 5 weeks. Before you try it on your own, however, have it done at a salon at least once so that you know what it feels like and what to expect. It does hurt when the hair is pulled out, but you get used to it. Salons may use hot wax, but cold wax is better when you do it yourself at home.

Waxing your eyebrows lasts longer than plucking, and you get a beautifully clean line. Don't ever wax your eyebrows yourself, though, because you'll make a mess of it. You can't get the same angle on your face as an aesthetician can. An aesthetician has a magnifying mirror to help her ferret out and eradicate all the tiny hairs. Besides, the skin around the eyes is very thin, and you can really irritate it if you don't know what you're doing.

If you want to wax facial hair yourself, there are lots of concoctions available at the drugstore or beauty supply store. Apply you've waxed, apply aloe gel, eye gel, or a face oil - but first check out the ingredients, and make sure never apply any product with alpha- or beta-hydroxy acid to freshy waxed skin.

Sugaring

It is a less painful, gender salon alternative to waxing. Instead of wax, the depilatory is a mixture of sugar and honey, which is less irritating because it is not hot. The treatment generally takes longer than waxing and it is more expensive.

Depilatory Creams

Depilatory creams literally melt away the hair with substances like calcium or sodium thioglycolate, or sulfides in a pastelike form. These are the same ingredients used in permanents and hair straighteners, but they are much more concentrated in depilatories and they actually remove the hair.

The problem with these alkaline products is that they are so concentrated, they can burn the skin, especially if you make the mistake of leaving them on too long. (They should be on for at least 5 minutes but no longer than 8, depending on the coarseness of your hair.) Another downside is that depilatories, unlike waxing, remove hair only on the surface, not at the root, which means that the hair grows back within a few days. Most depilatories with sulfides also have a strong, unpleasant smell.

There are lots of depilatories available at drugstores, and they're cheap, but you need to use them frequently, so it adds up. Make sure you use one made specifically for the face. If you depilate lip, make sure to remove the cream a minute or two before you are supposed to, in order not to burn your skin. Never use depilatories around the eyes or on broken skin, and never in conjunction with a facial peel.

Bleaching

If you have dark hair but it isn't thick and coarse, try bleaching. Most bleaches are still formulated with peroxide, which turns the hair yellowish blond. It woks best on small areas of skin, such as the upper lip, but you can also use it on your arms. Follow the directions carefully, and don't leave it on too long - it, too, can burn the skin.

Electrolysis

The electrolysis has remained the only permanent method of hair removal since it was invented in 1875.

Electrolysis uses an electric currnet to kill hair at its source - the cluster of capillaries called papillae that feed the hair at its root. A sterile needle is inserted into the hair follicle and given a jolt of electricity, which destroys the hair's ability to regenerate. In effect, the electricity that courses through the electrologist's needle cuts off the hair's food supply and destroys the root, thereby preventing new growth.

So far, electrolysis is the only depilatory to cut the growth at its source. Some electrologists use disposable needles, while others sterilize and reuse their needles. In the latter case, they are required to follow strict guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Finding a good, qualified electrologist is essential. If your practioner is not competent, the hair can grow back, because the needle doesn't always reach the root.