Reminder

Don't forget to check out our extensive hair removal how-to guides!
They're on the left:
←

Winter Growth

During the chilly winter months when everyone is bundled up for the cold, many women prefer to go au natural in regard to body hair removal. The bit of extra hair on your legs may help you to stay warm, saving on heating bills!
But seriously. Just because you may not be shaving, doesn't mean winter doesn't come with its share of body hair issues. Heavy clothing may block follicles, leading to ingrown hairs and skin problems. Make sure you wear clean clothes to avoid infections, and take a minute to exfoliate with a loofa or a gentle exfoliating body wash in the shower. It will leave your skin clear and healthy. If you exfoliate regularly, you will also be less prone to skin irritation once your body acclimates to the razor once more at the beginning of spring!

Also keep in mind, electric razors make excellent stocking stuffers for guys. An electric razor is a great way to quickly remove facial hair for men who don't have super heavy beard growth.

Ingrown Hair Question

Q: Every time I shave, I get pimple-like bumps along the tops of my thighs and calves. Is this razor burn? I've tried switching shaving gels, but nothing seems to help. What can I do?

A: What you are experiencing is probably ingrown hair. This happens when the new growing hair becomes trapped under the surface of the skin after shaving.
Gently exfoliating your skin with a loofa or washcloth in the shower may release the trapped hairs, but be gentle or you may irritate the skin further. As always, be careful when you shave, and make sure your skin and razor are clean. Shaving a little less closely may sacrifice some smoothness, but save your skin in the long run. If the hair isn't shaved quite so short, it may be less likely to get stuck underneath the skin.
Waxing, sugaring, or epilating your legs may reduce the occurrence of ingrown hairs to begin with, because the hair is removed outright instead of lopped off at the surface of the skin, and has a more natural regrowth pattern.
Good luck, smooth healthy skin is right around the corner!

Transgender Hair Removal

Transgender and transsexual women, MAAB genderqueer people, as well as male crossdressers and transvestites can all be faced with unique hair removal issues. Hormone replacement therapy generally softens and prohibits hair on the chest, arms, etc. but facial hair is unfortunately unaffected by HRT.
Beard hair can pose a problem when even shaving leaves stubble and shadow. Waxing and threading are not recommended for thick facial hair removal, and depilatory cream can easily burn delicate facial skin. This leaves two main options for MAAB trans people with stubborn facial hair issues.

Electrolysis for Trans Women
Electrolysis is heralded as the primary method for permanent facial hair removal. After electrolysis is complete there is no hair regrowth, and no shadow or stubble.
However, electrolysis does take a long time.
How long does facial hair electrolysis take for a transsexual woman? 1 to 4 years is the norm, with the average falling somewhere around 2 years.
Electrolysis is also expensive. Expect to pay around $70 an hour, with one 30 minute to 2 hour session a week in the initial months. Toward the end of treatment the sessions will be less frequent, 1 or 2 a month to finish up the hair removal process.
Electrolysis can cost anywhere from $25 to $150 per hour, depending on the practitioner.

Laser Hair Removal for Trans Women
Laser hair removal is cheaper and less painful than electrolysis, and takes less time for significant results. Rather than treating the face hair by hair, a laser is used to "zap" multiple hair roots at once. This makes the process quicker.
The drawback, however, is the fact that laser hair removal is less thorough and permanent than electrolysis. Because the process works by targeting the pigment in the hair follicle, light or pale hairs may be missed. Some have suggested that laser offers permanent hair reduction, while electrolysis offers hair removal. For women with dark skin or pale hair, laser may not be worth it.

Combination
Another option, especially for women with dark hair and pale skin, may be initial laser treatments with electrolysis follow-up. The initial laser treatment thins out the bulk of their hair and should make things manageable with shaving and reduce stubble and shadow, while electrolysis targets the stragglers and leaves your skin as smooth as most cisgender women's.


Crossdresser and Transvestite Hair Removal
For male crossdressers, transvestites, female impersonators and drag queens who may be looking for less permanent solutions for smooth hairless skin, please see my sections on male hair removal (face, chest, etc.) for some tips.