Almost all hair removal methods will work for belly hair removal, but not all are easy or suitable for every condition. Besides cost, some techniques are inappropriate when you’re pregnant. Others require that you book an appointment with a third party, and some are very painful, requiring stamina to see it through.
As such, choosing the best hair removal method for your belly depends on factors such as your current state, end goal or purpose, skin tone, pain threshold, and budget. Of course, it can be challenging to find a method that will suit all your scenarios at once, but at least it must cater to salient ones such as your health and goals.
In this article, I will introduce five hair removal techniques that are effective and easy to try at home. The goal is to ensure that you don’t spend valuable time in the salon or any beauty shop because you want to get rid of unwanted body hair. Kindly pay attention to the pros and cons of each method, as this will help your decision-making process.
Table of Contents:
- Part 1: Shaving
- Part 2: Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
- Part 3: Depilatory Creams
- Part 4: Waxing or Sugaring
- Part 5: Bleaching
1. Shaving
It’s almost impossible to talk about hair removal and skip shaving. That’s because apart from being the oldest method known to humans, it’s arguably the most universal. Whether you’re black, white, blonde, or whatever, you can shave. But with other methods, there are usually restrictions that prevent everyone from being able to use them.
Shaving involves using razors – whether manual or electric – to cut hair very close to the skin. If done with the best tools and correctly, the result can be very satisfying. It’s one hair removal method you don’t need a third party to enjoy. Thankfully, your belly also presents no obstruction, whether to a manual or electric razor.
See below the benefits and setbacks of this method to help you decide whether it’s the best for your belly hair removal.
Pros of Shaving
- It’s an on-the-go method you can use even when it’s 5 minutes to your departure.
- The result is immediate.
- Shaving can be as cheap as $2 if you are using a manual razor. However, this cost can quickly jack up over time.
- Shaving is a painless hair removal method, and you can enhance the experience by using a shaving cream.
- You can shave your belly even if you are pregnant
Cons of Shaving
- You can’t get a long-term holiday from your belly hair with shaving. That’s because removal is only at the skin level, and in a matter of days, your hair will start growing again.
- There is the risk of cutting your skin, getting ingrown hair, or experiencing bumps and acne when you shave.
- If you plan to shave for life, the cumulative cost can be very intimidating. That’s because you need to change your blade or refill your cartridges regularly, as the case may be.
Pro Tips: If shaving, ensure that your blade is sharp, new/neat, and use a lubricant to avoid itches. Also, shave in the right direction to prevent ingrown hair
2. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
If you are not in a hurry to get results and are not pregnant, IPL is an excellent method to get a long-term holiday from belly hair. It’s a light-based method that involves flashing lights from a handheld device over the skin area where your unwanted body hair grows. The light targets the color-giving pigment in your body called melanin, erupting a heat sensation that disrupts your hair-growing cycle.
Several brands make different kinds of IPL products, and that means you don’t get the same satisfaction from all of them. For cost concerns, some companies don’t include some features in their devices; others simply don’t have the required technology. That is why choosing the right IPL device for your hair removal is something that you cannot toil with. If you need a recommendation, the Ulike Air 3 IPL handset is one you can trust.
Apart from the appealing design and undeniable ergonomics, Ulike Air 3 operates with a patented Sapphire Ice-cooling technology that significantly minimizes discomfort during treatment. It is also FDA-cleared, making it an option you can trust.
Pros of IPL
- Hair removal with this method goes beyond the surface level. As such, a successful treatment course can leave you hairless for months. In fact, if you keep the maintenance treatment ongoing, it can permanently limit your belly hair growth.
- IPLs do not cause ingrown hair, cuts, bumps, rashes, and other skin issues possible with shaving and other contact methods.
- You can use these tools at home without assistance from an “expert.” Also, if you are privacy-conscious, IPLs are an excellent option to achieve this.
Cons of IPL
- You can’t use this method – and other light-based methods, for that matter – when you are pregnant. The current consensus among dermatologists is that light-based hair removal techniques in the private part or belly (the main focus when pregnant) should be suspended until after delivery.
- IPL is not for everyone. The method works best for people with light skin and dark hair. The further you are from this skin/hair combination, the less effective IPL becomes for you.
- The initial cost of an IPL device can be intimidating. Most premium ones don’t sell for less than $300
- It takes weeks for the results you desire to surface. However, the results are long-term when they manifest.
Pro Tips: Ensure you purchase a premium IPL device because it makes all the difference.
3. Depilatory Creams
In terms of convenience and quick results, depilatory creams stand tall among other hair removal methods. All you have to do is use a spatula to spread the cream on your belly and wait for 3 to 10 minutes, as advised. After that, you are ready to welcome a hair-free belly smooth like you went to a salon.
Please note that depilatory creams are essentially chemicals. As such, you need to be doubly sure it combines well with your skin before you apply it generously. One way to determine this is to use a tiny quantity of it on a not-too-sensitive part of your body and watch for any reaction. Also, after the cream has dissolved your hair, it’s critical that you gently wipe or wash it off to avoid irritation.
Pros of Depilatory Creams
- Hair removal creams are easy to apply without any aid or technicality.
- The cream gets rid of your belly hair in minutes – not days or weeks like IPL
- Most products are pretty affordable, costing less than $20 in most instances
Cons of Depilatory Creams
- Depilatory creams smell badly after their action.
- Hair removal by these creams is temporary because it only focuses on surface hair
- Since these creams are chemicals, at least as indicated by their ingredients, you cannot use them on your belly when pregnant. Unless your dermatologist recommends it, please avoid using topical chemicals on your skin when pregnant.
Pro Tips: Don’t forget to conduct a patch test before going all out for any depilatory cream. Also, ensure that you buy the right cream for your skin type.
4. Waxing or Sugaring
Waxing and sugaring are almost similar in their hair removal methods, and both will get the job done perfectly well. However, you must damn pain and discomfort because none of these can guarantee that you won’t experience such. Both methods involve pulling hairs from their roots with a strip, wax, or sugar paste. The slight differences between the two are their material makeup, direction when pulling, and the contact they make with the skin.
Sugar pastes are made entirely of organic ingredients, making them safer than wax. But whichever one you choose, you have to first apply the wax or strip on the hairs on your belly and pull gently and once. Sugar pastes don’t make contact with the skin, but wax strips do. When pulling the wax, you must do so in the opposite direction to hair growth; for sugar pastes, it is in the direction of hair growth
Pros of Waxing & Sugaring
- Both methods achieve excellent results immediately. That is, you don’t have to wait for days to achieve hairlessness
- They are at-home practices that require minimal technical know-how
- You can even prepare your sugar pastes at home
- Successful waxing or sugaring lasts for up to a month before you will need another session. And, after repeated treatments, new growth is sparser and finer than what you started with.
Cons of Waxing & Sugaring
- Waxing and sugaring are painful, and there’s little you can do to change that
- Both methods can give you ingrown hairs in addition to itching, redness, and hyperpigmentation
Pro Tips: Ask your doctor before waxing your belly hair if you’re pregnant. Your situation may make it unsafe.
5. Bleaching
One way to neutralize the presence of hair on your belly is to bleach those furs! Yes, you aren’t removing them outright, but they will become so adapted to your skin tone that people will hardly be able to recognize them. The bleach decolorizes your hair by attacking its color pigment. Nevertheless, the process is safe and can be a worthy alternative for anyone not wanting to remove their belly hair.
Pros of Bleaching
- It leaves your body hair intact while still allowing you to appear hairless
- Hair bleaching creams are relatively
Cons of Bleaching
- Although your hair may have lost its color, it becomes thicker, making it fuller
- The chemicals that perform the bleaching can be unsafe for you during pregnancy
Pro Tips: Please conduct a patch test before proceeding with
Conclusion
The options are indeed handy when it comes to at-home belly hair removal. But considering how pivotal your belly is when pregnant, always carry your doctor along before applying anything to it.
