To help you find the answer, I’ve looked at the most popular methods for facial hair removal and compared them to help you choose the best option for you. However, remember that the answer may be different for you depending on how important different factors are for you and your own personal preferences.

Plucking

Plucking is a quick and easy way to get rid of stray hairs. It is perfect for shaping your eyebrows or dealing with a couple of unwanted hairs. However, the hair will quickly grow back and it can be a little bit painful if you pull in the wrong direction. I’d recommend plucking if you only need to deal with a few hairs and you aren’t bothered about letting them grow back. The hair will have to reach a certain length before you can grab hold of it with the tweezers. However, the biggest benefit is that this is something you can do at home for free, with just a pair of tweezers.

Threading

Threading works in a similar way to plucking, but it uses a thin thread to capture and pull out the hair, instead of tweezers. It’s not a good idea to try this method yourself, so you will need to pay an expert to do it for you. This means you’ll need regular appointments at a salon, which could be every 2-6 weeks depending on how fast your hair grows. The treatment is really quick. An expert can get rid of upper lip hair in just a few minutes or shape an eyebrow in 5 minutes. It shouldn’t be painful but your skin can feel a bit sore or irritated afterwards.

I find that threading works best for eyebrows if you aren’t happy with plucking them yourself. The brow can be shaped very precisely as individual hairs are targeted for removal. However, if you want to get rid of all of the hair in a certain area then other methods can be better.

Shaving

Shaving is a quick method that you can use at home, but I wouldn’t usually recommend it unless you are a man shaving the beard and moustache area. The issue with shaving is that it cuts the hair rather than pulling them out. This creates a blunt end that can appear much thicker than the natural tapered end of the hair. As the hair grows with this blunted end at its tip, it will appear coarser and darker than before. Shaving can also irritate your skin, put you at risk of cuts, and needs to be done very frequently to maintain the effects. Men who want to be clean shaven often have to do it once a day.

Waxing

Waxing is a better option than shaving as it pulls the hair out so that they will re-grow with the usual tapered end. It can also remove quite a lot of hair quickly, so it’s a much better option than plucking if you have lots of hair or a large area to treat. You can wax yourself or have it done at a salon. I would recommend a salon as the face is a particularly tricky area to wax yourself. You can’t really see what you’re doing. Waxing can be quite painful, especially if you do it at home, and your skin might look red for a while afterwards. The results can last 4-6 weeks, but the hair has to grow back to a certain length before it can be waxed again. You will therefore have to put up with some visible hair in between treatments.

Hair Removal Creams

Hair removal creams can eliminate all the hair in an area in just a few minutes. However, using hair removal cream can be messy and there can be a strong smell. It’s important to choose a cream that’s specifically designed for facial hair removal rather than for other parts of the body. However, even if you choose one intended for sensitive skin you might still find that you end up with a sore, red patch of irritated skin. It’s important to do a patch test and remove the cream immediately if you feel a stinging, burning sensation as you may be allergic to it.

A similar option is to use a bleaching or hair lightening cream. Using it is very similar, but instead of getting rid of the hair it will just make it lighter so that it’s less visible. If you have a little bit of fine but dark hair then this could be an option to consider.

IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) hair removal can be done in a salon or with an at-home device. The device uses light to destroy hair follicles. It works best for dark hair on pale skin, so it isn’t suitable for everyone. When it does work, it can permanently reduce hair growth after about 10-12 treatments. However, you should be very cautious about using this technique, especially at home. IPL can irritate or even burn your skin.

Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal is probably the best method for facial hair removal if you have the time and money to do it. Laser treatment uses light to permanently destroy the hair follicles so that they can’t grow back. The wavelengths of light are more restricted than for IPL so laser hair removal works on most hair and skin types. It has to be performed by a professional, but there is no risk of burning. The treatment can be a bit uncomfortable and it does take at least 6 sessions to eliminate all the hair. However, once the follicle has been destroyed, it won’t grow back again. You can therefore save a lot of time and money in the long run.

The average woman spends 104 minutes a week on facial hair removal. What will you do with this time instead if you use laser treatment to get rid of your facial hair for good?