ELECTROLYSIS, PLUCKING AND WAXING
Unwanted hair, particularly on the face, should be a matter of great concern to a woman. There can be many reasons for this unwanted growth, like genetic causes, imbalance of hormones, pregnancy, irregular menses, mental tensions, prolonged illness, worries and shocks. One should immediately cure oneself of unwanted hair when one starts growing instead of just feeling shy and embarrassed. In medical terminology, it is called ‘hirsutism’. These unwanted hair grow mainly on the chin, above the upper lip and on the forehead. Most of the women suffering from hirsutism are in the age group of 15 to 25. There are many ways to eliminate this unwanted hair, albeit temporarily—for example, plucking, threading, waxing, etc. Since the main reason for unwanted hair growth is the imbalance of hormones inside the body, it is imperative to get it treated medically. The first step in medical treatment is a thorough checkup of the genitals. In case of some defect in the uterus, it is treated by an operation.
Electrolysis is the only permanent treatment for removing facial hair, but being costly is beyond the means of middle-income women. This treatment is, however, gaining quite popularity in India.
ELECTROLYSIS
Electrolysis, as a means of permanently removing unwanted hair, was first introduced by Dr Charles Michael in 1857. In 1916, this treatment acquired prominence among the various beauty enhancement methods. In this process, the roots of the hair are weakened by subjecting them to electric currents and repeated treatment stops their growth. There are two methods in electrolysis to burn the hair. One is the ‘Galvanic multiple needle method’, and the other is the ‘short-wave method’. In India, the short-wave method is much in vogue. This method takes very little time to remove the hair, and only one n, needle, is used. But it must be remembered that electrolysis should be done by an experienced beautician only. To make the area insensitive or dead, ‘zylokin’ is rubbed as anaesthesia, and then the slanted needle is pricked to the root of the hair. The hair’s thickness decides the ‘s depth and is stung. Then the origins of the hair are burnt by using electric currents. Electrolysis should not be used to remove hair from eyelashes, the inner side of the nose and ear, and pimples. Do not go for electrolysis if a doctor treats you for hormone deficiency or you have diabetes.
PLUCKING
In this method, the unwanted hair of the eyebrows is pulled out with a plucker. It is an easy method. You can do it yourself. There will be no pain if a deft hand does it. It is also called a tweezer.
Clean the eyebrows with cleansing milk first. The pores will open this way, and it will be easy to pull them. Now put some warm water on them so that the skin softens there. Now give it a shape according to your face by applying the cream.
Wash the tweezer with hot water. Hold the skin of the eyebrows with your fingers and start plucking hair one by one. There can be swelling for the first time; apply ice-cold water or astringent there, and it will be O.K.
THREADING
This is another method for giving shape to the eyebrows but a difficult one. In this method, the form is given to the eyebrows with a white foundation or cream, and unwanted hair is pulled with a thread.
Things Needed: Coats thread No.40, talcum powder, tweezer and one eyebrow pencil.
Method: Take a meter of thread and hold one end with the teeth; the other end is to be born with two fingers of the left hand and pull the line with the right one. Make a loop of three to four inches at the right, give it four to five turns, spread your fingers, move it to the right, and put the thread on the hair and pull.
Threading should be done only on dry skin, or oiliness will not let the thread hold the hair. Apply astringent and cold cream later to stop swelling.
But you can’t do it yourself. Put a knot and 5-6 twists on the thread if you want. Move the opposite hand to pull. A beautician can do it better.
WAXING
Waxing is the most helpful method of removing unwanted hair, but it should be used only for removing hair from hands, arms, and legs because by waxing, the skin on the face gets stretched, resulting in the appearance of wrinkles. The wax used is usually of two types—cold and hot. A hard wax in a tube can be used without being heated. Hard wax is readily available in the market but is very costly. For homemade polish, take eight parts of sugar syrup, add one part lemon juice, one part mustard oil and two parts water. Brew it on medium heat for about 45 minutes. When the mixture turns brown, please remove it from the flame and add glycerine to it, which gets cold. Honey can also be used to make hot wax. For this, take five spoonfuls of honey. Add one spoonful of lemon juice and heat it for 30 minutes on a medium flame. Remove it from the love and add a little glycerine to let it get cold.
A cleansing cream must clean the skin before waxing; you may use unheated milk in case cleansing cream is not available. Creamy dairy should not be used because it further accentuates unwanted hair growth. Use a clean towel to wipe the skin, and while spraying talcum powder, massage it very gently. If the thick roots of hair cause pain, use cold cream for a massage before waxing. This will soften the hearts. Using a knife, apply the hot wax on the skin towards the direction of hair growth. Use a thin cloth as a bandage on it so that the cloth sticks to the skin. Now pull the cloth with a jerk in the opposite direction of the roots of the hair. The hair will stick to the cloth and come out with the heart. The wax container should be kept in a utensil full of warm water so that the wax remains hot and melts. Waxing should always be done in an air-conditioned room or under a fan. Otherwise, the wax will not stick to the hair due to sweat. Even cooler does not help as the moisture from it prevents proper waxing. Immediately after waxing, the skin should be lightly massaged with lanolin cream or skin-tonic. This will make the skin smooth and silky.