Home remedies for removing excess hair

Published On: September 3, 2009, 2:25 am

By Manika Dhama Given a choice between a do-it-yourself at home option and the unavoidable trip to the neighbourhood beauty parlour, most women would choose the former. Convenience is key and if there exists a natural way of excess hair removal that also works to keep the skin healthy, anybody would jump at it.
 
Excessive hair growth on the face can be quite troublesome for women, especially since it maybe a result of hormonal imbalance in the body. Taking medication would only increase the chance of possible side effects and wouldn’t in help remove excess facial hair.
 
Nothing beats natural cures and treatments as far as taking care of the skin is concerned. Though they take some time in showing effect, they are definitely the safest of all. There are several home remedies for removal of facial hair which when used over a period of time would greatly reduce excessive hair growth, if not remove them completely.
 
•    Prepare a paste of sugar, lemon and water and apply it on the face in the direction of hair growth. Rinse after 10-15 minutes. Apply twice a week.
•    Mix 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 4 teaspoons honey. Apply this in the direction of hair growth. Rinse after 10-15 minutes. Apply twice a week.
•    To turn hair golden brown, apply a paste of 2 teaspoon fresh lime juice and ½ teaspoon sugar, before bedtime 3-4 times a week. This is recommended for 2 months.
•    Mix turmeric powder with milk and apply on the face. Scrub it off slowly moving your fingers in circular motion, and then wash with cold water.
•    Blend one egg white with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of corn flour until it becomes a sticky paste. Apply the mixture to your face. When it dries gently peel it off. Repeat this 3-4 times a week.
•    Make a paste of curd, turmeric powder and gram flour. Apply it on your face and let it dry. Thereafter, rub it off gently.
•    Pumice stones work well to reduce overall body hair growth if used to scrub while bathing. This is one procedure which takes time and requires patience before results start showing.

Ingrown hair might be another problem faced by many. The recommended home remedy for that is to mix one cup of warm water and 1 ½ tsp of salt. Then a fresh cotton ball should be dipped into the mixture and swiped over the ingrown hairs. It liquid shouldn’t be rinsed off. The salt mildly exfoliates and cleanses the skin, helping to draw out the hair. While doing this it is important to be careful about any fresh cuts or bruises and irritated, red or freshly shaved skin. Also if you use strong exfoliators like salicylic acid, enzyme products or glycolic, applying the above mixture may cause burn. It is recommended that the mixture be used daily until ingrown hair clear up, but it is advisable to stop applying it if the skin gets red or irritated.

Ingrown hair on the body can be removed by soaking in the tub with two cups of Epsom salt. For stronger exfoliation, take the Epsom salt and apply it directly to wet skin working in circular motions and then rinse it off. For those with oily or acne prone skin, using a salt-based exfoliate works well to ward off ingrown hair before they start. Those with sensitive skin should stick to a gentler sugar.

Also ingrown hair area can be washed twice a day with Panoxyl bar, an antibacterial soap containing 10% benzoyl peroxide. This soap can be purchased at the local drug store.
Even with the plethora of products available in the market or easy to prepare home remedies, there is no substitute for a healthy lifestyle supplemented with proper diet.