Depilatory cream, otherwise known as hair removal cream is an easy way to remove hair. Although you must always follow the instructions on the box or enclosed leaflet you generally apply the cream, wait a few minutes, scrape it off with the provided spatula and gently wash the area in lukewarm water and pat dry. Job done!

You can buy hair removal cream everywhere. Common brands are Nair, Veet and Immac and they are pretty similar to each other in terms of price. You can find a whole range HERE

Try a few different brands because it will probably be something small which marks out one over another and makes it the best hair removal cream for you – things like the packaging, familiarity with the brand, how the cream, gel or lotion is applied or the fragrance (which is meant to disguise the pungent smell of the chemical which all these hair removal creams use although it rarely does a complete job on this).

Different Formulas

You can use these hair removal products on most parts of your body – check the packaging but depilatory creams are generally great for underarms, legs, chest, back, bikini line and face – pretty much everywhere. You don’t need to buy a special bikini hair removal cream or hair removal creme for legs.  However you may find special formulations for facial hair – an area which is a bit more sensitive than others and some manufacturers will package up a product for use on specific areas to give them an edge (although it is often the same stuff  inside).

Likewise the formula is generally not any different for removing male hair or female hair but you might find special hair removal cream for men which is packaged and perfumed differently to appeal to those looking for male hair removal products.

Patch Sensitivity Test

Before you use your chosen product for the first time always do a patch test to check for sensitivity and adverse reactions to the formula. It should tell you to do this in the instructions. It’s better to spend an extra five minutes the first time you use it and be safe rather than sorry – this is particularly important for facial hair removal cream for obvious reasons.

Any Disadvantages of Hair Removal Cream?

• It’s easy to forget to check the time when you apply it and then end up guessing and leaving it on too long or taking it off too soon. Remember to take a timer into the bathroom when you use your depilatory cream
• It’s also a bit boring waiting for the whole process to work. Five minutes standing around can seem like an age. Remember and take a magazine with you
• The smell of these products is quite distinctive  – no matter how well the manufacturer has perfumed the cream, here is still a smell that lingers after you have used the product (not on you thankfully just around the bathroom)
• Your skin may be a bit sensitive after use so don’t plan on using perfumes or deodorants immediately after removing your hair with depilatory cream.
• The hair is destroyed just below the surface of the skin and not at the root so this is a temporary hair removal method and you have to keep using your hair removal cream every few days if you want to maintain smooth skin. However you will find that regrowth is slight less stubbly and fast than shaving.

Depilatory cream is a popular way of removing unwanted hair. It is cheap, effective and convenient to use yourself at home and is a way of removing hair painlessly (unlike many other methods!)

Removing hair for aesthetic reasons has been a custom it seems almost since time began and depilatory creams and potions have been around in various forms since ancient times although luckily the format has changed from the often hazardous ingredients used by the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans (arsenic and lime are no long present than goodness).

Hair removal creams act on the keratin in the hair structure and dissolve it so that the hair falls away. Despite containing quite harsh chemicals (even these days) the creams are reasonably gentle of the skin and you will find various formulations to cope with sensitive skin and all areas of the body too. For example, you should be able to find specialist facial hair removal cream as well as cream for removing hair from the bikini line.

Creams do not penetrate the surface of the skin in removing hair so this means that the roots of the hair remain and hair regrowth occurs fairly rapidly – within a few days or a weeks or so. You will find that regrowth is slower and softer however than if you shave your unwanted hair – you will not get such a stubbly feel – and you will also find depilatories easier to use than in areas where it is difficult to get a close shave due to the contours of the skin.

Due to the strong alkali chemical used in depilatory hair removal many manufacturers state that you should not use soap or deodorant on the same areas for some hours to avoid skin irritation. You’ll probably find it easiest to use depilatory creams in the evening, rinse off with warm water and then you can take your usual shower in the morning. Having said that there are now some creams and gels designed to be used in the shower.

Always follow the instructions on the packaging carefully in particular about

• doing a patch test (trying out the cream for a short time on a small area of your skin to check for adverse reactions)
• where you should and should not us the cream (particularly avoid using nera the eyes or on broken and already irritated skin)
• the application of the hair cream and the amount of time to leave it on your skin
  removal of the cream

Use any tools which are supplied with the product to apply and remove the cream. You will often find a spatula in the packaging which is the best tool for the job.

Hair removal creams may not work well if the skin is not clean and dry as oils and sweat on the skin and hair may prevent the chemicals in the depilatory reaching and acting on the hair so make sure you use a face cloth and warm water to wash the skin and then dry carefully before applying the depilatory lotion or cream.

The worst of depilatory creams (and the main thing which puts me off them) is the pungent smell. This can’t be avoided completely (although many manufacturers such as Veet and Nair make a valiant attempt to mask it with wonderful sounding fragrances). The reality is that you will still be able to smell the strong alkali chemical mixture during the few minutes you have applied the cream and in your bathroom for a while afterwards.

The best hair removal cream is one which is designed for the area where you want to remove unwanted hair, which reacts favorably with your skin yet is strong enough to get the job done. Also look for one which has a fragrance which appeals more than others (even if it can’t remove the chemcal smell entirely).

These creams are reasonably cheap so it is worth experimenting with Nair and Veet cream and lotion (which are the most well-known and respected brands – add Immac to this in the UK) as well as generic brands sold in drugstore chains. We are all different and have different reactions to products so there is no one best depilatory cream for all.

The best for me might very well be the worst for you – the one that does not remove your hair well or causes a reaction where others don’t. Therefore try out the different formulas of the creams, ways of applying and removing. To get an idea of the vast selection available these days take a look at the many available right now at Amazon – there are good discounts there too.

In addition to the usual brands of depilatory cream you many also find more expensive creams (Surgi cream and Revitol spring to mind) which promise to reduce hair growth. I did not notice any difference when I tried them but your mileage may vary as they say.

You can use depilatory cream just about everywhere on your body, provided that you are not sensitive to the chemicals and use the right hair removal cream in the right place, but I heard a new use for the stuff today which made me think that the world has gone a bit mad.

If you had a dog would you be beautifying it by using mascara and lipstick and removing hair which didn’t conform to the exact idea of dog beauty for your particular breed with Veet or Nair hair removal cream? I didn’t think so but apparently some owners are barking (!) mad enough to do so with the result that the top dog show in the UK has had to put out a warning that depilatory cream may not be used on dogs.

See this article from the Daily Telegraph.

What gets me is how they stop the dog removing the product before the time is up. I have a hard enough job, getting impatient standing around in the bathroom for what seems like an age (even though it is only a few minutes) while a depilatory lotion gets to work never mind a poor animal.

Now I know we suffer in the name of beauty and we can go to extremes burning off our unwanted hair with chemicals, and pulling it out by the roots with wax, but this is no way to treat our pets even if we don’t mind suffering ourselves in the name of beauty.

The beauty world got going on our men folk not too many years ago with Veet for men. Surely there will never be a Veet for dogs!