Bleaching unwanted hair

Bleaching is one way of covering up embarrassing hair, particularly on the face. It's quick and effective, but there are a few precautions to take note of. Here's our guide…

Facial hair
Facial hair varies depending on your age and race. Brown-haired women are affected by it a lot more than blondes or Asian women, who may have to wax and bleach on a regular basis to disguise unsightly moustaches that cast a shadow over their lips.
During the menopause, more hairs appear because a woman's testosterone levels are no longer slowed down by the female hormones. If you have excessive growth, think about seeing a gynaecologist.

What hair can you bleach?
Generally, all excessive hair that appears on the face can be treated: hideous hair in front of the ears, a ghastly moustache above the lips, as well as hair located on the forearms.
For other areas of the body, use traditional hair removal methods: depilatory cream, hot wax, cold wax, electric epilator or tweezers!

What does it involve?
Choose a bleaching kit to tone down unwanted hair. Available in supermarkets and pharmacies, these kits contain a bleaching cream which you mix with an ammonium-based activating powder, apply with a spatula, leave to act for ten minutes, then remove and rinse the area.

What are the risks?
You might experience some stinging. To avoid this, first do a patch test on a discreet place on your arm. Ammonium-based products must not be used on irritated skin: they will burn! Contact between the cream used and heated skin can cause reactions or even allergies. If this occurs, see a dermatologist.

What other solutions are there?
If you have just a little bit of hair above your lips, you can bleach it. Otherwise, cold waxing is the best way of pulling out very fine, short hairs. If the hairs are very dark, you might want to consider laser treatment at a dermatologist’s.
The ancient method of sugaring is ideal for the face. It exfoliates dead cells as it removes the hairs, leaving skin soft and smooth. It should be carried out in a beauty salon.
If your unwanted hair is still visible, too blonde or thick even after bleaching, and especially visible on your forearms, classic waxing at a beauty salon will get rid of it. The beautician spreads the warm wax on and pulls out the hairs. Waxing gets rid of the hair for three weeks, but regrowth is inevitable. Plus the fine hair disappears, and will grow back thicker and darker. Once you start waxing, you need to keep it up regularly. You can also use tweezers, but this takes time and is tedious.