Top 10 Ways to Remove Facial Hair for Women

The best ways to get rid of facial hair on women will be painless, permanent, natural, and work on the first treatment. When you find that solution please let me know!

Until you finally tell me your secret, I will have to go off what my dermatologists, girlfriends, and I have learned from testing and trying many ways to remove female facial hair.

Even though facial hair on women is normal, sometimes it can be quite embarrassing.  My upper lip hair has officially over stayed it’s welcome!  So I put together this list on how to remove facial hair, with both some natural home remedy hair removal options and some permanent hair removal options.

What Causes Female Facial Hair in Women

This quote perfectly describes facial hair.  “Your hormones are as potent as vodka and twice as sneaky.” The cause of excess hair growth in women usually comes from a hormone imbalance where you body compensates with high level of testosterone.

There are different causes of hair growth. The condition of growing thick hair on a women’s chest, lips, back, or facial features is called Hirsutism. There are certain medical conditions that could cause excess production of male hormones in women.

The most common cause of hormonal imbalance is polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS.  And sometimes, we just simple don’t know the cause for these pesky hairs.

It is highly recommended that with a change of growing facial hair that you speak with your doctor immediately. Most of the time it is just your hormones, but could be triggered by another adrenal gland disorder such as adrenal cancer, adrenal tumors, or cuhsing disease. It may be something that can be fixed with an antiandrogen medication or spot a major problem before it escalates. Regardless of what is the cause, time to tell you how to get rid of those facial hairs for women.

How to Get Rid of Facial Hair for Women

1. Permanent Laser Hair Removal for Facial Hair

If you are tired of constantly waxing, plucking, or shaving laser hair removal laser hair removal is worth considering. Laser Hair Removal is one of the most common cosmetic procedure done in the nation and provides more permanent solutions. The upper lip is a small area and is more pain free then other laser treatments. Typically, you will need up to 6 treatments (1 month apart) with an occasional treatment every year or so afterwards

Is laser hair removal effective for dark skin? The old rules with laser hair removal is that the hair should be darker then the skin color to achieve the best results. However, the newer technology it has been shown to work with both dark skin and people with white hairs. We have another post on laser hair removal for dark skin you can view here.

2. Facial Hair Removal Masks

If you do not want to put any chemicals on your face to remove facial hair this is for you! My personal favorite option.  Chemicals can burn and cause irritations, but with those easy home remedies you will be ripping of your hairs with a skin moisturizing mask.

There are many natural remedies, that have been shown to work when sticking with your routine.  Note, the sticking with the routine.  I LOVE the health benefits of turmeric and most importantly how it works as one of the BEST natural hair removal masks.  Some of the home remedies are egg white masks, potato lentil masks, gelatin masks, Lemon Masks, and of course Turmeric Masks.

There are many natural and at home recipes to experiment with. Make sure to see experiment with your own recipes to see what works best for you, then let your Urban Gyals Know!  #muchlove

3. Sugaring for Natural Facial Hair Removal

Sugaring for facial hair removal is one of the more natural and safer approaches that our viewers rave about.  It is used in much the same way as traditional waxing for removing unwanted hair, but unlike waxing does not stick to living skin cells and rip them off the body.  Sugaring minimizes pain by pulling hair in the natural direction of the hair growth getting into the roots.

There are 2 types of sugaring paste and a gel. The best thing about Sugaring is that the paste or gels are typically only made up of three ingredients, sugar, water, and lemon. You can easily make this on your stovetop at home or Make sure that when buying any type of this not to be tricked with cheap imitations or fillers and look for an organic sugaring package.  Moom Hair Removal is my favorite organic sugaring product.

For beginners, it may take some practice to find just the right amount to use. Too much and you have a big sticky mess that doesn’t remove the hair. Too little and you won’t have enough to bind the hair for removal.  However, most women experience no irritations, no skin burns, and no ingrown hairs or bumps. It is also moisturizing benefits to tone your skin.  Check out this video:

4. Facial Hair Removal Creams

You may have seen the TV commercials where people gently apply the creams on, and painlessly wipe of the hair smooth and easy. I hate to burst your bubble but there are some things that you should know. If you are not careful and pay close attention to the application time, you may get hurt. You do not want to leave the facial hair removal creams on for too long as people have reported burns, blisters, skin coloring, and even scaring.

But when you find a good facial hair removal cream that works, it takes normally less then 5 minutes and has treatments that slow hair growth in the future. It can be done in your home, every few weeks, and will have you smooth and hair free in no time. If this option suits you, here are some of the top 5 facial hair removal creams for women you MUST try.

5. Threading

Threading has been used by women to remove facial hair from Egypt and India for hundreds of years. It is now catching on in the west, and you may have seen it done in a mall kiosk or at a beach if visiting tropical locations.

Threading a temporary hair removal technique just like shaving, but is effective because it is so precise. It can remove the smallest hair and pull it out of the follicle.  And it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as waxing.  There’s a great DIY video below, and if you want to go the DIY route, here’s a threading epilator that makes this method super easy.

Threading is done by a criss- cross pulling movement pulling out all the hairs, and works best on small areas such as the face. I have mixed reviews on it, I tried for my eyebrows several times. With continued treatments, it does grow back but much more symmetrical. It is not permeant by any means, and is a little painful. It leaves some reddening and swelling of the pores, and if you have lost skin can leave marks or cuts.  However, it has been used for many years and does work.

Here’s how to DIY at home:

6. Facial Hair Removal Wax

In this article we have picked on wax a lot, and compared many things to it. However, it is probably the most popular facial hair removal product for women. Waxing is a fast way to remove facial hair and does not grow back for approx 3 weeks.  You can pop into your local esthetician or easily do an at home treatment.  Waxing works with all skin colors, tones, and even fine hairs.

But for the benefits of waxing for hair removal, has its downfalls. First thing to discuss is the “Ouch” painful ripping process or possibility of burning your skin of not done right. Waxing can also lead to ingrown hairs, redness and bumps. Make sure to get a good facial wax removal kit and carefully read the application instructions.

7. Shaving

Don’t do it!! Shaving and facial hair trimmers would be the easiest and fastest option, however is NOT a good method. It is used on larger areas like legs and as we know results in faster and harder hair growth that is harder to get rid of. Also, nothing would be worse then some facial hair stubble when kissing your loved one good night.

8. Tweezers

Tweezers should not be used as your prime form of hair removal, but is good for touch ups or getting rid a few of those unwanted hairs between treatments. These can be used for forming your eyebrows, upper lip, chin and even sideburns for female facial hair removal.

For your tweezers, their is a difference between a cheap dollar store set and a professional styling tweezer. The dollar store versions tend to break hairs on the skin surface not even pulling out the route. The professional tweezers do a much better job at pulling out the routes, grabbing on the finest hairs.  Make to do sanitize your tweezers after each use and don’t leave them just to float around your makeup bag without sanitizing.  Not sanitizing your tweezers can result in bacteria build up.

9. Electrolysis Permanent Hair Removal

Electrolysis is a permanent facial hair removal technique and is approved by the FDA. It is shown to eliminate all types of hair colors, even white and grey hairs. It works with all types of skin colors, and works best on small areas such as the face.  It’s the most proven permanent hair removal option.

However, electrolysis is a little costly (about $45 session) and requires up to 40 sessions.  You will need approximately 20 sessions in the first year, and is more painful then laser. But electrolysis is permanent and provides a minimal amount of irritation.

10. Hormonal Medications and Weight Loss

Our last method of female facial hair removal is designed to target your hormones and route cause.  You should speak with your doctor to see what medications are available as many hormonal imbalances can be treated with oral medication such as anti-androgens or birth control pills.

Regarding losing weight and weight loss, one of our favorite Urban Gyal posts will show you how to reduce facial hairs with diet and experience. Being overweight or obesity can change the way that your body processes and reacts with hormones, so achieving a healthy weight can lead to a way of reducing your androgens without any medications.

Facial hair is perfectly common in women, so do not beat yourself up or think that you are any less beautiful. It is very common in pregnancy, menopause, puberty, and is something just caused by our hormones and for being a woman.

With this said, anything natural such as diet and exercise, facial masks, and seeing your doctor should be your first step. The other treatments as waxing, tweezing, sugaring, and creams are temporary solutions but still effective. My favorite is the turmeric and sea salt hair removal option.

What facial hair removal option works for you?