Wax On, Wax Off: Top 5 Hair Removal Methods Ranked

All the hairy details. Is IPL treatment really all it’s cracked up to be? Or is a good old-fashioned wax the best way to prep for pool season? We’ve (literally) torn our hair out to find answers so you can emerge triumphantly - and without ingrown hair - from winter hibernation.

5. Shaving

The classic hair removal method. Sure, shaving is cheap and painless (if you’re doing it right). But even if you’ve mastered the perfect shave, it still requires a lot of upkeep. First there’s finding the right razor, then there’s the question of shaving cream, and every 3 days you have to balance on one leg on a wet, slippery surface. It’s both time-consuming and risky.

4. Depilatory Cream

A safer, though slightly smellier, option is depilatory creams. They work by dissolving the hair just below the surface of the skin, so you stay silky smooth a bit longer than shaving. And since there’s no razor involved, you can say goodbye to knicks, cuts and razor burn. The downside? You still have to do it every week if you want to maintain your naked mole rat status.

3. Waxing

Some may consider a leg or bikini line wax cruel and unusual punishment, but it’s still a fairly affordable way to stay hair-free for up to 3 weeks. If you can’t bring yourself to pay someone else $30+ to rip hair out of your body, there are a ton of home waxing kits that will work just fine for all you brave DIY souls out there.

2. Epilator

If waxing isn’t for you, epilating offers the same lasting results for less. You can buy an epilator for a one-time cost of $30-$100, depending on the model. If you’re unfamiliar, an epilator is an at-home device that plucks out unwanted hair by the root, using mechanical tweezers on a rotating head. You’ll enjoy weeks of hair-free bliss, and just like those eyebrows you’ve been plucking (or overplucking) since the ‘00s, epilating means you’ll see less hair growth over time. 

1. IPL Treatment

IPL, or Intense Pulsed Light, is a more long-term solution to unwanted hair. Similar to laser hair removal, it uses light to kill the hair. But instead of a laser that targets each individual hair, it uses broad-spectrum light to cover large patches at once, delighting its users with speed. An IPL treatment is typically cheaper than laser hair removal but still costs an average of $625 when all is said and done. Considering the average American woman spends $10,000 on shaving products in her lifetime, it seems a fair trade-off to never have to shave, wax, or epilate again! And there are at-home IPL versions available, such as FOREO's beloved PEACH™ 2 collection!

PEACH™ 2 collection IPL devices

PEACH™ 2 Pro Max clinical-grade IPL

For those who need a faster and stronger treatment PEACH™ 2 Pro Max offers a clinically sized IPL treatment window with a surface area of 11.5 cm² and 120 J of power for a full-body treatment in just 6 minutes, while keeping it as safe and practical as its predecessors, PEACH™ 2 and PEACH™ 2 go.
 

PEACH™ 2 advanced IPL hair removal

Featuring more power than PEACH™ 2 go and with the fantastic additional feature of a movable head that conforms to individual body shapes, PEACH™ 2 is especially beneficial for those who are tired of shaving and waxing very curvatious body areas and want a long-term solution for a hair-free existence. 

GET YOUR PEACH™ 2

With a slightly smaller treatment window but thanks to a fast flash speed, you'll still be able to do a whole body IPL hair removal in 10 minutes, just as with the PEACH™ 2 go.

PEACH™ 2 go travel-friendly IPL

The miniaturized version of PEACH™ 2, PEACH™ 2 go, is ideal for globetrotters who are always on the go. The travel-friendly version lacks the adjustable head that might get damaged during travel in overcrowded suitcases. Except for the slightly weaker flash, it is pretty much the same as your full-sized device.