Your Guide To Dealing With Your Sideburns
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
In this new age of trying to love ourselves as much as possible, there are a few things we still have trouble accepting. Body hair, for some people, might be the one thing they can't stand. They do everything they can to have hair only on their head. Facial hair removal has become a popular topic. Granted, there are a few benefits to removing your facial hair. For example, removing facial hair can help clear acne, since your skincare products are absorbed better. In addition, your makeup products apply better and create a glassy, smooth appearance. So, what happens when you have sideburns that prevent your skincare and makeup products from doing their job all over your face? You can remove them if you don't like having them, but if they don't bother you, show them off.
The one thing to avoid is shaving your sideburns with a razor. Even though the razor will remove unwanted sideburns, your hair will grow back faster and create stubble along the area. Plus, shaving doesn't remove the root of the hair, so when the hair grows back, it can cause ingrown hairs or bumps. You want to prevent your skin from getting irritated, so don't pick up the razor. Instead, here are a few ways you can deal with your sideburns.
Thread your sideburns
A great place to start is threading your sideburns. Threading experts use a cotton string to remove hair, usually done around the eyebrows and lips, but they can also use it to remove sideburns. If you have sensitive skin, threading is perfect since it doesn't require any oils, creams, or wax to be put on your face.
The process is simple for first-time threaders: The threading expert takes one end of the cotton string in one hand and the other end in the other hand, twisting the thread and creating an infinity symbol. Then, they twist the thread over the area of the hair that they will remove. The twisting traps and pulls the hair from the root, which makes the hair grow back more slowly. It's as if the hair is being tweezed or waxed, except it doesn't hurt as much. If you have low pain tolerance, threading might be painful for you, but you can always test it out on a small part of your arm. Remember that any hair removal that tugs from the root might hurt a bit.
Go to a wax specialist
If you prefer waxing your eyebrows, legs, or arms, you might gravitate toward waxing your sideburns. Waxing is another way of removing the hair straight from the root, which slows down the growing process. In addition, you won't have to worry about waxing every week; instead, you can go up to a month without having to wax again. However, waxing might not be the route for you if you have sensitive skin, since facial skin is thinner than skin on the rest of the body.
Booking an appointment with a wax specialist is better than doing at-home waxing. It's a faster process and won't be as painful if someone else does it for you. Professional waxing also makes results last longer. If you wax at home, you might not get every hair, whereas wax specialists have a clearer view of the hair they're going to wax. They'll be able to clean up any hard-to-reach areas.
Use hair removal cream
You can use hair removal creams to remove your sideburns for a more budget-friendly option. Hair removal creams work to break down the proteins of the hair, so the base of the hair becomes weak and easily removed when you wipe away the cream. They're easy to use; simply apply a thin layer of the cream on the sideburns, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, and remove it with a warm cloth. Since your sideburns connect to your hairline, you'll want to clip back the surrounding hair so that you don't accidentally remove too much.
If you're somebody who has fast hair growth, the downfall of hair removal creams is that the results might only last a few days for you, so you would have to reapply the cream when the hair starts to grow back to prevent stubble. However, if your hair growth tends to be slower, you may not have to redo the process for a couple of weeks, which could be a better solution than waxing or threading the sideburns.
Bleach the sideburns
A painless way of dealing with your sideburns is bleaching them. It's perfect if you don't want to remove them entirely or don't want to keep up with the treatments. On the other hand, it'll give your face a brighter glow due to the facial hair disappearing. Sideburns only grow to a certain length, so they'll need to be touched up when the color turns yellow after a few months of washing. Remember, bleach doesn't fade; your sideburns will last a long time with the color. However, be sure to use bleach made for facial hair, not scalp hair. Regular hair bleaches can irritate the facial skin.
Sally Hansen has a facial hair bleach that's gentle on the skin, including Aloe Vera as an ingredient. The extra-strength cream is tailored to lighten darker hair. In addition, it will blend the hair with your natural skin tone, giving the illusion that there isn't hair.
Use an epilator
Epilators can be nerve-wracking to use if you've never used one. They're electrical devices that remove hair by the root and are sometimes considered better than waxing since they pull even the smallest hairs. However, the first time you use an epilator can be painful, but the more you use it, you'll be able to tolerate it. Even though epilating is painful, it removes every hair and slows the growth, so you'll only have to do it once every four weeks. There are two types of epilators: a dry epilator used on dry skin, and a wet epilator used on wet skin.
If you decide to epilate, exfoliate the skin beforehand to prevent ingrown hairs. In addition, epilate at night to allow any redness to subside while you sleep. Epilators have different speeds, so if you're a first-time user, start with the slowest speed to get a feel for how the device works. You want to go slowly, keeping the epilator at a 90-degree angle to ensure you get every hair. Follow with a moisturizer to reduce irritation on your face.
Book a laser appointment
The only way to permanently remove unwanted sideburns is by lasering them. Instead of waxing, threading, or epilating the hair and pulling the entire root, laser treatments burn the hair follicles. You can book a laser appointment, and the expert will let you know how many sessions you'll likely need depending on your hair type. Once you finish your sessions, you won't have to deal with your sideburns or worry about them growing back thicker. In addition, lasering is perfect for all skin types since you're not directly applying any creams or wax that could irritate.
If you're hesitant to do laser, you can book a consultation appointment to discuss your concerns with an expert. They'll be able to answer any questions you have and walk you through the process. If you decide not to do laser, you have five other methods to try that will still work.