Depilation: Depilatory Hair Removal

Depilation and Epilation

There are varios methods for removing hair, most are temporary and the one accepted as permanent is electrolysis. The temporary (meaning hair regrowth occurs) are classified as either depilatory or epilatory.

Depilation refers to removal of hair above the skin - the most common being shaving. Epilation means hair remval from below the skin, by the rrots so to speak. A simple example of this, which by the way is the oldest hair removal method, is plucking.

Depilation refers to the process of removing visible hair above the skin.

Unlike other temporary hair removal options like waxing and sugaring, depilation does not take the hair out by the root so the hair removal lasts a few days at best. In this regard, it is a very short term method of hair removal.

Popular methods of depilation include shaving and the use of chemical depilatory creams or lotions that are applied directly to the unwanted hair and are then rubbed or rinsed off after a period of time resulting in the hair being removed above the skin.

Because it can refer to various methods of hair removal (ie. shaving, use of depilatory products like creams or lotions) discussing the benefits and considerations under one umbrella is difficult since various depilatories offer different pros and cons.

In general terms, depilation tends to be a cheap method of removing hair temporarily but is one that needs to be done regularly to achieve hair removal since the hair tends to grow back quickly.

If you choose to use chemical depilatory creams or lotions, you might find the smell of some products overpowering and may find that they irritate your skin. You also have to be careful when applying chemical depilatories to ensure you only remove hair that is meant to be removed!

When it comes to shaving depilation, you have several options at your disposal including manual blade razors and electric shavers. Both manual blades and electric shavers are technologies that are being improved all the time so you're best to evaluate your options and determine what works best for you and your skin rather than simply relying on the opinion of others.

All depilation methods, including depilatories (in any of their presentations - creams, lotions or gel), are short term as they remove hair from above the skin. Therefore the period of time before the hair reappears is shorter. In some cases within hours and rarely more than a few days.