Waxing Vs Shaving

waxing shaving

Waxing Vs Shaving

Since time immemorial, I have been told by beauticians, agony aunts and all other members of the fairer sex about how we must always give shaving a no-no. Chief propagators of this belief have been the local beauty parlour aunties, and somehow all of us seem to overlook the fact that this could very well be stemming from their obvious need to maintain a market for waxing. What’s the mechanism behind shaving being bad in any way?

I’ve been getting myself waxed since years, and today I come out of the closet, I hate it. I hate the way I must visit a parlour to get it done, the way I have to expose myself to a stranger, who more often than not will try to make small talk by commenting on my skin or “growth” and then ask me “last time kab karwayi thi aapne waxing”, the way it feels, hot, messy and sticky, the way it hurts, the way it takes hours, and of course the way I must stay hairy for the other half of the month in order to be able to endure all of that again! On the other hand, I have the option of shaving, that I can do at my home, in my own privacy, without having anyone scrutinize and judge me on my freaking hair growth(!), in the comfort of my own bedroom, without any chip-chip :P, without any pain, within 10 minutes, and be hairless every goddamned day of my life! Shaving is such a winner!

Except, it has a few cons of its own, some real, some made-up:

1. Your skin might itch after shaving. (which goes equally true for waxing) For this, make sure you shave a moisturised, exfoliated skin to begin with. Stretch it with your hands when you start to shave. Shaving creams are available. or you could use your conditioner! After shaving, apply a cooling substance, like aloe vera gel or any other water based gel moisturiser, or if you have an after shave for women, perfect.

2. You will have to shave every other day or so. But ladies this is NOT because your hair growth increases, or your hair grows back coarser, it’s simply because while shaving what you’re really doing is trimming very close to the skin, so the hair growth continues under the cut end (unlike waxing, where you pull out the hair from its root and thus even though it is growing back, it is still under the surface of your skin for sometime). And plus it’s a 10 minute job, you could practically do it in your shower.
shaving waxing
3. If you allow a stubble to grow back, it might feel coarse. This is because while shaving, you cut the hair shaft perpendicular to its length, and at a sharp angle, thus the cut tip feels a little coarse. This is NOT because your hair is growing back coarse. It’s still the same hair that is growing out, the new hair hasn’t even come in the picture. Whereas in waxing, every time you pull out the hair strand, a new one grows from the root, thus having a tapered tip. Also because not all of them will grow back together, the frequency of hair you feel at that point is lower. Take a look at the figure below.

Another possible limitation is the area of usage, for both shaving and waxing. Just like you can wax your bikini area but you might prefer not to because it would hurt too much, you might not want to shave your arms as it is not very feasible (hard to reach all parts, stubble). And on the same lines, it might be best for you to shave your bikini area, and wax your arms. But to each his own. And beware of the infamous razor burn! (refer to point no.1 above) 🙂

I have been shaving my legs and my underarms for a couple of weeks now, and I’m really happy with the decision. It started with an emergency call 😛 and I shudder at the thoughts of going back to waxing now :s Maybe if I need to go on a vacation. In any case, I will always keep a razor with me (bless its soul). Next post I’m going to talk about the razor and the shaving cream that brought about this change of heart 😀

Waxing vs Epilators – What do you Prefer for Hair Removal?
How To Use an Epilator
10 Tips for Using An Epilator
Remedies For Bumps After Waxing
How To Reduce Pain During Waxing
Shaving for Hair Removal

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65 thoughts on “Waxing Vs Shaving

  1. Awesome post..i hate waxing and i can;t do it as well..my derm has asked me not to do it.. i get rashes,boils and sumtimes my skin has bleeds 2 🙁

    1. Aw..I hope shaving works for you! Waxing is certainly a torment to one’s skin, and if yoours is sensitive, it’s best to go for a gentler alternative.

  2. Really, shaving is for those who don’t want to bare all in front of a stranger, and those aunty-questions! Who needs it? I’ve had an electric shaver for years, it’s all I need. No pain, no fuss, job done.

    1. exactly!! Love to hear that people are choosing what suits them instead of what the parlour aunty says! 🙂

    1. good morning Sanjeev. welcome to the post on waxing Vs shaving 🙂 which do you prefer? hahha..:)..we’ve been seeing a nice pic here and there of you. nice…

  3. I so prefer shaving to waxing too though my skin feels so much smoother after waxing..:0 love the convenience of shaving without doubt..good post. do give us the download on the razor and shaving cream. 🙂

    1. I will tell you the secret to have skin as smooth as post-wax by shaving B-) wait for it! n thankyou 🙂

  4. wel i think epilators r revolutionary nwdays, they give us benefits of waxing without the kitkit of going parlour. N now there r so many models r in the market that u can choose from! Mine is with an extra shaving head ,exfoliator glove n cooling pad n i love it! So my vote is for an epilator!:yes:

      1. give it a try pragati, u wl luv it! Initialy i ws also apprehensive abt using epilators but they r really easy peasy 2 use!

          1. no dear,not at al! U knw initialy i ws also scared abt pain,but its nt the case! The pain is very little n bearable,u just have to hold the skin tightly n dnt use any moisturiser prior to epilation! One more imp pt is to use epilator in opp direction of hair growth just lyk in waxing! Trust me if a sensitive persun lyk me can use it then anybdy can! Also i find if i epilate every 15 days religiously,i feel less hair growth n less pain too! Epilators r realy convenient n safe,u just need 2 invest in a gud epilator!
            One last word ,do exfoliation regularly 2 avoid chances of ingrown hairs! Phew that was long,hope it helped!

            1. Dr Shilpi,
              Hello,
              Which epiliator do u use? I too have a sensitive skin and wanna purchase one for myself… Can you suggest me please. N is it safe for underarms and bikini area too?

              Kindly reply
              With Regards
              Kirti

  5. Shaving all the way. I hate going to the parlour too. And all that auntyji talks! You hit it so bang on! Life’s even better if you invest in a good razor and shaving gel. I was happy with my sensor excel for women till I met Gillette Venus! Venus is a winner! Try it Pragati, if you’ve decided to keep shaving

    1. Haha, I can totally relate to how u feel about things here. And Venus it is that has helped me stick to shaving, shhhh 😛 Thankyou for liking the post 🙂

  6. I dont know about others but i have horrible experience with shaving…..once I had to wear a capri for an outing so I shaved just the lower part of the leg….when the hair grew pack there was a distinct difference between the lower and upper part of my leg…you could actually make out the ‘boundary’ between the two types of hair…the shaved are DID HAVE COARSER, THICKER hair….and it was no kind of ‘perception mistake’…it was real all right…I am strongly anti-shave….I have learnt it the hard way…
    That said, I m no fan of the hot, sticky, expose’ to strangers factors of waxing….plus i dont like shelling out 300-500 Rs on waxing every 3 weeks or so…..so I got myself an epilator…ts the best thing….it has the ‘non-messiness’ of a razor….theres no fear of cutting skin…..AND it pulls out hair from roots if done correctly…..Its such a boon! I am glad I invested 2500 bucks for a life time of freedom 😀

    1. The shaved area if left WILL grow out with a coarser tip, there is no doubt about it. BUT, only as long as the cut end hair is alive, when this hair falls, so does the coarseness. My emphasis was on the fact that your hair growth will remain the same. The size of your follicle is not altered by shaving. Hope you get my point. Anyway, I hope epilators work for you. I’m yet to try them

  7. Hie Shilpi, I am on my way to buy an epilator, so can you guide me with some gud models and company which i can buy?????? 🙂

  8. YES!! Dr Shilpi and OOpsi, which are the good brands? Philips or Brauns(which Kimi had suggested sometime ago)
    Also something that should come handy for the bikini line area as well

    1. sry for delay ree and manu! Mine is philips satinelle soft epilator Hp 6512! It has so many attachments,i just luv it! Its cost ws around 3500 inr ! I have heard equaly gud reviews abt braun also but it is on higher side costwise!

  9. I get infection in my hair follicles on waxing.epiliating… me 2 shaving all the way.. have a cartridge left for sensor excel.. then I’ll definitely try Venus.. I dont need to run to parlour everytime I decide to wear sleeveless.. buy once in 4-5 months I get my underarm waxed(cleaning purpose)..

    1. Yeah that’s a common problem. the bacteria is able to reach your sebaceous glands much easily after the hair has been uprooted. Venus is a good choice, won’t regret it.

  10. Shaving it is for me have been doing it for so many years n i dont have any growth of coarse hair . Nice post

  11. Hey everyone 😀 You guys wont believe this but ive been thinking of shifting from waxing to shaving for almost 3weeks now..But im still confused and scared 🙁 Ive never had the experience of shaving or using an epilator…though my friends always did..Ive been telling my mom to either buy me an epilator or i could start shaving..but im sooo done with waxing..I live in kuwait,and over here for waxing they charge 5KD which is almost 1000 INR…instead i could invest in a really nice epilator..But first I wanna start shaving 🙂 dont know but really excited to do it 😛 Could you guys guide me and lemme know how am I suppose to select a nice razor and what sort of shaving gel am I suppose to use ?? 😀

    1. Hey Zohra
      get a triple bladed pivoted head razor – best Gillette Venus razor
      Use a nice shave gel – i like the Gillette satin care foaming shave gel

      Also dispose razor blades as soon as they are blunt. Never use a blunt razor.

      and alwaz remember to moisturize and exfoliate regularly like any hair removal method.

      I prefer to use some toner post hair removal to close the pores

  12. hi guys
    I am new to commenting on this blog… Its an amazing site I must say!:)
    Me in for waxing always.. shaving gives me coarse hair… planning to buy an epilator soon to avoid going to parlor every month for waxing… Keep posting amazing reviews as always 🙂

  13. i have never done waxing in parlor… donno why freaks me out …feels yucky and strange.I always think why the hell cant they do it at home in privacy 🙂 . me too prefer shaving and epilator.. and the Veet wax strips work so well for me.. its so non messy and I love it..

  14. i am using Philips HP6475 Satin Ice Epilator with Ladyshave & Exfoliating Head rightnow.. had the braun one before this. i also shave and wax at times. Epilating is the bext thing ever happened 🙂 Shaving is very convenient obviously. Waxing i have noticed really cleans me and removes the TAN whereas i have heard shaving tends to darken the skin. infact i have noticed this myself too 🙁 thats the only con i guess.

  15. Hi Pragati,
    I am Kirti, A keen reader ofthe makeupandbeauty.com though I hardly review any product.
    I am currently not very much into shaving preferred waxing as that was the only solution. Though i have bought a disposable razor from Gillette but I am apprehensive regarding using it in the underarms and the down under area. Due you refer it as the bikini area or bikini line. Will shaving the underarms cause them to darken and how often can i shave the underarms and the down under area. I need to know about this plz hope I have not offended you in any way.
    Thanks a lot
    Kirti

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