Excessive Facial Hair

My friend has a similar issue. She wanted to get hers lasered off but she was told that since the hair was blond, she wasn't a good candidate. They recommended waxing and she was leery of that for the same reasons you have. So the lady suggested one of those little personal shavers. My friend says she has been quite pleased with that. It's quick and painless, gets closer than trimming and it doesn't leave red marks or bumps. She said she has just added it to her morning routine. Just runs it over her face real quick.

I use epiladys for my entire body.
This is the one I use on my face:
http://www.amazon.com/Emjoi-AP-9L-Slim-Cosmetic-Remover/d...
It is small, the effects last the same as a waxing, but no redness. One small price and this will last you for years!

I highly recommend the finishing touch or a similar product. These can be purchased at Target or Walgreens. Here is the link.

http://www.bestofasseenontv.com/finishingtouch1/finishing...

Shaving is another option, but I watched a special on Doctor Oz that hosted dermatologists as guests for that day's show. One woman in the audience said she shaved her face, and also noticed her face seemed to appear smoother after shaving. The derm recommended she stop shaving because it can create microscopic cuts in the facial skin and cause even bigger problems.

I cannot recommend the above listed product enough - it gets close to the skin and is so easy and painless. You can use this inbetween waxings or as your solo method of hair removal.

Good luck!

just make sure you check your hormone levels like your thyroid to rule out anything. :)

Okay, DON'T JUDGE! One of the "New Jersey Housewives" said she shaves her face in the shower daily and now I do to. The key is to shave your entire face otherwise you'll see where you stopped when you apply your make-up. My skin looks better too! It's cheap, easy and there's nothing to apply.

***Update. I just ordered what Nancy W. suggested. I'm a big fan of threading, I had NO idea you could do it yourself! Nice, now I can say goodbye to my miserable and always LATE to open threading lady!

Hi M..

I have basically the same thing...

I don't want to shave either, for fear that it will grow in thicker, darker, more coarse, etc. And I am just not into waxing. I'll get my eyebrows waxed on occasion, but that's the extent of it.

I resorted to using hair clippers/trimmers to basically *trim* it off very short. I don't use the guard, I just use the bare clippers, and it takes it down to almost nothing. I have been doing this for years, and I don't notice it getting any darker, or thicker, etc. Just the same old blond beard. (>_<) I'm sure that this is similar to shaving, but I don't want a razor to actually shave my skin, because I don't want to look like a man that just shaved, with little red marks, etc... the clippers only trim so close, so it's more like giving it a really short buzz cut, without actually shaving the skin.

Anyhow, that's my advice. It does suck, but you are not alone.

My peach fuzz is dark and all around my jawline as well as my upper lip. Yeah, it could become a beard if I let it. I used to wax but the strips were small and I needed too many to cover such a large area. So I started using depilatory cream which worked great but sometimes burned or gave me a rash. Now I use a bellabee (got it on amazon), this coil device that works like threading. It took a little while to get used to but I go over my whole face about once a week and it pulls the hairs out by the root so they don't come back as fast as shaving and they are still soft and fine.

M., first I have to tell you that I love your honesty! I, too, have excessive facial hair. I have beard-like hair that grows on my neck and chin. After years of plucking it, or just letting it go, or using lotions like Nair, I went and had it waxed. It's been a week now and it still hasn't grown back. With the Nair it would come back in about three days. The lady who did my waxing was so sweet and I wasn't embarrassed at all. (I'm the one who usually talks to people with my hand on my neck to hide it.

I feel so much more confident! I'm going to be going and having it waxed regularly now! Where I went it was $30 (but I had my eyebrows, lip, chin and neck done). I'm not sure how often it'll have to be done, but I think it's worth it!

I have not tried it, but I have heard that sugaring is the best route to go...you have to find a salon that does it, I guess if you do it regularly eventually it will be a permanent solution...not sure how many times you have to have it done.

I don't have an answer, but I do have a similar problem. Thanks so much for posting this question. I'll be trying some of the suggestions too!

I use what Scarlett suggested ! BEST thing Ever!!!!!!!! I would Never shave mine....

I joke that having my son turned me into a man.

Starting 8 years ago I started getting my face waxed. LOVE it. Where I go it's called the 'full face & brow'... but there's a whole menu for "pieces" (lip, chin, cheeks, jawline, sideburns, brow arch... and that's just for face. It's cheaper to go full face and brow than for me to do the pieces -I don't need my cheeks done).

The short blonde hairs still grow in blonde, short, and soft. The long blonde hairs still grow in long, blonde, & soft. The coarse hairs have thinned over time, and the coarse dark hairs have thinned, but still remain dark. After 8 years of getting my face done every 2-4 months, it only takes 5-7 minutes (super fast), but the booking time is 30... so L & I chat a lot (my waxer and I have become good friends). My face was originally "slapped" red/pink for a few hours. It now is only red/pink for less than an hour. My skin is just super used to it. It 'releases' the hairs very easily, and it recovers very quickly ((pay ahead of time, and don't have plans for a few hours... so you don't have to be around people when you're pink until you know how long you'll stay pink for)).

It's VERY important to get it done by a pro... someone who spends all day every day waxing... not someone who waxes a couple times a day or a couple times a week. They're fast, they know the tricks, and they have all the stuff to put on your skin to soothe it / prevent breakouts. Simply waxing alone will often leave people's skin bumpy afterward. But a nice steam cloth, and then the skin soothing treatments (leave on for a few hours before washing them off) prevents that from happening. They tend to be more expensive than waxing at a nail salon, and it is VERY worth it.

Don't, don't don't wax at home until you've had it done professionally a few times. It's worth it to me to keep having it done, even though I can do it on my own, because it's so much faster / hurts less... but even after 2-3 visits I could have done it myself if I was willing to drop $200 in supplies... it would pay for itself the first year... but it's not worth it to me, personally.

As for other methods... Nair, rubbing, & shaving will lead to stubble. Nads (sugaring, like waxing with a different medium) doesn't work for me even with my 'easy' hair. It breaks too many off and I end up with 'rough' hairs (waxing the all grow in soft). Some day I *might* do electrolysis.... but it's not currently recommended for me because it's too large of an area (could lead to scarring). As the tech improves, I might.

Hey M.! You are not alone for sure!! I have PCOS and one of the many side effects I have been blessed with is the "beard"!! I did shaving for years and years.....was young and had no clue what else to do. I did a few time of waxing but never had good results that lasted and not to mention the pain. OUCH!! So then I went to plucking....every night I plucked..... After I had my beautiful daughter I asked my doctor about medication to help remove the hair/lessen it coming! He said the prescriptions didn't have good luck and it could take 6 -12 months to have results. But recommended laser therapy. He said his wife had it done on her upper lip and it only costed $200 and took 3-4 times....Ok so I thought yeah my husband isn't a doctor so I don't have the $200 a pop to take care of this. So I continued to pluck...every night:( Then my mom came to my rescue and offered to help me pay for the sessions if I wanted to try laser therapy. To my surprise it was under $300 for 6 - count them 6 sessions TOTAL!!! Not each time!! I did have a lot less hair after my sessions, I do need to go back again as the hair has returned, but I think I am going to try one of the options mentioned below first!! Also I noticed while I was on birth control the hair was less also.

Good Luck! Know you are not alone and as you gaze at everyone else's smooth chin/neck know they are probably holding a secret too!!!

I would have a doc check your hormone levels to make sure everything is AOK there and then consider laser treatments instead. Another option is an epilator -- it hurts but the hair grows back finer and lighter -- I have been using one on my legs, underarms and lip for years and barely have any hair there....there is less hair breakage with that than waxing IMHO based on experience so it hasn't grown back darker or thicker like with shaving or waxing. Good luck!

what about tweezing them?

Why don't you have electrolysis? It's more expensive, but after a few times they will be gone permanently.

Please consider seeing your Dr there could be an underlining issue such as PCOS etc. There also are medications that can help balance things out and minimize the hair growth. Good luck.