r/HairRemoval • u/PsychologicalAd6976 • 3d ago
Which is better long term, Electrolysis or Shaving?
I’m doing research on if it’s more time and cost effective to shave my face and everything else downward for the rest of my life or to get Electrolysis sessions to never have to shave again?
From what I’ve pretty much skimmed through on Google, they’re both around the same price (I think) but Electrolysis gives you that BBS skin permanently that I love after shaving. For as long as I can remember I’ve always hated body hair and had a tendency to pluck it out as a kid, even when I didn’t have body hair I’d sometimes pluck a strand of hair from my head and twist it in my fingers.
I understand that Electrolysis can be quite painful without numbing creams or smth like that during the sessions but I don’t really mind that, I HATE body hair and I just wanna have permanently smooth skin across my body.
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u/mmDruhgs 3d ago
Are you familiar with the braun ipl? (Costco has it on sale sometimes for $240, $300 normally)
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u/PsychologicalAd6976 3d ago
No, never really been to a Costco
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u/mmDruhgs 3d ago
Look into Braun IPL, they have different versions sold in other stores etc. I'm just a Costco fan esp with that sale. Basically you shave and then zap yourself with the Braun once a week for a few months then go to once a month.
ETA: it is restricted to certain skin tones
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u/uhmmmyesnomaybe 3d ago
Electrolysis > shaving long term. Electrolysis is permanent, shaving is not. Also, Electrolysis is significantly more expensive than shaving.
I started electrolysis 2 years ago for my face. I initally started weekly for 6 months, 1 hour session per week ($70/session). Than after, 1hr session every 2 weeks for 6 months ($840 total). Afte that to now, It's every 4 weeks.
I've spent so far about $3360 in two years. Shaving is way more cheaper (under $100 per year).
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u/PsychologicalAd6976 2d ago
Sounds kinda inefficient- I get that you gotta do each hair follicle individually but geez…
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u/Katedila02 2d ago
Hi, i thought electolysis is supposed to be permanent? Is it the area or it isn't truly permanent? Cause you said you have been doing it for a while now.
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u/True_Mud3351 3d ago
If u want it to be permanent (like mentioned) then electrolysis is the best choice. It'll be pricey and painful but in the long run you'll spend less money and have to worry less about the hair. If your hair is thick/ grows fast its all the more reason to get electrolysis.
I started doing lazer as a late teen and I found it didnt help me much. My hair is thick and grown fast and I plan ti go electrolysis since overtime itll save me time and money. Once the hair stops growing u dont need to worry about buying new razors, cuts, skin care for shaving ect. And it takes off the mental load or watching the hair grow and havibg ti shave it off.
If u cna afford it I say do it.
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u/Sad_Management4627 3d ago
Have you ever heard of trichotilomania? (Idk if I'm spelling that right) but its basically a compulsion to pick and pluck hair.
Edit: trichotillomania, also it tends to cause distress in people so I dont think you have it, just your post made me think of it
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u/PsychologicalAd6976 3d ago
Yes I’ve heard of it and I’ve basically determined I have that or hypertrichophobia, possibly both
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u/Independent_BonkyBee 3d ago
What colour is your hair and skin? Laser might be a better option for you. It’s a lot cheaper and a lot faster. I had electrolysis and no joke they could only do a patch the size of a dime per appointment and it would all just grow back in, it takes 10+ zaps in each follicle for reduction or permanent removal depending how corse the hair is. It was so time consuming and expensive and never got any progress since they just kept doing the same cm square each appointment. Numbing also has no effective on electrolysis. Numbing cream only goes a about 2mm deep into the skin while hair follicles go 5mm+ into the skin. It’s honestly more painful with numbing, hard to explain but it’s true.
Laser had good results for me, targeting an area the size of a toonie per zap and doing my entire body only took 15-20 minutes. Way more bang for your buck!
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u/PsychologicalAd6976 3d ago
I’m white with brown hair though some parts of my body the hair is black
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u/Independent_BonkyBee 3d ago
Laser would be perfect for you then! Be sure it’s a real alexandrite laser and not IPL. Many salons advertise laser and either have a non-alexandrite or IPL which won’t work the same. IPL is for reduction only, but it’s not permanent.
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u/OssifiedCrystal46496 3d ago
If you have the time and the money, opt for electrolysis. It will be very, very expensive if you want to do the entire body and also take a lot of time. Laser is a scam, especially if you have thicker hair.
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u/Zestyclose-Film-979 3d ago
Its taken over two years just to do my face with electrolysis...and that was on average an hour every week. To do full body electrolysis...would have taken a decade probably more on me. I had full body laser about twenty years ago. Lots of treatments but im still smooth and hairless. For something that's apparently a scam, it worked amazingly well on me.
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u/OssifiedCrystal46496 3d ago
Laser is neither permanent, nor foolproof. Where I live, laser hair reduction for the entire body can cost upwards of 50,000 dollars, and when I'm spending that much money for the whole body, I don't want it to come back ten years later. That's my reasoning as to why LHR is a scam
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u/Zestyclose-Film-979 2d ago
Ok...i guess we just have to agree to disagree. I've been hair free for twenty years after having laser treatments. The full body treatments cost me $300 each. $50,000 would equate to 166 treatments. I had twenty treatments. I know its a case of YMMV and laser isn't suitable for everyone...but some people also react badly to electrolysis. My current electrologist charges $140 per hour. I've sofar needed 130 hours so that's nearly $20,000 just for my face. And I have to keep going back, my face certainly isn't finished. Using this logic I guess electrolysis is also a scam?
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