Getting rid of unwanted body hair in your 60s

You will have been dealing with unwanted body hair since you were a teenager, but, until now mainly underarm hair, legs and the bikini line way back when! Now it might be a different story because as we age facial hair can be a problem and for some women, unwanted hair can appear in all sorts of places we’d rather it didn’t.

HOME HAIR REMOVAL

Essential Equipment

• Magnifying spectacles with a strength of magnification around two-point five or three.
• A magnifying mirror, either wall mounted or folding for outside use and travel.
• A good light to shine on your face if you plan to work inside – a reading light with a flexible stem works well. Outside in full daylight is a great place to work.
• A pair of Tweezerman tweezers – the best.
• Sharp pointed scissors and a pair of blunt ended scissors.
• A small battery operated bladed trimmer – available in the cosmetic section of chain stores such as Target or Kmart. Look in their locked glass case.
• Disposable razors; most convenient to use.

STOP PRESS: My 15 year old granddaughter tells me that the razors which incorporate a soap sponge are wonderful.

REGULAR GROOMING ROUTINE

For most of us the drill is to shave the legs from the knee down twice a week; shave the inner thighs, back of thighs and behind the knees from time to time and before donning a swimsuit.

Trim pubic hair very carefully – and I stress very carefully, with blunt ended scissors and shave around the edges to suit. Keep pubic hair neat and short, particularly in swimsuit season.

Naturally we shave our armpits twice a week. Stretch out loose skin with the raised hand to give access to the armpit. Keeping armpits hair free is feminine and helps prevent body odour.

When you are closer to 80 than 60, you may find it easier to handle this grooming involving sharp blades at the hand basin rather than whilst showering: more room to move, more stability, a stool for the raised leg, better lightening etc.

For most of us, top of the list of unwanted body hair is unwanted facial hair.

• For fluff around the sides of your face, use the battery operated bladed trimmer weekly. The short length of hair left behind by the trimmer does not look “shaved” and will not grow back darker or thicker. The trimmer is good for nostrils too in conjunction with the sharp pointed scissors. Use the trimmer all around and under the jaw and chin – across the planes of the cheeks if necessary, around the lips and across the upper lip.
• To deal with stiff hairs which may now appear on the chin,around the mouth and along the upper lip, pluck with your Tweezerman tweezers. If you take a cuppa in bed prior to rising in the morning, make it a habit to run your fingers around your face and chin to check for stiff hairs that need removal. Pluck these hairs before applying any creams or make-up so that the tweezers grip well.

TIP: Never feel around for facial hairs in public.

Home waxing

There are many easy and streamlined products to help eliminate unwanted body hair by waxing. Heat softened wax strips are applied to the areas, allowed to cool. Hairs adhere and come away when strips are pulled away. Carefully follow the instructions. Waxing usually gives a hair-free result for a few weeks and is very suitable for the upper lip. The down-side with waxing is that sometimes ingrowing hairs occur which are a nuisance, so take this into consideration because ingrowing hairs can stay with you for years! I recommend professional waxing treatments for any hard-to-access areas and the intimate nether regions.

Depilatory creams

A quick and easy way to handle unwanted facial hair around the upper lip and corners of the mouth. Usually products are very quick acting and all is done in less than five minutes. Pay attention to the instructions.

Bleaching

Good for very fine dark hairs that don’t need to be removed necessarily, but look obvious because they are dark and detract from our appearance. Best to use a product especially formulated for the job and follow directions.

PERMANENT HAIR REMOVAL

Electrolysis

The destruction of the hair root using an electric current. Electrolysis is still used and is still probably the most effective of all hair removal treatments, but quite laborious as each individual hair has to be zapped, one by one. This treatment has been largely superseded by laser treatments.

Laser hair removal

Intense Pulsed Light or IPL progressive hair removal is the laser treatment that has revolutionised hair removal. The laser beam targets the melanin of the hair to conduct a current to the hair root (the principle is similar to electrolysis) and the hair is weakened and destroyed. The destruction of the hair root can only occur when the hair is in the active growing stage and because the growth of hairs is not simultaneous, it is necessary to have approximately six treatments to achieve success and follow-ups may be necessary now and again. The latest lasers can eliminate white and red hair successfully now which is quite a breakthrough. It is possible to treat all unwanted body hair with IPL – lips, nose, forehead, cheeks, chin, neck, full face, shoulders, back and arms, armpits, hands and fingers, feet and toes, nipples, chest, stomach, nether regions and legs. IPL obviously suits men as well as women. Prices will vary from beauty salon to beauty salon so shop around. A series of six or so treatments will attract a discount, but be prepared to pull out the credit card if you choose to treat large areas like legs.

Love your body and pay attention to body hair so that your skin is satin soft and smooth. Enjoy kisses and cuddles, confident that you are flawlessly feminine from to top to toe.

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