Should You Wax Or Shave? Is There A Major Difference?

Waxing and shaving are two different methods of hair removal. Both achieve the same result of keeping your skin hair-free, but are entirely different in process. People have their favorites, but is there a method far superior than the other? This article will discuss the difference and benefits to both waxing and shaving.

What Is Shaving

Shaving is the process of trimming body hair as close to the skin as possible using a razor or mechanical shaver. Lubricants like soap or shaving cream help moisten the skin for a smoother, closer shave.

What Is Waxing

Waxing, on the other hand, is done by pulling a group of hair from the roots using a soft or hard wax and cloth or paper strips. Waxing is well-known in pop culture to be the most painful among alternative hair removal treatments. 

Key Differences

The notable difference between waxing and shaving is how the hair is removed. Shaving only trims the top part of the hair on your body. This results to faster hair regrowth after a few days of shaving. This means you may have to shave your legs regularly, for instance, to maintain silky-smooth skin.

If you don’t want to commit to shaving every three days, then waxing could be a better choice. Because waxing pulls the hair from its roots, it will take more time for the hair follicles to take root and grow again, and you can even have this service delivered at home just like in Dubai where the best waxing salon offers packages cover all the common areas you're likely to wax; arms, back, legs, full face, nose, eyebrows, sideburns and more. In spite of how good waxing sounds, it has its own drawbacks as well. More on that later.

Which Hurts The Most

This question may be one of the most asked questions regarding this topic: Which hurts the most?

Shaving is the less painful method compared with the tugging that happens with waxing. Besides the occasional nicks and cuts, it’s important to note that regular shaving can cause razor burns too.  

Oftentimes, when you shave too frequently, you can also run the risk of skin irritation, redness, and bumps because your skin needs some time to heal before another shaving session. Overall, if you’re careful and let your skin heal first, shaving is a less painful way to remove hair from your body.

Most people consider waxing to be the more painful method of hair removal. Why? That’s because a group of hair, either from your legs, armpits, chest, or nether regions, are pulled together at once. But, after several waxing treatments, your hair actually becomes thinner and easier to pull, making the procedure less painful.

How Long Does It Last

The next question that needs an answer would be: How long will you stay hair-free?

As easy and painless as shaving is, it has its own disadvantages when it comes to how long you can stay hair-free.

Shaving body hair gives you a window of two to three days of hairlessness before you experience a prickly feeling on your body. Your hair regrows more quickly because its roots are intact, enabling it to push the top part out of your skin in a matter of days. In this case, shaving every two days can help keep your hair under control to maintain smooth hair-free skin.

Along with the pain that comes from waxing is the advantage of staying hairless for about three weeks. The reasoning behind this is it takes your cells more time to regrow the roots it lost from waxing. However, you will have to wait and let your hair grow to ¼ to ½ of an inch before your next wax treatment.

Should You Wax Or Shave

Is there a method superior to the other then? None. It all comes down to your preference and how willing you are to experiment. 

It could be nerve-racking to get a wax treatment because it sounds painful, but you can enjoy not worrying about any hair for the next three weeks. If you’re the busy type who barely has the time to book an appointment at a waxing salon, then a quick shave while in the shower could be the best option for you. But hey, who’s stopping you from experimenting and trying out both? Maybe you could even wax and shave alternately. 

If you’d like to learn more, sites like Best Hair Advisor dive deeper into hair removal and hair care tips.