How to Reduce Facial Hair Growth?

Facial hair growth is natural and, while the extent of growth varies from person to person, it can often be excessive. Particularly for women, facial hair can be distressing and pose a tough problem to tackle. Men and teens favouring a clean-shaven look also search for ways to curb facial hair growth.

Here is a closer look at the problem, covering underlying causes and home remedies in addition to examining how to remove hair from the face.

What are the Causes of Facial Hair Growth?

We need to understand a little about what causes facial hair growth before we look at how to slow it down. For women, when the body produces more than the regular low levels of male hormones, imbalances occur. This is when excessive facial hair grows, particularly the coarse, dark hair typically seen in men. Some elementary factors affecting people could be:

Hereditary
Health problems such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Hormones
Medication
Much rarer conditions such as Cushing syndrome

Remember that neither beauty magazines nor self-styled fashion gurus have the right to dictate terms about acceptable facial hair. There are plenty of instances of women who have accepted that living with excessive facial hair growth as natural. If one does choose to get rid of the same, there are plenty of safe options available.

Home Remedies for Unwanted Facial Hair

When considering home remedies for hair growth reduction, remember that the effectiveness would vary and would depend on factors such as the skin type as well as amount and quality of hair growth. Hence, choose methods which include natural ingredients that are generally good for your skin when testing such remedies on your face.

Weight Loss and a Healthy Diet: This is the primary step. This remedy is particularly effective in the case of overweight women who have facial hair issues or women with underlying causes, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, which greatly benefit from weight loss. This, combined with a healthier diet can often help the body maintain a better hormonal balance.
Turmeric: Women often swear by turmeric to tackle facial hair even though its efficacy has been questioned. It is a known fact that turmeric does wonders for your complexion and can be used with milk and gram flour to make a generally beneficial paste for your skin.

Reduce Stress: It may surprise you to know that making a conscious effort to relax can really make a noticeable difference. Stress is an underlying factor in an increase in the body’s production of one of the causes of excessive hair growth – androgens. Thus, one should refrain from needlessly worrying about the problem and look at managing it until the androgen production levels come back to normal.
Gram Flour and Lemon Juice: The use of gram flour as well as lemon juice on the face is a longstanding tradition in home beauty remedies. It is also thought that they inhibit hair growth over time. They can be used together or with other natural ingredients such as honey and milk.
Pumice Stone: A lot of people who want to know how to get rid of facial hair turn to pumice stones. Pumice stones are often used in getting rid of body hair as it slows down the growth but must be used with caution on the face and the utmost gentleness is recommended.

Methods of Facial Hair Removal

One of the most essential ways of dealing with excessive facial hair growth would be choosing how to remove the same. Women have been known to spend a lot of time and money on hair removal. Methods vary in effectiveness and cost but a general overview would be as follows:

Epilators: There are epilators meant especially for the face. Look for the ones which literally get to the root of the problem and pull out facial hair rather than merely cut the surface hair. There are even manual epilators to consider.
Plucking and Threading: These methods are often used in conjunction with each other and are effective in shaping eyebrows and targeting smaller areas. This can be daunting when the growth is spread excessively all over the face. At the same time, it is inexpensive and can be done at home, with a little practice.

Waxing: Facial hair wax is usually effective as it can cover larger areas. A lot of women report reduced hair growth with regular waxing. The underlying reason is that waxing involves removal right from the root. Preferably, stick to professionals as done incorrectly this method can cause the skin to lose elasticity. Some women find it too painful and a few react poorly to waxing so, as with most new products, test it on other areas of skin first.
Shaving: Shaving is one of the most popular methods of facial hair removal, but mostly amongst men. It is a myth that the hair grows back thicker than before. But, because the razor blunts the ends of the hair, it could appear “stubbly” or darker when growing out again. Also, ingrowths can be unseemly. Thus, it is not recommended that women consider using this method for their faces.
Depilatories: Chemicals are used in forms such as scented creams, gels or even as lotions which can be applied to large areas of skin. Remember to test the same on a small patch of skin on the body in order to prevent an allergic reaction on the face. One of the prominent drawbacks here is the malodour when using the products.

Laser Hair Removal: This involves the systematic eradication of hair in various problem spots, not limited to the face. As the name suggests, laser light pulses are used. Treatment is spread over a number of sessions, usually taking months, to offer a more permanent hair removal solution. At the same time costs can be high. The usual possible side effects of irritation and sunburned feeling can be easily dealt with but there have been rare instances of permanent skin discolouration or scarring so the importance of using reputed clinics cannot be stressed enough.

Other Methods: Other methods include electrolysis, topical creams and treatment with medication such as hormonal contraceptives, which should be taken only after consultation with your health care practitioner. As an alternative to removal, a lot of women find it easier to simply bleach their facial hair.

Bear in mind that facial hair is normal so one should not suffer from undue stress because of it. One should get a proper diagnosis if the growth is excessive as it helps to tackle underlying causes. Prevention can often be problematic but there are many ways to get rid of unwanted facial hair as discussed above. People can choose a combination of methods, which would be easy and effective in dealing with the problem of facial hair growth.