Do shave minimizing lotions work?

Glitterati want to know: Do “hair growth inhibiting” products like Jergen’s Shave Minimizing Lotion really work?

The Right Beauty Brain’s Rigorously Researched Response:

Uh, not really.

The hairy truth

These products don’t reduce the rate at which hair grows and they don’t even do much to reduce the hair that’s already grown out! We agree with the assessment of the folks over at Hairfacts, whom we quote:

Does it remove or reduce hair? No.

Does it make hair appear less noticeable? Maybe.

Does daily use make shaving easier? Quite probably.

Does daily use allow you to shave less often? Maybe.

Is it better at softening hair than any other extra-strength moisturizer? Not been proven.

This lotion contains a lot of heavy emollients (softeners) and a mild amount of an alkaline solution used to dissolve hair.

That pretty much sums it up. Products like the Jergen’s lotion actually claim to help make hair softer, finer, and less noticeable. That does NOT mean they slow down how fast the hair grows back, which is what they imply. (By the way, we doubt that there is sufficient alkali in the lotion to make a difference because products like this are designed to be left on skin and true depilatories must be rinsed off because prolonged skin contact will cause irritation.)

Finally, as Hairfacts points out, “The only quantitative claim they need to back up is their claim that it lets you shave “half as often.” If you shave every day or so, you might be able to go every other day or so.”

The Beauty Brain’s bottom line:

Sorry, looks like you’ll have to keep shaving.