Lisa’s leary of depilatories: I am curious about using a razorless hair removal product such as “Veet” or “Nair” but am concerned about what is actually in the product that causes hair to just come out? Can you explain this to me and are there some products that you know of that are better or safer than others?

The Left Brain’s depilation explanation:
Actually, Lisa, depilatories don’t make the hair “just come out.” They contain chemicals that dissolve the proteins in the hair so the fibers literally break off. So before you use a depilatory, I think it is important that you understand that this involves serious chemistry.

First, an interesting historical fact

Modern depilatory technology was first patented in 1930s for removing hair from cattle hides.

How depilatories work

Depilatories lotions work because then contain a chemical called thioglycolate that is capable of hydrolyzing, or breaking down, the disulfide bonds of hair keratin. These disulfide bonds are powerful sulfur - sulfur links that are responsible for giving hair and nails their tough quality. If you break these S-S bonds, the hair becomes so soft that it will simply break off when you wipe the lotion of your skin.

This chemical process is actually a more extreme version of the permanent wave process, which is also related to hair relaxers.

What’s in the formulas

Looking at commercial products like Veet and Nair here’s what I see:

Veet lotion
Water, Urea, Potassium Thioglycolate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Calcium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Ceteareth 20, PPG 15 Stearyl Ether, Fragrance, Magnesium Trisilicate, Titanium Dioxide, Propylene Glycol, Lithium Magnesium Sodium Silicate, Sodium Gluconate, Mineral Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Acrylates Copolymer, Hydrated Silica, BHT

Nair lotion
Water, Mineral Oil, Calcium Thioglycolate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth 20, Calcium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Prunus, Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Fragrance, Iron Oxides

Both products share two key components either calcium or potassium thioglycolate and calcium hydroxide. The hydroxide raises the pH and to help drive the reaction of the thio breaking down bonds in the hair. The urea in Veet also helps swell and soften the hair shaft. The rest of the ingredients are there to either thicken and stabilize the cream, or just for show.

What are the potential issues?

Since skin is made of keratin protein, it can also be attacked by the thio reaction. So, you have to watch out for skin irritation and burns or irritation of the hair follicle (folliculitis), You can also get ingrown hairs as the broken hairs grow beneath the surface of the skin.

If you’re using a depilatory, follow the manufacturers’ instructions and test a small site to assess for irritation or allergic reactions. And never use these products on eyebrows, near mucous membranes, or on broken skin.
Having said all that MILLIONS of women use these products without any problem at all. So give them a try and see if they work for you. If you’re looking for a chemical free way to remove hair, you might be interested in our post on threading.

Reference:
Emedicine.com

What’s YOUR favorite brand of depilatory? Leave a comment and share your hairlessness with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.