Sarah Bellum Says:

The Lefty & Righty Beauty Brains don’t like writing product reviews themselves which is why you won’t find many here. They think reviews from them might compromise their scientific objectivity or something. That’s lucky for me though because I get to try all the products they pass up! It’s also lucky for you if you’re a Beauty Brains forum members because they can get free products too. (Do you need a better reason to join our forum?)

Anywhoo, I was lucky enough to get the Schick® Quattro for Women® just when my trusty old Venus was due for a replacement.

Initial Reactions

You know my immediately observation about the razor?…it’s pink! I love all things pink. They make me happy. I also liked how it looked and feels like a high quality product. You know how sometimes your razors feel all flimsy? This one is just the opposite. The only thing I did not like was getting it out of that stupid plastic package. Why do they make these things so hard to open? Damn those clam shells.

Using the Schick

First time I tried the Schick I liked it. It’s nice to hold and feels soft and smooth on my skin. It just felt like a high quality product. It’s great that you don’t have to press hard on the skin. It glides along, easily getting rid of three-day old growth. (What can I say, I haven’t been wearing skirt much lately.) Another thing I liked was that I didn’t get any nicks or cuts. Do I have to tell you how critical that is??

I’ve been using the razor for about 2-3 weeks now and it still does a decent job. It definitely is not as good as in the beginning but that’s expected. For some reason all the razors I use that have those moisture strips seem to get duller faster. In this way it’s not much different than similar razors I’ve used. If you use a shaving gel I doubt the moisture strip really helps anyway.

Sarah’s Surmise

Overall, I liked this Schick® Quattro razor and will definitely continue to use it. It’s better than my Venus and pink makes me happy whenever I look at it. The only thing that could make me happier is not having to shave at all! If you need to try a new razor (and who doesn’t at some point?) I think you should consider this one.

What do YOU think? Leave a comment and share your shaving secrets with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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.

Yvette asks: I keep hearing about a hair removal method called “threading.” Can you shed some light on this?

The Right Brain’s catty reply:
Hi Yvette, I’d be glad to answer your question because hair removal is a hot topic for us - one of the Beauty Brains is known for having bushy, caveman style eyebrows. (I won’t mention any names, but Left Brain you know who you are.)

What is threading?

There are two basic types of hair removal: depilation and epilation. Depilation only affects the part of the hair that’s above the surface of the skin. Shaving and chemical depilatories work this way. Epilation removes the entire hair, including the part growing beneath the skin so the effect lasts longer. Threading is an epilation process that uses thread to pull out hair from sensitive areas of the face like the lips and eyebrows. (Other types of epilation include tweezing, waxing and sugaring.) The threading method is very popular in Middle East countries as well as India and Pakistan.

How does it work?

Thread, usually cotton thread, is twisted and rolled along the surface of the skin. As the thread twists it entangles the hairs, pulling them out of the follicle. As with tweezing, it takes about 3 to 8 weeks for the hairs to grow back out. Threading aficionados claim that using a a growth inhibitor, like Emjoi Cream can help even more. We’re skeptical those products really work so let the buyer beware.

What are the advantages?

It’s supposedly more gentle to the skin, especially facial skin, than waxing or sugaring. That’s because it doesn’t strip the top layer of your skin. It’s also very economical. Really, really, economical. All you need to do is buy thread. If single threading session uses about 12 inches of thread and a typical spool of thread containing 150 yards of thread and costs $1.99, then the cost of a single threading is only about a half a penny. Now that’s a bargain! (Especially when you consider a bottle of Nair costs about $4.00.)

Are there any disadvantages?

It can be tricky to do on yourself and, like tweezing, it’s tough to cover large surface areas. If you want to epilate your bikini area, you’re better off with a product like Wax-cellance.

Have you tried threading? Or do you have another favorite way to remove unwanted hair? Leave a comment and share your secrets with the Beauty Brains community.

Here’s a story that shows cosmetic manufacturers might be taking the “organic” concept a little too far. Cosmetic design is reporting that depilatory makers are launching products that are supposed to be organic. They can dress these formulas up in all the botanical and herbal ingredients they want, but without the thioglycolic acid it’s not going to remove much hair. And there isn’t much natural about thioglycolic acid. (I gotta admit, though, “Nair Natural” has a nice ring to it.)

-Mid Brain

Does anyone even USE depilatories anymore? Do you wax? Thread? Shave? Leave a comment and share your smoothing secrets.

Bunny’s bushy question: I’ve tried different ways of shaving my armpits and always it results in the same thing - sore, and little red spots. What else can I do? The Right Brain’s reply:

Why is shaving irritating?

One of the reasons that shaving can irritate your pits is that you’re not just removing hair you’re also shredding your skin. In a study published in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (Vol 58 No 3 May/June 2007), researchers measured the amount of Underarm Shaving Debris generated during shaving. (Underarm Shaving Debris I love that term!) They found that 36% of the stuff you’re scraping off your armpit is skin, not hair! No wonder shaving is so irritating! They also measured the skin underneath the arms and found that it actually grows thicker to compensate for all this scraping. That’s right, shaving your armpits gives you thicker skin! (I’m not sure why, but that creeps me out just a little bit.)

How can you soothe your pits?

Even though your skin grows thicker, it’s not enough prevent all the symptoms of irritation. But the researchers did discover that using a special roll-on anti-perspirant formulation with glycerol and sunflower seed oil after shaving can further reduce the irritation.

The notion of using a lubricating anti-perspirant as a post-shaving aid is intriguing but this research is so new we don’t know if this type of formula is actually on the market yet or not. We’re looking forward to trying it AND to find out if this new technology reduces the irritation properties of the anti-perspirant itself. (The aluminum salts used in APs can be irritating even if you don’t shave!)

In the meantime, make sure you’re using a good razor like Schick, Gillette, or Body Bare.

Favorite underarm shaving quote:

“Shall I warn you to keep the rank goat out of your armpits?” (From Ovid’s Art of Love, a poem written over 2000 years ago and the inspiration for the photo that accompanies today’s post.)

Persinni wonders if hair growth reducing products like Vaniqa are really as effective. The Right Brain gives this hair raising reply:

Vaniqa is a prescription drug (in fact, it`s the ONLY drug) that has been approved by the FDA to slow down the growth of unwanted facial hair. You can read all about it on the Vaniqa website where you’ll see frequent use of the term UFH. (Come on, do we REALLY need an acronym for Unwanted Facial Hair? Sheesh!) Anyway, here are the important points that Beauty Brains think you should know:

Top 5 things to know about Vaniqa

1. It`s a light cream base that contains 13.9% of a drug called eflornithine HCl.
2. Eflornithine is an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase, an enzyme responsible for the catalysis of ornithine to putrescine. (God, I love it when I get to write stuff like that!)
3. It`s not a depilatory so it doesn’t remove hair; it makes the hair grow slower.
4. You`ll still have to shave, wax, tweeze or whatever you normally do, but you`ll have to do less of it.
5. You have to use it, and keep using it, for it to work. Many women see significant results within just 8 weeks. But the good news is, the longer you use it, better it works.

If you want to learn more, there`s an excellent Vaniqa article on the Medscape website.

Meredith Muses:
Do home electrolysis devices work? Do they really permanently remove hair and are they safe?

The Left Brain Lacks Enthusiasm:
Electrolysis is a process that involves inserting the tip of a metal stylus into your hair follicle; the stylus shoots a mild electric current through your skin to destroy the root of the hair. You then remove the hair from the follicle with tweezers and, if you`re lucky, it never grows back. Even when done professionally, this process can be hard to sit through but it does eliminate, or at least greatly delay, hair growth.

Should you attempt this on your own at home? Well, many people are happy with their home electrolysis units, however, scientifically speaking we think the risks outweigh the benefits. We agree with the assessment of the folks over at Hairfacts.com - you can click here to read their full list of electrolysis pros and cons. Meanwhile, here`s The Beauty Brains version:

7 Reasons To Avoid Home Electrolysis

1) The Process Is Difficult and Time Consuming
Since each hair must be individually treated, it can take a LONG time to treat a large area. The more hair you have, the longer the process. That may not be so bad when someone else is doing the work, but it’s hard when you have to do it all yourself.

2) Greater Chance of Skin Damage
Since the average person doesn’t have the same training, experience, and equipment as a professional, you’re more likely to damage your folicle. And kind of damage can leave you with a permanent scar.

3) Results May Not Last As Long
If you`re not skilled in the process and you don`t destroy the entire root, the hair could grow back. Even if you DO get the entire root, there`s no guarantee the hair won`t come back. According to the FDA`s Anthony Watson, ” the stimulus for hair growth in an area is never permanently removed. For instance, you can’t control hormonal changes that cause new growth. Most people would probably define permanent as ‘never comes back,’ but from a medical standpoint that may not be practical.”

4) Increased Side Effects
By doing electrolysis yourself, you may see a greater incidence of redness and swelling than with professional treatment. It’s a temporary effect but it’s unpleasant nonetheless.

5) Heightened Pain Level
Our personal favorite. Even though neither method uses dangerously high level of electricity, some people find home electrolysis more painful than professional treatment.

6) More Expensive
When you consider your time plus the equipment and additional supplies you’ll need to buy, home treatment may not be as cheap as you think. But then again, professional treatments are expensive too.

7) Harder To Treat All Areas Of Your Body
Remember that it’s hard to reach some of the areas you’ll want to treat - either because you’re looking at yourself backwards in the mirror or because you’re not using your dominant hand. The American Medical Association’s Committee on Cutaneous Health and Cosmetics says the success of electrolysis self-treatment depends largely on the condition of the hair and skin, the equipment, and the level of skill developed. The committee recommends limiting self-treatment to readily accessible areas, such as the lower parts of the arms and legs.

So there you have it: if you don’t mind the time, expense, pain, and inconsistent results of home electrolysis - go for it!

AA Asks:
What hair removal techniques, if any, work? (ie, is electrolysis permanent, does laser hair removal last and are there repercussions for skin -e.g, hardening, discoloration?

The Right Brain Researches: The Beauty Brains usually specialize in helping you take care of the hair you love. But since AA asked so nicely, in this post we`ll give you some tips on how to get rid of the hair you don`t want.

Hair removal can be either a temporary or permanent process. (Ok, maybe semi-permanent is more accurate.) Temporary measures include both depilation (getting rid of the hair above the surface of the skin) and epilation (removing the whole hair, including the part below the skin). The effects of depilation can last from several hours to several days; epilation, on the other hand, can last several weeks. You already know how to depilate and epilate: you shave, you tweeze, you wax, you thread¦you know the drill.

Permanent (ok, ok, Semi-permanent) methods of hair removal are a bit trickier. These methods are far from perfect because they rely on destroying the tissues that regulate hair growth while leaving the neighboring tissues unharmed. And trust us, that ain`t easy! Nonetheless, some success has been achieved using electrolysis and prescription oral medications. X-rays have been used as well, but this method is banned in the United States.

Less success has been achieved using scary sounding methods like Electric Tweezers (doesn`t that sound like the name of a band??), Transdermal Electrolysis, Transcutaneous hair removal, Photoepilators, and Microwaves. From where we sit, electrolysis looks like your best bet, but even it has issues. Our favorite site for hair removal info, Hairfacts.com, does a great job of laying out the disadvantages. So…we quote:

“Disadvantages Can be expensive. Can be painful. Can be tedious. Can be difficult for large amounts of hair. If done improperly, it can result in: partial to full regrowth lasting skin damage spread of infection Regulation varies by state, so inadequate controls exist to ensure competent practitioners. Regrowth rates have not been accurately established and cannot be predicted due to numerous variables. Some consumers do not respond to treatment.”

The Brain’s Bottom Line: Permanently getting rid of body hair is not so easy! Go to Hairfacts.com to learn more.

Here is an interesting photo (click on the picture to enlarge) from the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. It is living proof that waxing is much more effective at keeping the hair down than shaving.

Trying to decide on waxing vs. shaving? Try electrolysis for permanent hair removal. Find a wealth of information on laser hair removal for your face or bikini line at HairRemovalForum.com.

Waxing Scientific

The authors in the study shaved one leg and waxed the other. Then they watched the hair growth over 9 days. You can clearly see that the waxed side has much less hair than the shaved. I suppose we all knew that though. But The Beauty Brains always like to give a little publicity to real science being done in the cosmetic industry.

Can you imagine the person who’s job it is to take pictures and count the hairs on a volunteer’s legs? God I love science!