5 Brilliant DIY Hair Removal Ideas
by Phillip Picardi
Alexis Wolfer is better known to the internet as "The Beauty Bean," her blog-turned-beauty-resource that's garnered a seriously loyal following. Now, much like many web stars before her, Alexis is adding a new title to her résumé: author!
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Her brand-new (as in, just hit Amazon today) book, The Recipe for Radiance, is a surprisingly chic guide to mining your refrigerator for beauty remedies. There is no "substitute peanut butter for shaving cream" grossness in these pages, only really lovely and decadent ideas to upgrade your daily routine.
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Luckily for us, we got a sneak peek at five of Alexis's most relaxing recipes for the least relaxing of beauty rituals: Hair removal. Check them out below and let us know if you'll be trying any in the comments.
1. Pre-Shave Oil
What It Does: Prevents razor burn and ingrown hairs thanks to the anti-inflammatory safflower oil and anti-bacterial and gently exfoliating coconut oil. You'll be protected from redness and left with skin and hair that's softened and less likely to snag while shaving.
What You'll Need: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, liquefied, and 1 tablespoon safflower oil.
The Steps: Combine the oils in a small bowl, then apply a warm wash cloth to the area you will be shaving or waxing for five minutes. Massage the oil mixture into the area and let it sit for 10 minutes, then cover with another warm towel for an additional five minutes. Then, start your shave!
2. Skin Soothing After-Shave
What It Does: This alcohol-free toner utilizes milk to exfoliate while chamomile calms inflammation and prevents ingrown hairs.
What You'll Need: 1 cup whole milk and 4 bags of chamomile tea.
The Steps: Warm the milk over low heat, stirring constantly. Once it's hot, add the tea bags, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove it from the heat and discard the tea bags, then pour the chamomile milk into an ice cube tray for freezing. After you've shaved, rub one cube over the shaved area to reduce redness and close pores.
3. Irritation-Busting Spot Treatment
What It Does: This mini-mask kills bacteria and reduces redness to help your spots disappear.
What You'll Need: 1 teaspoon of full-fat Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon of virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon of raw honey.
The Steps: Mix all the ingredients together until there's a smooth consistency then apply to all affected areas and let sit for 15 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.
4. Ingrown Hair Healing Compress
What It Does: This tea and honey compress helps to open the pore, reduce inflammation, and kill bacteria.
What You'll Need: 1 chamomile tea bag and 1 tablespoon of raw honey.
The Steps: Steep the tea bag in 4 ounces of hot water for 5 minutes to create a strong brew, then discard the tea bag before adding the honey. Let it cool so the mixture is warm-not hot-to the touch. Then, saturate a pad in the blend and apply to any ingrown hairs for 10-20 minutes.
5. Daily Exfoliating Scrub
What It Does: Prevents ingrown hairs from getting trapped beneath the skin's surface with both chemical and manual exfoliating agents.
What You'll Need: 1/2 cup of whole milk, 1/4 cup of raw honey, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of sugar in the raw.
The Steps: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, then apply the mixture on clean, damp, warm skin. Use gentle circular motions to exfoliate, then rinse off and pat dry.
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