The practice of hair removal has been around for a number of centuries and has been done by a lot of cultures all over the world. There are various reasons for wanting or needing to remove unwanted hair. Tribal people did it for medical and hygienic purposes while priests and other religious people did it to represent to their gods a body that is pure. Others did it to conform to societal norms or for aesthetic reasons which is the most common reason for hair removal even to this day.

All humans have hair all over their bodies. The entire hair is made up of the hair shaft, the hair follicle, the sebaceous gland, and the erector pili muscle. Hair growth varies from one individual to the next depending on factors that include genetics and hormones. There is normally a spurt in hair growth around the time a person hits puberty. In extreme cases, hair that is coarse and dark grow in places where people do not normally grow dark hair. These cases are known as hirsutism. A more common cause of hair growth is either an overage in the male hormone or androgen or a medical condition such as a polycystic ovarian syndrome. Most of the time, however, the cause is unknown.

While there is no life threatening condition brought about by excessive hair, most people with unwanted hair would want to have them removed for one reason or another. There are generally two ways for hair removal, depilation and epilation. Depilation involves the part of the hair that is above the skin usually removing only the shaft of the hair, while epilation goes deeper into the root of the hair to remove the entire hair. Hair removal methods are numerous and could be temporary or permanent depending on what a person wants and what a person has the budget for.

Some of the most popular hair removal options, aside from the most popular which is shaving, include chemical depilatories, waxing, sugaring, laser treatment, threading, electrolysis, and plucking. Here is a rundown on these unwanted hair removal options:

1. Shaving - this is the most popular way of depilation and need no further explanation as this simply involves shaving the area where the hair is using a razor whether the conventional razor or an electric razor.
2. Chemical Depilatories - this works by applying cream or powder that contains chemicals in the area where there is excessive hair and then waiting for a number of minutes until the chemicals dissolve the hair.
3. Waxing - this method involves the application of a mixture of paraffin, resin, and hot oil on the targeted area. After the mixture has cooled and hardened, it is pulled off of the skin removing hair along with it.
4. Sugaring - this method is similar to waxing in that there is a mixture that is spread onto the affected area and then later on pulled off along with the hair. Instead of wax, a sticky paste of sugar and water is used. This is found to be easier in terms of clean up than waxing.
5. Laser Treatment - this method uses laser to vaporize the pigment in the hair follicles to destroy hair follicles. A visit to a medical clinic is often necessary to have hair removed through this method. Although, there are several companies that have come out with their own home kits that allow people to do it on their own.
6. Threading - a popular epilation technique, threading makes use of a twisted thread that pulls out hair as it is rolled onto the skin. This method can be mildly painful but no more painful than any other method where hair is pulled off like waxing, sugaring, or plucking.
7. Electrolysis - this makes use of a fine needle that is charged with an electric current to destroy hair follicles. This is best done by professionals as it makes use of sensitive equipment. Several treatment sessions is often required to completely disable the follicles from producing any more hair.
8. Plucking - this involves physically pulling hair by using tweezers or fingers. This is often used for small areas like eyebrows or armpits. This method can be tedious and takes some time to complete.