7 Best Hair Removal Methods for Men

One upon a time hair removal was something no one thought about. Hair was hair, and it grew where it grew. But that was a long time ago.

Nowadays it’s more than just women who have to think about hair as part of their personal grooming. There are dozens of reasons for men to want ease and effective hair removal for themselves.

Whether you’re looking to tame a unibrow or join a competitive swim team, hair removal is a normal part of grooming for many men.

But no one hair removal method works for everyone. Instead of trying to use ineffective or frustrating hair removal, you should learn about your options. That way you can find the hair removal treatment, or treatments, that work best for your hair and body.

We’ll go over methods that are best suited for specific types of hair removal to more general hair removal that can be used on almost any hair. We’ll also make recommendations as to which type of hair removal will work best on different kinds of hair and different situations.

We’ve also selected from a wide range of products and price points. While we’ve attempted to pick some of the best products in any one category, we’ll also go over other alternatives that may be cheaper or more cost-effective for you.

By the end of this article, you should know more about hair removal for men. You’ll know the options that are available to you, how quickly they’ll work and how long the results last, and which methods you can combine, and which combinations you should avoid.

Our Top Pick Products

Normally we would talk about our Top Pick and other Best products in the product description further down. But, since this article is split between methods and products, we thought it would be helpful to highlight the most effective products here.

Instead of highlighting good options from each hair removal method, we’ve chosen these options from all of the different methods and products we’ll discuss.

Top Pick – Braun Series 9 Foil Shaver

We picked this shaver as our top pick because it’s a long-lasting and highly effective shaver. As a foil shaver, its biggest weakness is that it’s not suitable for coarse hair for full-body shaving. However, if you’re primarily looking for facial hair removal, or to maintain your bald head, this shaver is in a class of its own.

Best Value – Cirepil the Original Blue Wax Beads

For our best value, we picked an affordable and long-lasting product. Cirepil’s Blue Wax beads are easy to use, easy to store, and require no additional equipment. The product protects your skin, minimalizes the irritation from waxing, and can help reduce the rate of return hair growth.

It made our best value designation because not only is this product affordable, but the effects of waxing last for weeks. This is the longest-lasting form of hair removal that doesn’t come with a high price tag.

Best Bargain – Nair Hair Remover for Men

Nair is the name when it comes to hair removal creams. Their formulation designed for men’s body hair lives up to their reputation by producing quick, long-lasting results with a small price tag.

This is one of the most affordable, and beginner-friendly options for men’s body hair removal.

7 Best Hair Removals for Mens Comparison Table

This table will give you an idea of the kinds of products and hair removal processes we’ll be discussing. We haven’t included every product type we’ll mention, or every hair removal method we’ll talk about, but this is a fair representation of the options.

If you’re just looking for a quick solution, read no further. These are some of the most effective hair removal tools in each category. If you’re in a hurry, these are the products for you.

Hair Removal Methods + Products

If you want to learn more about each hair removal method, read the section under each method. If you’re more focused on the products, they each have their own section that you can read separately. We’ve designed this information to work together so that if you want to remove every hair from head to toe, you could after reading this article.

Shaving Products

Shaving is probably the oldest hair removal method in the world. It’s mostly safe, effective, and affordable. Shaving doesn’t take much maintenance in it’s most basic form but can have added luxuries and steps added for a more luxurious experience.

While there are lots of different shaving products out there, we picked two electric shavers for this list. That’s because electric shavers are getting more and more popular. They’re well suited to shaving both facial hair and the top of your head, but less well suited to removing body hair.

The two products we’ve picked are both designed to give you as close a shave as possible, neither will achieve the smoothness of a more traditional razor.

There are three manual razor types you can choose from if you’d prefer a closer shave, or want to shave body hair as well as facial hair. Cartridge razors are the small, often disposable, razors you can buy at any grocery store. They’re highly affordable and reasonably effective.

But cartridge razors aren’t as sanitary as other manual razors. They also produce significantly more environmental waste.

Safety razors are a marriage between cartridge razors and straight razors. The blades are replaceable, but the handles are permanent. They’re easier to clean and maintain. Usually, the razors used in safety razors are also higher quality and sharper.

These are a good option for men who don’t mind a little maintenance and are looking for a very effective and sanitary shave. It also minimizes the irritation that can be caused by multiple blades or several passes over the same area.

Straight razors are becoming more popular. But the single blade requires a lot of maintenance to stay sharp and effective.

Straight razors are probably the least safe option, although they can be perfectly safe when used properly. If you hate getting nicked and don’t want to risk the occasional cut, these are probably not for you.

Regardless of the type of razor or shaver you use, you can expect to have smooth skin for 2-5 days depending on the type of hair you’re shaving and your natural rate of hair growth.

Waxing Products

Waxing may not be the oldest hair removal method in the world, but it’s a close second. Waxing methods have been around almost as long as there have been civilizations, although they’ve not always been used by men.

Wax is a simple process, you just apply the wax while it’s still warm and pliable. You can apply wax almost anywhere. Let it cool slightly, and then remove the wax. Removing the wax will also pull hair out of your skin by the root.

This is a longer-lasting hair removal method. Typically waxing can last between 3-6 weeks, depending on hair growth. But, it can last as little as 1 week in men with fast hair growth, and as long as 8 for others.

Waxing also has the advantage that it can reduce the amount of hair that grows back over time. Since you’re pulling the hair out by the root, the hair follicle will also have to start the growth process over again. That means a longer time before it will start producing hair again.

While the growth slowing effects won’t happen with every hair, every time, it can make a big difference.

However, those long-lasting results are in exchange for a decent amount of discomfort and even pain.

Waxing is an uncomfortable process. Pulling the hair out can irritate your skin, and will almost certainly sting a little. The heat of the wax itself can also take some getting used to.

But, it’s an effective, simple, long-lasting, and highly affordable solution for men who need to remove a lot of body hair. We don’t recommend waxing for controlling beard or mustache hair. It can also be useful for removing unwanted hair on your ears or to shape your eyebrows.

Laser Hair Removal Products

Laser hair removal is one of the new kids on the block when it comes to hair removal. Once only available in spas and dermatologist offices, laser hair removal devices are increasingly available for at-home use.

There are pros and cons to both ways of getting laser hair removal. Professional treatments tend to be stronger, better targeted, and faster acting. But, they’re also expensive, can temporarily irritate or tan your skin, and require annual maintenance appointments.

While laser hair removal is often talked about as a permanent hair removal option, it’s not truly permanent. Eventually, the hair follicles will regenerate and begin producing hair again, so you’ll need ongoing treatments to prevent hair growth.

Laser is also significantly less effective for men with darker skin tones. Part of what laser targets is the higher concentrations of melanin in your hair and hair follicles.

If your skin contains a high concentration of melanin, to begin with, laser may have a harder time targeting your hair. Unfortunately, it can also mean that laser treatments also cause more damage to your skin, despite being less effective for hair removal.

We don’t recommend at-home products to men with darker skin either since the results are much less predictable.

If you’re uncertain whether your skin would be a good candidate for laser hair removal treatments, consult with a dermatologist. Even if you would prefer to use an at-home laser treatment to getting a professional treatment, they’ll be able to tell you if your skin is likely to respond well.

At-home treatments take longer to be effective and need more treatments for maintenance. But, the devices are usually more cost-effective than paying for your initial treatments and annual maintenance.

However, there are also fewer safeguards protecting you and your skin when you perform laser treatments at home.

Laser targets not only the hair but also the hair follicle. Immediately you’ll notice hair loss and hair becoming thinner and finer when it grows in. Over time growth becomes slower, and eventually nonexistent.

You’ll be able to tell when you need another treatment because you’ll see some returning hair growth.

Hair Removal Cream Products

Hair removal cream is one of the easiest options for removing hair, especially if you need to deal with large areas of the body like your chest, legs, or back. Depending on the type of cream you use, it might be effective for facial hair and body hair, or only one or the other.

While most people think of hair removing cream as something women use, these products have all been specifically formulated for use on men’s often coarser hair.

Hair removal cream uses a variety of ingredients to stimulate hair shedding, discourage hair growth, and even shrink the hair follicles. It’s incredibly important that you don’t apply hair removal creams anywhere you don’t want them, they’re far too effective!

However, there are some drawbacks. Hair removal creams can cause a rash and skin irritation for some people, especially if you’re sensitive to other skin treatments and cleansers. You should also avoid combining the hair removal cream with other skin treatments since the combination can be too intense.

Try to avoid skin cleansers and toners for at least 24 hours after using a hair removal cream. You should also avoid scented or colored lotions, or lotions that have a high percentage of alcohol.

Depending on the rate of hair growth, you can expect results to last between 3-7 days.

Electrolysis

While there are home electrolysis tools available, they’re less common and electrolysis requires a higher degree of skill than most of the hair removal methods we’ve talked about on this list.

Electrolysis is the only truly permanent hair removal method out there.

It works by applying a small localized current directly to your hair follicles. That takes the hair follicles out of active hair growth, immediately preventing future growth. However, every hair can have multiple involved follicles, so it takes several treatments to target every hair follicle in the area.

You need to be able to insert a needle directly into the hair follicle (which is usually painless) to apply the current. Some people may feel a faint tingle when the electric charge is activated, while it can be more intense and uncomfortable for others.

This process is permanent once completed, but you should plan on treating small areas at one time. Each area will need between 3-5 treatments to be effective.

Individual treatments from professionals are more expensive than laser treatments, but the overall course of treatment is less expensive than a laser treatment for the same area.

While you can buy home electrolysis machines, we recommend getting a professional treatment first. That way you can evaluate how comfortable you are with the procedure, and watch to see if you think you can perform it for yourself.