Now that I am fulltime and needing to hide the facial hair that is not permanently gone, I needed to come up with a way that looked natural, rather than putting on a thick coat of makeup. I thought I would share what seems to work for me and maybe this can help others.
To start with, I scrub the dead skin cells off my face. This can be done in a couple different ways:
1. You can buy an abrassive daily facial cleanser like those offered from Oil of Olay and apply to the area where facial hair grows and scrub the skin with that.
2. If you don't have that, you can use an abrassive scrubber like a shower poof and wet the area with water and scrub.
This step is important in order to get the closest shave possible. Otherwise, the hairs will be slightly longer due to a layer of dead skin cells.
Next, I use a facial moisturizer spread somewhat liberally over the areas with facial hair. Next I use a high quality razor - I prefer the Gillette Mach 3, since I haven't found better - and shave against the grain, but don't press too hard or you may bleed. If you do, I recommend a styptic pencil which will instantly stop bleeding. At this point, your face should be fairly smooth. If the moisturizer is too thick, water can be mixed in to smooth it out a bit.
Next, if you have a thick dark beard, you can use a beard cover such as thos offered by physicians formula like their magic cube concealer. Apply just a little and rub it into the pores/hair follicles where the hair is very thick. Wipe away any excess with a lint-free cloth or paper towel. This step can be skipped if you have a lighter beard.
Next, get a concealer like Maybelline instant age rewind concealer. Apply a light coating to the areas where the hair shafts are visible. Rub this into your skin as well. Next, apply foundation such as the Maybelline instant age rewind foundation. This should go on lightly and evenly. Hair should be well hidden at this point.
Smoother skin yields better results. I named products that I have personally used in the past that I have found to be the most effective, but you can use substitutes or something that works better for you. I don't use the beard cover anymore since I started laser treatments. I have been asked by several people how I was able to get my skin to look smooth, so I thought I would share my personal technique with everyone, which uses standard products found in most stores that have a makeup section. The entire process took me about 10-15 minutes after doing it for a while.
I don't know if this will work for everyone, but I thought I would at least share it.
Melissa
Great tips! I'll just add:
DermaBlend: the stuff is meant to cover scars, burns, etc. It works great on beards. It's rather thick, but doesn't LOOK thick if used properly (warm it first in your hand, use on a moisturized face). Powder seems to be the key to soften it... and make it last all day.
Yellowish Coverup Stick: Used under foundation, it'll cancel out the blueish tones of the beard.
I like the Mach 3 because my facial hair is still too soft for a lot of razors. They flatten the hair down rather than cut it. The Mach seems to catch them and shave close. The blades are horrifically expensive though.
Dennis
I specifically use the Mach 3 Turbo as it tends to irritate skin less and I have been able to get a closer shave from anything else, even their new 5-blade razor the fusion doesn't quite cut it (pun intended).
Thanks for the Tip Tinkerbell. I had used a commercial product similar and it worked really well, but now I can do it cheaper. :)
Kate, the Magic Cube concealer I mentioned above is yellow for the purpose of hiding the dark hairs. You can get green if your hairs are move of a red color.
The thing about my method is you aren't required to spend massive amounts of money on dermablend, which isn't available to just grab off a shelf. Buying it in the early stages would require outting yourself, which some poeple don't want to do.
Melissa
Very useful tips. Thanks! :) I also use a Mach 3 Turbo and have always got the best results with it over other razors. I use a Gillette Venus shaver for shaving the rest of my body. My doctor told me there is a certain bacteria on the face and if you use the same shaver to shave your body as you do your face it will redistribute this bacteria to other parts of your body often resulting in a nasty rash. The facial skin has immunity to this bacteria, but the rest of the skin on our bodies does not normally, resultuing in the rash. For this reason I use two shavers and they work great and no rash! ;D
Another thing I have used in the past that I found works well on hiding dark beards is to use white eye shadow. Just dab it on over the dark areas of the face and neck then use your foundation to blend it in. The white eyeshadow serves as a guide as to where you need to blend in the foundation and it works great. Then finish it off by smoothing a soft powder over top. It looks very convincing afterwards. Hope this tip helps! ;)
Shannon
Quote from: Shannon on August 10, 2006, 10:21:39 AM
Very useful tips. Thanks! :) I also use a Mach 3 Turbo and have always got the best results with it over other razors. I use a Gillette Venus shaver for shaving the rest of my body. My doctor told me there is a certain bacteria on the face and if you use the same shaver to shave your body as you do your face it will redistribute this bacteria to other parts of your body often resulting in a nasty rash. The facial skin has immunity to this bacteria, but the rest of the skin on our bodies does not normally, resultuing in the rash. For this reason I use two shavers and they work great and no rash! ;D
Thanks, I did not know that about the bacteria. I also use the Gillete Venus for my body. :) The wider surface area make cuts less like to happen.
Melissa
Great tips! Thank you, all!
Chaunte
Quote from: Melissa on August 10, 2006, 10:09:32 AM
Kate, the Magic Cube concealer I mentioned above is yellow for the purpose of hiding the dark hairs.
Oh cool! I hadn't realized. Neat, huh? The stuff you learn on this path, lol...
Quote
The thing about my method is you aren't required to spend massive amounts of money on dermablend, which isn't available to just grab off a shelf. Buying it in the early stages would require outting yourself, which some poeple don't want to do.
True, it's not cheap. Since it's most often used to cover up scars and tattoos, you can always use that as an excuse - though I'll admit I usually chickened out and had my wife ask for it ;)
Does anyone know if a trypsin topical treatment actually stop pigmentation of facial hair and delaying hair growth due to death of cells at the hair follicle papilla, I have a firend that uses it and says it works woders, does anyone know?? And also I have heard of soymilk being used to shrink and change the shape of hair follicles if used as a topical treatment. Of course, you need to do the treatment ASAP after shaving and removing the hair, LOL. Make sure you do not use castor oil on your hair as it actually promotes your hair's growth if applied to the hair and not the follicle.
I know you can also use a flour paste to remove hair from the body, all you need to do is make a flour paste and apply a thick paste to the area where you need to remove the hair and wait five minutes and then wipe off in a circular pattern, it works pretty well (at least for me) and SO MUCH cheaper than mach blades.
After the laser or electrolysis regimen is over, I recommend an EpiLady or equivalent.
There will always be some regrowth/new growth, particularly as you young girls age (believe Grandma Robyn, it happens).
I invested about $20K in facial, neck, chest and presurgical e'sis over a 5 year period. (I was a tough case.) Now, I take a quick pass over face, neck and chest about once every six weeks to catch the occasional stray.
I don't shave my legs. (Hey, I'm 69 and have my man.) So I depilate them before swim season and cruise season. Underarms too, about twice a year.
It's kind of like graduate school.
Robyn
Excellent tip's. I will definitly try them. Thanks for tipping off about bacteria. I will now use two different blades.
Owen
love being female
These are terrific hints girls. Some I have tried with success, others I will in time. One question though; Have any of you that have not had permanent hair removal done, gone enfemme for days at a time? I am booking 5 days off for "Jen time", for the first time. The only problem is that I often have to shave twice a day to be real smooth. How would you girls handle shaving for 4-5 days? Would facial irritation kill my grand plans?
Hugs,
Jen
Quote from: jennyclassgal on August 21, 2006, 10:08:04 PM
These are terrific hints girls. Some I have tried with success, others I will in time. One question though; Have any of you that have not had permanent hair removal done, gone enfemme for days at a time? I am booking 5 days off for "Jen time", for the first time. The only problem is that I often have to shave twice a day to be real smooth. How would you girls handle shaving for 4-5 days? Would facial irritation kill my grand plans?
You can epilate your face. You'll stay relatively clear for days. New hairs are always popping up, but they're easy to shave or epilate again.
But I can't even begin to describe the pain. I really can't. OMG.
And ingrowns were always a problem for me. And the irritation can look pretty bad for a day.
BUT... it's a thought.
I would strongly recommend to NOT EVER epilate your face. I learned the hard way. ::) If you have to pull out hairs, tweezing is better, but I would still not recommend that. Shaving often should work for the most part. Use a moisturizer as I said at the beginning and shave in as few strokes as possible. In the beginning, my hair grew too fast to go a whole day en femme, but hormones have slowed that down to a managable level. Most of it depends on how thick your facial hair is though. If it's really thick, I would strongly recommend shaving often.
Melissa
When I have the time and can stand to let it grow long enough I usualy wax my face.... Surgi Wax <comes in a little jar, no stripps involved sold at walmart> its EXTREEMLY painfull specialy if oyur not used to it... but it gets most of the hair fairly quickly.... just do small sections at a time.... It lasts anywhere from a week to six weeks depending on the person and what and if HRT is doing to you..... I recomend doing this the day before going out and then shaveing the next day to catch the few strays.... give your face 24hrs atleast to heal before touching a blade or makeup...... nice thing though is it grows back thinner after a while :D
Help! I've been looking for the Physicians Formula Magic Cube everywhere and it's like no one carries it anymore. Target and CVS both carry Physicians Formula, but neither carries the magic cube. If anyone is still using it, where are you getting it? Or, if you found a substitute, what are you using?
Thanks!
Quote from: Tink on August 10, 2006, 01:46:03 AM
Although I don't have to shave anymore,
Well, I do have to shave, but even if I go 48 hours without shaving, nobody can tell.
I'm kinda lucky in that I have barely any chest hair (just a few around the nipples), and my arm hair is very light.
Unfortunatly the face is a different story, I grow sparse but thick hairs and I have a fairly bad complextion (from pimples and black heads from my teenage years) so I usually end up with a bunch of nicks.
I'm seriously thinking of laser removal, I've already talked to a couple of places here in St. Louis (giving reason above). Has anyone here gone this route and how good was/is it.
Kelly
Wow, it's been a while since I posted that. I stopped wearing any foundation at all. I haven't had a laser treatment in a while either. I still do have hairs here and there, but I usually shave or pluck them. If I forget to shave or anything it's no big deal. I've seen lots of GGs with more facial hair than me. :angel:
I'll probably start going back to electrolysis sometime soon though to finish up stuff. For hair removal, my recommendation for dark hair is to get a mixture of laser and electrolysis to get the best of both worlds.
Quote from: KitKatKelly on April 08, 2008, 09:43:45 PM
I'm seriously thinking of laser removal, I've already talked to a couple of places here in St. Louis (giving reason above). Has anyone here gone this route and how good was/is it.
Hi Kelly,
We talked about laser in this thread last week: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,30561.0.html (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,30561.0.html) There
is also a whole forum on hair removal too. https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/board,81.0.html (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/board,81.0.html)
You look great btw, I just read about your first trip out... congrats :)
Amanda
Great tips Mellissa. I personally like the MAch 3 razor myself. I use only foundation. My facial hair is light to begin with so I am good with that. A little light make up around the eye with the right colors and masscara and I'm good. One question though, I have been told that electrolyis is more permanet than the lazer, or is lazer better now than in the past.
Linda Ann
Love being female :angel:
Quote from: Linda Ann on April 15, 2008, 06:11:35 PMOne question though, I have been told that electrolyis is more permanet than the lazer, or is lazer better now than in the past.
Laser's not perfect, but it will wipe out a huge portion of the dark hairs. It seems like there's always just a few stubborn hairs that refuse to die though. :icon_evil_laugh::icon_chainsaw:
I use the Gillette Fusion Power. It has 5 blades close together and it vibrates. I also use the accompanying shave gel, followed by moisturizer for shave cream. I get close without much trouble.
I am trying a trick I read about as a cover. Cheap reddish orange lip stick. Works pretty good.
Good hints all round.
Love Janet
Quote from: Melissa on April 16, 2008, 05:13:29 PM
Quote from: Linda Ann on April 15, 2008, 06:11:35 PMOne question though, I have been told that electrolyis is more permanet than the lazer, or is lazer better now than in the past.
Laser's not perfect, but it will wipe out a huge portion of the dark hairs. It seems like there's always just a few stubborn hairs that refuse to die though. :icon_evil_laugh::icon_chainsaw:
I had 7 laser treatments which got rid of all my dark facial hair. The white was manageable with a daily pass using a Braun micro screen razor. After a year I finally started electrolysis to clear the rest of my facial hair. I had almost know new growth prior to electro but as I've had the white worked on, dark hair has sprouted up in the areas where white is being cleared. It's very soft and fine but very dark. A friend who'd been all white for years told me that after electro, dark hair was coming in where none had been before. Now a substantial amount of my electro session is spent on new growth dark hair!
I'm thinking of telling the operator to stick to the white and when that's over I'll have a single pass of the laser to clear up the new black stuff. Anyone had a similar experience?
Quote from: Janet Lynn on May 10, 2008, 07:25:38 PM
I use the Gillette Fusion Power. It has 5 blades close together and it vibrates. I also use the accompanying shave gel, followed by moisturizer for shave cream. I get close without much trouble.
Love Janet
Those are really the best razors out there. I won't use anything else any more. I'm not wild about the shave gel, though. I use Noxzema Hair Minimizing Shave Gel. It really does make a difference, as evidenced later in the day. Plus it's cheaper. I follow it up with Aveeno Positively Radiant moisturizer. It just works amazingly well and has spf-30.
Kristi
Another trick I've found that work really, is after you shave your favorite way. Like we really have a favorite ??? . When you go to shave against the grain use regular Noxzema was a shave creme. Put it on very lightly all over. Plus you get some moisturizing.
Works good and I can sometime skip a day.
Love,
Janet
The new mineral powder foundation from Mary Kay is terrific. My skin has never looked so good. I have found great success from Mary Kay products and with the right consultant you get a personolized service that is hard to beat.
To help save money, I spent the $100.00 and became a consultant. You then can purchase all the products for 50% off.
I am not a real Mary Kay consultant, but I sure have saved a lot of money that way. Many gg's do the same thing.
Hope this was helpful to all of you.
Ronda
I use a epilator and tweezers to remove the hair on my face. It feels so much nicer to not have all the beard hair to deal with for a few days, but then it comes back in and the process starts all over. it is amazing how long the hairs are inside your face. It is really quite gross. I would love to at least get laser treatment on my neck, because hair really irritates the sking on my neck.
Mach 3 rocks, I share the house with two very hairy (born female) girls who both have them, one is black and silver and the other green and silver ;D Wouldn't catch lesbians using using a pink :o Venus razor would you!