Hi Hannah. I am so tired of my moustache. My hair is 4″ down past my shoulders and I am just starting to have fun with hair accessories like clips and such. With your hair and 2 seconds you can change a mood. Anyways.. my moustache- it’s right there. I hate looking at it everyday. So I bought one of those laser hair removal gadgets. I haven’t tried it yet and was wondering if you could tell me anything about them. Does it work for man whiskers? Does it work at all? Does the hair ever grow back?
Without knowing exactly what you purchased it’s hard to say. I am inclined to be skeptical of affordable products that claim to be the equivalent of expensive procedures. If you purchased the item online, such as Amazon, you should be able to look at comments from others who have purchased the same item.
That being said, anyone out there have any product they would recommend?
Love, Hannah
Have a question for me? Oh yes you do. Ask me here!
Hannah McKnight 
I do not have a product to recommend but I do know a fair amount about facial hair removal.
Laser works best on dark hairs on white skin. It doesn’t work on gray or blond hair because the laser light isn’t absorbed well enough in the follicle to do its damage. And, if you turn up the intensity to try to accommodate that you’ll burn the skin.
Does the hair ever grow back? Yes, but. Maybe that’s a good thing for those who aren’t sure what they want. But for many (including me) that’s not something I wanted at all. But depending on how many times the hairs are treated with laser removal some may not return and some may return a little more fine.
Personally, I swear by electrolysis. But it is painful (especially for me). It takes a long time to clear the beard across the face and it’s not 100% effective on the hairs that are zapped. Some need to be treated 2-3 times before they’re finally eliminated. Also, facial hair grows in phases and are not all active at the same time which means that even if the electrologist clears an area you’ll need to return later for them to re-clear it from hairs that weren’t present about a month earlier.
When I first started seeing an electrologist five years ago I asked her how long it would take for all of my facial hair to be eliminated. Five years at one hour per week, she said. I came close to crying. For the expense, sure, but also for all that torture. Thankfully I found a place outside Chicago that will numb ones face with lidocaine injections and have two electrologists working simultaneously for hours. To clear my entire face the first time was 12 hours. I returned until it was pretty much all done, permanently, and I’m so happy I was able to afford it. The expense is high but all in all about the same if you do the math for five years at one hour per week.
Everyone’s mileage may vary and if one is thinking of buying a laser removal system on Amazon (for example) I’d recommend that they first try a session with a professional. At least then they’d have a sense of what to expect and how to use the one they buy.
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I have tried that type of home laser equipment and it didn’t work for me because I have very blonde hair. I would recommend electrolysis too but if you can try a 30 minute session to see how it is from you. I started with an hour session but found out quickly that the numbing cream they recommended only lasted 30 minutes. It’s painful for me after that. If you do try electrolysis have them start with the moustache area first.
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Emma summarizes well. Laser is not permanent. Actually, neither is electrolysis because new hairs will spring up, but it is pretty close.
To save money, I have my face waxed ever 3 weeks. First time was a bloody mess and hurt like hell. Took over an hour and at one point, she was prying on the hard wax to get the hair off me. Bruised me above my upper lip. She was surprised I came back. That said, the facial hair is way sparser and thinner now, and it takes her 15 minutes. Very little pain. I go about 2 weeks until I start to notice hair under the surface. I know waxing will never get it all, but I am happy with both the cost and the results. I haven’t shaved in 3 months. As soon as the light hairs are long enough, I go see my waxer. I was her first male face and it was a learning experience for her.
I also had electrolysis on my neck, cheeks and under my bottom lip. Still getting treated every month or so for -45 minutes as well.
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I’ll second what Emma has said. I am skeptical of anything device wise purchased online (with regards to long term results as well as safety).
Laser requires dark hair. Personally I started with laser somewhere back around 2003 underarms, legs, small of the back, and what’s commonly referred to as full “brazilian.” Leg, underarms, and small of the back laser cleared and its never returned (other than a couple random hairs… mostly on my right elbow… what my right elbow has to do with anything I don’t know). As far as brazilian area… laser significantly reduced but there wasn’t permanent hair removal. Wasn’t really consistent about appointments and stopped 2006/2007.
Started electrolysis about 2010. It’s what finally cleared brazilian. I started electrolysis on my face 2016 (combination of laser and electrolysis). It’s significantly thinner than it was before I started.
Yes hair removal is expensive. Most of the reason it’s taken so long (even with my 1st career was programming and I was making pretty good money). There’s also a couple points where I temporarily stopped.
Emma mentioned lidocaine. Everyone’s pain tolerance is different. Getting to be a bit too much information – but the area around #2 I had to do lidocaine. Lido for my face as well.
As it turns out my second career is registered nurse doing lidocaine injections for an electrolysis clinic. It’s an additional cost but depending on where you are that may be an option. Hopefully there’s some bit of information that’s been helpful.
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