Nair vs Razor before a laser treatment?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

Hey everyone,

Just out of curiosity, does it matter if one uses nair versus a razor before treatment? The reason I ask is because when I shaved 2 weeks ago before doing my legs, I was SO careful. I trimmed it with clippers first, then shaved with the grain, lots of shaving cream and a new razor, only using 1 long stroke, rinsing and not going over an area twice. On my thighs I got the worst razor burn in the world a couple days later, and it STILL hasn’t fully gone away and it’s been 2 weeks. It’s not ingrown hairs, since the hair is growing out like normal, it’s just around each hair is very red which I guess is razor burn. Just thinking that nair would probably avoid the razor burn but wondering if it removes too much of the hair or if it matters? I’d probably just do it on my thighs and shave elsewhere. Don’t need treatment for awhile but just wanted to find out ahead of time.

#2

If the razor burn appeared a day or two later, then it’s probably related to the hair growing back (as opposed to the quality of the razor). That means that Nair might make things worse. Since it removes hair a little bit below the surface, the hair will have a slightly higher risk of becoming ingrown or irritated.

I would try it, though. If you really are getting razor burn, then the Nair could truly help.

Not sure how it would affect laser. It removes hair slightly below the surface, so you may want to do it a few days in advance so stubble is visible and the clinic can see where they are treating.

#3

Thanks I’ll give that a try. The razor burn is brutal or whatever it is. I shaved my legs a year or so ago when I had the Silk’n and I had similar results but I seem to only remember it lasting for a few days not 2 weeks like this. Would help if the hair would shed quicker but it’s going very slow. My underarms are clear from treatment on the same day but legs aren’t really doing anything.

#4

I only use clippers a day before treatment and there is raised stubble left and my tech said it would not affect treatments. I wouldn’t bother with razors that cause heavy irritation, cuts, ingrown possibility.

Doesn’t Nair chemically dissolve the hair down to the root? I think a brochure at one laser clinic warned against using chemical depilatory creams when undergoing LHR.

#5

It doesn’t dissolve it down to the root (I WISH!).

It dissolves it slightly below the surface. If you do it perfectly, it will give you about thee days of being hair free (as opposed to one day with shaving, or 3 weeks when the hair is removed by the root like with waxing/threading).

#6

Yeah definitely not the root, it’s pretty good though I use it sometimes in other areas and it works really well. The less hair above the surface though is better, since laser energy just gets wasted into the hair above the surface. Thinking too it might help if I was to use an electric shaver instead to avoid it so we’ll see!

#7

I always shave thighs against the grain and don’t usually encounter problems. Was it a new blade or dull? Shaving gel or cream? Did you soak for 10 mins before shaving?

#8

On my thighs I did against the grain. Was a new blade, was shaving gel, didn’t soak no did after so guess that’s why too. I’m thinking next time I might just use an electric shaver though instead since it’s probably much harder to get razor burn with that…

#9

I find if I haven’t shaved in a while and it’s summer, so I’m sweating, when I shave I’ll get pretty itchy and scratch my thighs and sometimes get a rash. But it tends to go away the more you shave your legs regularly. Maybe try moisturising? And if you wear jeans that are scratchy as well, maybe think about wearing track pants or a longish pair of boxers so there’s something between your skin and the jeans.

#10

Wearing more loose jeans definitely helps a lot, maybe next time it won’t be so bad since they’ll be a bit more used to it. Was just so careful. It wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t last for so long!

#11

Some feedback! So I did my legs recently and tried the nair this time. I did it the day before my treatment but my clinic had to move my appointment back almost 2 weeks due to some issue in their building. Things were fine until around day 5, I started to get the redness on my thighs which I believe is just from the hair growing back and rubbing on my pants and getting irritated. I used nair again in places but had more irritation on my lower legs. The day of my treatment I used the razor gently then had my treatment. They feel better now since being treated. My tech though freaked when I said I had used nair. She said it’s also an exfoliant and that it should never be used for laser. She said hopefully I should still have enough hair left to treat. Which makes no sense, since it doesn’t remove the hair at the root. Even when it was growing back it was the same amount of hair as before. So we’ll see what happens. I also used it on my forearms before my last treatment as well and things seem okay. I think the settings were a bit low on them though, was a new place so I only seem to have maybe 90-95% shedding but she said next time we’ll go much higher. Was one of those places that wanted to start lower for the first time which is annoying but it’s really hard to convince someone otherwise when it’s your first time.

#12

90-95% shedding is good! :slight_smile: