Pumice Stone Use

Hair Removal Methods Friction
#1

Hi Everyone,

I’m not sure if anyone else has had this experience.

When I was a teenager I used a pumice stone on a very small part of my lower leg whilst in the bath. Hair was removed and has never grown back (why didn’t I pumice more!).

Anyway, I recently tried it again and I now have patches of no hair at all (it has just never grown back). It’s not always successful in that not all areas I’ve pumiced have remained hair free, but my beautician recently commented that I have very “patchy” growth.

Has anyone else had this experience?

It only seems to work on my lower legs. Thighs do not work.

#2

Actually, my grandmother had always advised me to use a pumice stone. She grew up with VERY few modern “conveniences,” INCLUDING razors or wax, and always told me about how, in the “Old Country,” she and her sisters would use the pumice stone daily to keep away hair from their arms and legs…and now, she is virtually hairless!

Anyway, I suppose you might get “patchy” growth in some areas. I’m not sure, from your post, if this is something concerning you in some way, or…?

#3

Leg hair thins and just goes away with age due to poor circulation. The only places where light scar tissue developed from friction or tweezing could lead to permanent hair removal are eyebrows and legs. For everything else, electrolysis is the only sure fire way to destroy unwanted hair. The bigger concern with friction methods is the invitation to infection.

#4

Hi,
I’m a man in his mid-30s living in London, UK. I’m happy with my hairy chest, legs and forearms, but my hairy shoulders and upper arms have always bothered me - I’ve got quite pale skin but darkish brown hair. I tried waxing but it always caused terrible spots - particularly at the top of my chest, around the collar bone region. Creams worked for a while, but they too have recently caused spots when the hair began to grow back. I’ve not tried them, but laser and IPL treatments seem too expensive and unreliable. I stumbled across this excellent site and read about the friction method of hair removal for the first time.
I experimented with a pumice stone. Well, it looks like a pumice stone, but I think it’s an man-made imitation of pumice and think it’s meant for removing hard skin from your feet! Anyway, the first time I tried, I rubbed away a bit too vigorously, and although it removed the hair from my shoulders, my skin was far too red and irritated afterwards - it felt like bad sunburn. Not good!

I tried again a week or so later (when my skin had returned to normal!). I did it in the bath, and this time I made sure to use some moisturizer. Here in the UK, Johnson & Johnson produce a Baby Oil Gel, which was just perfect. I guess regular baby oil would also be good. I applied the gel to my shoulders and then very carefully rubbed with the pumice in circular motions. Do not rub too hard, and if it hurts at all, or your skin gets too hot (or if you can smell burning hair), slow down or stop! Just gently rub for a minute or so - prolonged, gentle pressure seems much more effective than hard scrubbing. I was very pleasantly surprised by the results. Nicely smooth shoulders without the hassle of creams or waxing. The hair grows back quite quick, but the hair-growth did seem a little lighter.

I’m now just trying to use the pumice method for a couple of minutes most mornings when I have my bath/shower - I alternate from one shoulder to the next as I figure it’s probably not good to rub away every day. It’s not permanent and it’s not perfect, but it’s relatively hassle-free and I just wore a sleeveless top this summer for the first time and didn’t feel self-conscious about my shoulders. Maybe if I keep it up, it will permanently reduce the hair growth - who knows?

Thanks to everyone for sharing advice.

#5

Hey Westbury,

Can you elaborate a little? I tried a pumice stone and it didn’t work. Is there a specific produce you use? Also, how coarse is your hair? It didn’t seem to work for me on either fine or coarse hair.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Noone314

#6

I am having the same problem too, I tried my pumice stone and nothing happened, an advice would be greatly appreciated

#7

I tried the purnice stone today in my shoulders, but like westbury did his first time I too burned my skin a bit…
As for the method it depends on what you want I guess.
Put a bit of shower gel or similar on your stone and rub gently in a circular motion to remove the hair, this will cause the hairs to entangle and eventually break. Up and down motion just seems to make them finer but perhaps works best for coarse hair, but the change won’t happen overnight, you need to do it for a few weeks and keep doing it after that I guess.

#8

I just joined this forum and everything everyone has said is very helpful. I am dealing with my beautiful daughter’s unwanted facial hair. I feel like crying when she goes to sleep because everything we are doing could potentially make things worse. She is adament about getting electrolysis, which I think can not be done until age 18, but we have 6 more years of fighting this battle along with acne! We have done Nair,waxing and tweezing. Waxing and Nair are scary because she is on medication for acne. This makes the skin sensitive and can make a bad mark, thus I tweeze while she lies down and closes her eyes. I can tell it hurts. After reading about the pumice stone experience, I may try it on her in one area, but only with the Baby oil gel and I will watch for infection. I will report back here in a few days if she agrees to try this. Being young, her facial hair is soft, I was going to just bleach it, but maybe I will try the pumice stone first. Thanks everyone.

#9

As mentioned in the other thread, she CAN start electrolysis now, assuming you can find someone good in your area, and she really wants to do it.

Your best, easiest, temporary option is actually shaving, as it gives the best result with the least chance of negative side effects (assuming you don’t have bright white skin and thick dark black hairs that show through the skin as shadow when you shave)

#10

I know shaving is a real turn off for women and girls, but James is telling you true. All these other temporary methods leave you flirting with bigger problems in the future. One word of caution though: Do not do laser on her face. The hairs are too fine. It hurts a lot. It may induce more hair to grow.

If I were you and if she is highly motivated, I would think electrolysis. It must be gentle and the practitioner must be motherly (or fatherly) and reassuring. I work on younger teens, when THEY ARE DRIVING THIS EFFORT WITH HEALTHY MOTIVATION. Ease her into this. If you can find someone with a newer computerized epilator, sensation and speed will be on her side. Someone with an older epilator who is experienced can come close sometimes to mimic what a computerized epilator can do.

Just get those consults. If you can personally go check out people and have electrolysis performed on yourself first, then you can spare her from being the guinea pig as you decide on who you will trust with your beautiful daughters skin. If she see’s that you are having electrolysis and you are positive about this, it may be easier for her. Daughters watch their Mothers closely as I’m sure you know by now! Prepare the way for her. If you have to travel a bit, turn it into something fun as well. Do something in combination with the electrolysis treatment, like have a lunch together in a different a kind of restaurant. Go shopping. Go sightseeing. Combine it with a movie. Start the search close to home and spread out to a travel radius that is doable for you.

Good luck and work hard to make a proper decision.

Dee

#11

Dee makes a good point.

I have had more than one mother come in to have me do microscopic hair removal on an upper lip that did not need it, just to qualify for working on their daughters.

(the funny thing is having that as a test gave me an unfair advantage, as I would be doing that work with an stereo microscope and an assortment of gold probe/needles, while my competition would have been working with a 3 diopter circle lamp and a size 3 stainless steel needle/probe. Add the Apilus Platinum and I win on comfort and accuracy every time in that game.)

#12

In addition to those mentioned here, there are other secondary effects of friction systems. For example, tightening of skin that undergoes friction (callus), due to the defense mechanism that holds our skin.

Other side effects, is the ability to stimulate follicles in the area which receive repeated friction (feeding the hair). This is due to the bioestimulador effect that has the blood when is stimulated repeatedly.

There is a phrase in Spanish that defines this situation: “Anything that does not kill, fattening”.

And friction methods … DOES NOT KILL.

#13

i will do this next step. I need to find someone good in Maryland. My coworker who barely has any hair won a free treatment from a mom at our school who does electrolysis. The hair she wanted to rid was like a few strands by her eyebrows and 1-2 out of a small mole on her cheek. My co worker went a few times and she paid for the visits other then her first free one. After 5 months she says she is still experiencing hair growth and wished she hadn’t spent the money. She also said it was very painful. I realize my daughter is younger and has age on her side.
How bad is the pain?

#14

How bad is the pain? Pain is subjective. Some hairs sting a little ans some don’t. Some areas are more sensitive than others. Some electrologists are more skilled than others. Some electrologists use older epilators and reading glasses. Some use the newer computerized technologies and wear surgical magnification. Seeing better makes it so one can go faster to insert the probe into the follicle with accuracy. They can see the slighest changes in the skin so adjustments can be made. All these things contribute to pain or better said when it comes to the art and skill of electrolysis, sensation factors. THis should feel tolerable at the most to a very mild warmth at the least. One does not have to feel PAIN.

Pain is not an accurate word to use here when you seek a PROFESSIONAL, MODERNLY equipped electrolgist to do the work. Pain is accurate for laser hair reduction. If it isn’t painful, it is probably not going to be effective. Pain is an accurate term to describe slamming your fingers in the car door or giving birth. Modern electrolysis is not painful if one is using one of the better epilators available today for professional use only.

I would base my decision on sample consultations. You will probably find that everyone is different, but you just need to see and feel for yourself. Everyone thinks they have the best and greatest epilator on the market and will tell you that they have been doing this for 300 years with good results. Get those face to face consults and use your instincts. Do keep in the back of your mind that the better computerized epilators of today along with surgical magnification should probaly weigh very heavy in your decision making process.

Is Frederick, Maryland too far away? (Did I ask that before???)

Dee

#15

Electrolysis or any other permanent removal method takes 9-12 months. This is due to hair cycles, i.e. it’s not the same hair that gets treated over this period. It’s because every area has more hair that you can see at any one point. Hair cycles.

There are various types of electrolysis and skill really matters as well as machine used and settings. It doesn’t have to be very painful. It can be very very tolerable. But it needs to be a good electrologist with a good machine, using the right method.

That little hair is easy to treat, but treatments are still needed over the course of 9-12 months as explained above.

#16

Thanks. Frederick, MD is a bit far. I should be able to find someone decent in Montgomery County.

Is blend the best type? Is that the newest method?
I am sure I can find everyone’s opinions if I read enough threads on this site.

Her hair is still fine, but dark hair growing over light skin seems to be more exaggerated then blond hair or if her skin was darker in color.

#17

Thanks. Can electrolysis be done if she is taking an antibiotic pill for acne and a presciption cream? She has mild to moderate acne, but my husband had it bad, so I took her to a dermatologist early to head off any problems that could have gotten worse.

We live in Maryland, the funny thing is she wasn’t using any acne medication in Maine for 6 weeks last summer and her skin was beautiful. I am convinced the chemicals and stuff in our water must have an effect on our skin and other body parts.

I guess that is why they are finding male fish with eggs in them!!!

Well thanks for any additional advice on starting electrolysis on someone young and with fine hairs, not coarse yet. I almost made the mistake of waxing and plucking!!! Thanks to the web site I avoided the very mistake I thought I was preventing by using those methods!

#18

The youngest of our clients has been a girl of 6 years. His mother was very uneasy because the other kids used to laugh at her. the hairs of the upper lip were very visible. Today that girl is 8 years. Attend every 3 months to treat only the hairs that have been developed by age. That girl and her mother are happy.
Was applied an hour before, EMLA.
I will leave a scanned photo of the drawing that she (Cristina) dedicated to her friend electrologyst.

	  http://picasaweb.google.es/jm0158969/DedicatedToHisElectrologystByCristina#5326514199271294370
#19

Cute picture.
I will report back after I take her to her first appointment. It will be awhile, as I have something every night this week and she is going away part of the next week. Thanks for all the info!